Category Archives: Audiobooks

November 15, 2025 · 12:01 pm

Going Wide with Audiobook Distribution

As if creating an audiobook isn’t challenging enough, distributing it to retailers is a more complicated and unstable process than it ought to be. In June 2022 when the four-book boxed set of my Waterspell fantasy series was ready for release, I went with Findaway Voices as my distributor because I knew the name. At that time, I had not heard of Author’s Republic. Knowing that I wanted to go wide and not limit myself to the evil Amazon-Audible empire, I liked Findaway for its distribution model. It would get my audiobook into Chirp, Apple, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, and a bunch of audio retailers I’d never heard of, like Storytel and Downpour.

INaudio audiobook retailer distribution list — (**INaudio’s Supposed Distribution Network**)

Change Is Inevitable?

Alas, things kept shifting at Findaway. I had hoped to use them for production services, but Findaway dropped that service without even announcing they were dropping it. Their onetime narrator marketplace just disappeared off their website. Very fortunately for me, I then found the Usound audiobook recording service. From Usound’s roster of top talent, I snagged the amazing Simon de Deney to narrate the Waterspell boxed set, and the wonderful Hannah Eggleton to narrate the linked sequel, The Karenina Chronicles. Both of those professionals did excellent work.

But then, Spotify (yuck!) acquired Findaway in 2022, and I didn’t like Spotify’s reputation for paying musicians a pittance. I stuck around, though, because my audiobooks were still being distributed by the merged Spotify/Findaway entity to all known retailers, and I didn’t much care that my sales at Spotify were nearly nonexistent.

But THEN, in Autumn 2025, Spotify disengaged itself from Findaway, and the old Findaway Voices was rebranded once again as Voices by INaudio (led by Findaway veterans Blake Squires and Ralph Lazaro). I pretty quickly noticed a diminishment in the “off-brand” retailers to which my audiobooks were supposedly being distributed. They disappeared entirely from Libro.fm, and some of the links in INaudio’s “Retailer Link Tool” go nowhere. To be fair, however, I saw no disruption in the distribution to the major players such as Audible, Apple, Chirp, Kobo, and Barnes & Noble.

The Future of INaudio … and Me

I’m sticking with Voices by INaudio, for now, because a review at Reedsy.com says:

INaudio executives are reportedly planning to relaunch audiobook production services in the future.
They also want to bring back giveaway codes to help authors get downloads and reviews.

Both of those developments will be very welcome. In the meantime, I’m keeping an eye on my royalty statements from INaudio.

And I’ve said good riddance to artist-abusing Spotify. I have withdrawn my audiobooks from Spotify, to protest that platform’s immoral and tone-deaf decision to run recruitment ads for ICE, America’s racist Gestapo. My audiobooks remain available at other retailers.

(But only at Chirp are they on sale at really low, low prices in Autumn 2025. Such deep discounts will not soon be repeated, so you might want to check out the Nov-Dec sale.)

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Tagged as Audiobooks, book bargains, marketing

November 14, 2025 · 12:01 pm

Early Black Friday Sale: 5-Star Fantasy Audiobooks

Just in time for your Holiday 2025 shopping and gifting! These are the lowest prices ever on the audiobook editions of Waterspell Books 1-4 (boxed set) and the linked sequel, The Karenina Chronicles: A Waterspell Novel.

Limited-Time Offer! Lowest price ever on Waterspell: Books 1-4

Limited-Time Offer! Lowest price ever on The Karenina Chronicles: A Waterspell Novel

Limited-time offer, available only at Chirp, where there’s no subscription fee. You buy only the audiobooks you want, when you want, and at the best prices anywhere. Click the images above, or go to:

These highly rated audiobooks return to their regular prices on December 13, 2025.
Don’t miss this chance to save big!

Reviews

Highly rated for: Captivating Story • Wonderful Character Development • Magical Voice • Detailed Imagination • Unique Twist

• “A riveting series. Well written, excellent world-building with an engaging plot in each book and well-developed characters. I was gripped right from the start with twists I didn’t see and unpredictability.” —Aria, NetGalley

• “Complicated characters, plot twists, romance, adventure, and magic — all written in a voice that immerses you in a fantasy world both foreign and familiar. Get the box set because you won’t want to leave this world.” —Beck Digs It, Amazon

• “Listening to this book has been great. The story has twists and turns, it flows well and is neither too fast or too slow. The narrator is very real conveying anger as well as softness and intrigue. This is the type of audiobook you can listen to for hours and not get tired of.” —Sue, Audible

• “This story has such wonderful character, scene, and story development. I loved going along for the journey with the characters. I’ve read the books and am thoroughly enjoying the audiobook. The magical voice of the narrator makes the already great story even better, a whole new experience! Great read, highly recommend!” —Amanda, Audible

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Tagged as audiobook sale, Audiobooks, book bargains

December 22, 2024 · 1:39 pm

Winter Sale for Waterspell Audiobooks

Through 5 January 2025, every book in the Waterspell fantasy series is on sale. The audiobooks are on sale, too! $14.95 for the four-book boxed set; $11.95 for The Karenina Chronicles. That’s $10 off the list price for each.

Available a la carte (without a subscription) at Chirp, Apple Audio, Spotify, and Nook Audiobooks. If you have an Audible membership, each book is 1 credit.

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Tagged as bargain audiobooks, book bargains, fantasy audiobooks

August 1, 2024 · 12:32 pm

Karenina at Kobo and Audible

Such a busy week! And a busy month of August, from Day 1. The Karenina Chronicles (the newest book in the Waterspell series) is featured at Kobo all month in the category of “Science Fiction & Fantasy Under $5.99.”

Plus, The Karenina Chronicles audiobook is now available at Audible as well as all other major retailers.

🎉 I’m breathless with the speed of events. 🥳 If you’re looking for a good read for your August vacation, please check out The Karenina Chronicles: A Waterspell Novel in any format you like: print, ebook, or audiobook. Discover why readers call it “exceptionally vividly realized” and “engaging from page one.”

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Tagged as Audiobooks, book bargains, fantasy

July 19, 2024 · 4:21 pm

The Karenina Chronicles Audiobook Is Live!

Already! It’s live!

The brand-new audiobook of The Karenina Chronicles is now available at several retailers including Chirp, Kobo, Apple, and Nook; and at Spotify it’s a STEAL for only $11.49! Audiobook retailers set their own prices, and this must be a new-release special price that won’t last long.

Please help me introduce Hannah Eggleton to audiobook listeners who will love to hear her work. This is Hannah’s VERY FIRST audiobook narration, and she has done a beautiful job. Wherever you get audiobooks, you can find it at Books2Read. Thank you for your support!

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Tagged as Audiobooks, book bargains, discount audiobooks, new books

June 17, 2024 · 3:20 pm

What’s New in the Waterspell Universe

I haven’t blogged in months because I’ve been traveling the world. The world of Waterspell, that is. The place keeps me busy. Here’s some of what’s happening:

The Karenina Chronicles
A Waterspell Novel
by
Deborah J. Lightfoot

Audiobook narrated by
Hannah Eggleton

Fall 2024

The Karenina Chronicles audiobook is nearly finished! Narrator Hannah Eggleton has done a beautiful job. Hannah has captured Nina’s voice, attitudes, and personality so perfectly that I must keep reminding myself that Hannah is Hannah, not Nina. 😁 We’re aiming for a Fall 2024 release. The audiobook will be available everywhere: Audible, Chirp, Hoopla, Barnes & Noble, Spotify, etc.

Here’s a 2-minute sample to whet your appetite. I love the strong self-confidence of Hannah’s voice.

The Sequel: Fires of Farsinchia

Yes, there’s a sequel in the works. The Karenina Chronicles is itself a stand-alone sequel to the original Waterspell quartet. To follow Nina’s story, you don’t need to have read the first four books. KC takes the saga into a new generation with new characters and conflicts.

But just as Nina demanded that I tell her full story in a chronicle of her very own, several characters from KC have also clamored for more time on the page. The result is turning into yet another Waterspell novel, to be called The Fires of Farsinchia. I’ve been handing out business cards with Fires listed alongside KC, which is putting the cart before the horse since Fires is still months away from publication. It won’t be listed yet by any bookseller.

To give googlers a search result, however, in case any recipient of my card googles the title, here’s the blurb, along with a sneak peek at the cover:

The Fires of Farsinchia
A Waterspell Novel
by
Deborah J. Lightfoot

With the revival of magic in the world of Ladrehdin, an ancient foe reawakens. Lady Karenina is called home to wield her wizardry against a power far older and deadlier. Will she survive? Who will hear her call for help?

Will It All End in Flames?

In this second sequel to the original Waterspell quartet, Nina returns to the Ore Hills, summoned from across the void to face peril alongside her brother Galen and niece Jacca. This time, the threat is existential. Nina will discover that her great Gift of water-magic does, in fact, have its limits. Love, however, is eternal, and true friendship is boundless.

The Fires of Farsinchia concludes the further adventures of Lady Karenina of Ruain, eldest daughter of House Verek. It's a tale of loyalty, humility, and selflessness in the face of overwhelming odds. Who can you count on to always be there to save you from drowning when you're in over your head?

Waterspell: The Nina Sequels by Deborah J. Lightfoot. "The Karenina Chronicles" and "The Fires of Farsinchia."

You map lovers out there will be happy to know that Fires includes a map, this one drawn professionally by Tiffany Munro, cartographer for Feed the Multiverse Studio. This lovely and detailed map will be a great help to readers in following the new story through a complex landscape. I’m thrilled with it! 💙

Map of the Ore Hills and vicinity, detail by Tiffany Munro, cartographer, from The Fires of Farsinchia: A Waterspell Novel by Deborah J. Lightfoot (c) 2024. All Rights Reserved.

Will There Be a Waterspell Book 7?

Possibly. I’m making notes for a book that could take the saga into the third generation. Two young adepts from The Fires of Farsinchia got married, and I’m sure their children will be unusually magically gifted. I may have to tag along on their further adventures, for I’m sure they’ll have many.

I need a break from this world, however. Since 2020, I’ve lived in the Waterspell universe. It has dominated my life. Which isn’t a bad thing at all, except I’m at the stage of life where I really should devote time to clearing out the clutter. My writing room is bursting with old projects, old notes, and files that need to be tossed. My late husband left a garage full of tools and bolts and fasteners of all kinds. It needs going through and boxing up for donation to Habitat for Humanity. Maybe I’ll take a year to declutter before tackling the story of the third generation in this fantasy family saga. Stay tuned!

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Filed under Audiobooks, Books and Readers, Magic, On Writing

Tagged as Audiobooks, fantasy, fantasy family saga, fantasy maps

March 16, 2023 · 10:14 am

Waterspell Audiobook on Spotify

The Waterspell audiobook is distributed by Findaway Voices, and Findaway now belongs to Spotify. Findaway has sent word that they are discontinuing their Authors Direct storefront and listening apps, and will move those services to Spotify.

This won’t affect many of my listeners. Happily, however, the relative handful who redeemed giveaway codes via Authors Direct will get to keep your Waterspell audiobook. Findaway promises to email you a redemption code to unlock each of your previous Authors Direct books on Spotify. Listeners can use Spotify Free and Premium accounts to access those books.

Please be aware that the Authors Direct listening apps (iOS, Android, and Web) will not be available after June 5, 2023.

Besides Spotify, many other audiobook retailers carry Waterspell, some at a discount off the $24.95 regular price. Audible offers the four-book boxed set (50 hours of audio) for a single credit. Such a deal!

For a complete list of retailers, please see the Audio page: https://www.waterspell.net/audio/

Thanks for listening!

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Tagged as Audiobooks, Redemption codes, spotify

June 29, 2022 · 8:35 am

Three New Releases in Six Months: Too Fast?

With the dust beginning to settle, I’m surveying my little publishing empire, seeing what has worked and hasn’t worked since January 2022. As a refresher on the timeline of my new releases this year:

January. Waterspell Book 4: The Witch available for pre-order
February. The Witch released in paperback and all ebook formats
March. Goodreads Giveaway for Waterspell: The Complete Series (Boxed Set: Books 1–4)
April. The Complete Series released as a 4-in-1 ebook bundle and ARCs offered on NetGalley
May. A sales boost for the entire series from my highly successful Freebooksy promo
June. Waterspell: The Audiobook debuted at a score of retailers including Audible

What a relief to have all of this frantic effort behind me! Now I can focus on making pretty promotional graphics at Canva to post on social media. I can try to remember to upload new videos to my somewhat neglected YouTube channel. Most importantly, I can start planning a new book.

Too Much, Too Fast?

At this natural pausing point, it behooves me to pause and consider whether releasing three new books or editions in less than six months might have been rushing things a little. If this frantic schedule has left my head spinning, I fear it has also confused my readers.

Barely had I begun begging for reviews for Waterspell Book 4: The Witch before I was begging equally earnestly for reviews for The Complete Series boxed set. Some readers, I suspect, got muddled: They didn’t fully grasp that Book 4 is a separate publication from The Complete Series. And thus, they didn’t realize that each publication needs to be reviewed separately. Although Amazon correctly shows The Complete Series (the boxed set) as being one part of the Waterspell series, reviews for each individual book in that series are not immediately visible to shoppers who are looking at any single title in the collection. That is to say: Amazon treats each book (and edition) individually, which creates (in me) a need for readers to take the time to post individual reviews for every book and every edition. A big ask.

Indeed, that’s a lot to ask of even the most ardent fan. All of my asking—first for the individual Book 4: The Witch, then for the boxed ebook set, and now for the culminating audiobook—has befuddled even me. I’ve no doubt that I’ve raised confusion in the minds of many readers. They (and I) would have benefited from a slower pace of new releases in 2022.

Nevertheless, rushed though it was, I’m delighted to have all of the publishing frenzy done and dusted. The new titles and new editions are out there, readers are finding them, and new reviews are appearing. The six-month sprint is over. Now I settle into the marathon of ongoing, nearly continuous book promotion.

Book Promo Overview

In May, I ranked the promotions I’d used, according to their effectiveness. With another month of experience behind me now, I’m revising two of my earlier estimations. Both of my giveaways—Goodreads and Reader Views—have improved their grades from C to B-minus.

Goodreads was a giveaway of 100 Kindle ebooks of The Complete Series. That giveaway has now netted me five-star ratings from two of the winners, along with a very nice review from one of those satisfied readers: “Loved it. Couldn’t put it down. 5 star box set. I may actually reread this because I enjoyed it so much.”
Reader Views was a giveaway of physical copies. I’d been disappointed that no recipient of those rather pricey, high-quality paperbacks had responded by word or deed. But on May 28, a winner of a print book posted on Goodreads: “Thank you, Deborah. I loved this novel and can’t wait to start Waterspell 2.” Those few words made everything worthwhile, all the expense and effort of mailing out physical copies.

I hope this doesn’t sound whiny. I’m truly grateful for every review and every star. Readers are busy. I get that. Writing reviews can be hard. I get that, too: I suck at writing reviews. Some of the reviews my books have received have filled me with awe, they’re so insightful and so beautifully written. Me? About all I can ever think to write about a book is: “I liked it.” Too many mandatory book reports in my school days ruined me for writing book reviews, I fear. But every author will value a simple “I liked it” as much as they value a detailed, four-paragraph analysis.

All reviews count. Every review matters.

To sum up: Marketing is hard, it’s expensive, and it’s time-consuming. To ensure that I’m spending my promotional dollars effectively and using my time wisely, I must pause occasionally and analyze how I’m meeting, or not meeting, my goals. At this point in my writing life, my goals are to get more reviews. At present, reviews are more important than sales. Without reviews, books (and audiobooks) won’t sell. First comes the writing/publishing, then the reviews, and THEN the sales.

Quick Links to Post Reviews

If you’re a reader who is inclined to help me out with a new review (or two, or five), I’ll be eternally grateful. 💙 Here are the direct links to post reviews at Amazon:

Waterspell: The Complete Series
Book 1: The Warlock
Book 2: The Wysard
Book 3: The Wisewoman
Book 4: The Witch

These links go to Goodreads:

Waterspell: The Complete Series
Book 1: The Warlock
Book 2: The Wysard
Book 3: The Wisewoman
Book 4: The Witch

Also, if you’d like to review the new audiobook edition, the following retailers will allow you to leave a review without having bought the audiobook there:

Apple
Google
Amazon (but not Audible)
Kobo
Scribd (with free trial)
Downpour
Goodreads

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Filed under Audiobooks, Books and Readers, Discoverability, Waterspell fantasy trilogy

Tagged as book discovery, book reviews, marketing

June 1, 2022 · 8:15 am

The Waterspell Audiobook Is Live!

Releasing June 1, 2022
WATERSPELL: The Complete Series
Audiobook

Am I excited!? Just a little. Well, a lot actually.

This new audiobook is the culmination of decades of work. I started writing Book 1 of Waterspell so long ago, the story seems to have always been in my life. In a sense, I suppose it has been in my life since I learned to read in my childhood. Everything I’ve ever read has probably found its way into this series, in some fashion or other.

But that’s true for all writers, I imagine. We are products of the life we’ve lived, the people we’ve known, the education we’ve received, the work experiences we’ve had, and perhaps most of all the books we’ve read. We write what we know.

Waterspell is deeply personal for me, however. I remember my doubts and my uncertainty as I began the switch from nonfiction to fantasy. As a trained journalist and an award-winning author of history and biography, I wasn’t even sure I could write fiction. Did I know how? I had much to learn, and attentive readers can follow my learning curve through the series. Wordiness, for instance, was my painfully clear weakness in Books 1 and 2. That fault is less apparent in Books 3 and 4.

Our house in Mexico on Lake Chapala

During my years of work on this story, I not only grew as a writer, I gained a deeper sense of my place in the universe. A huge amount of the writing was done while my husband and I lived in Mexico, in a house that I loved, prettily situated on the south side of Lake Chapala, south of Guadalajara. Our time in Mexico was a highlight of my life, an intensely creative eight years. Amid the tropical flowers and greenery that surrounded our house, I gave myself to my writing, tapping my deep subconscious during those quiet nights by the lake, disturbed by nothing, visited by only owls and inspiration.

My beloved husband holding a fuchsia for me to photograph in our Mexican garden

After we left Mexico, another seven years would pass before Books 1–3 of Waterspell were published. And then, to my horror, my husband died quite suddenly and unexpectedly, only two months after Book 3 was released. I have written elsewhere about the effects of my grief on my writing; I will not elaborate here, except to say that my husband’s death is, for me, inextricably woven into the very fabric of this series. It is chief among the reasons for my deep personal investment in this story.

The Gift That Started Things Off …

All of this history will perhaps explain why I’m so joyously, deliriously excited about the new audiobook. Readers had been asking me for an audiobook, but I thought the expense of such an undertaking would be beyond my reach. I resisted the idea of even investigating the possibilities, until my sister-in-law gave me an Audible membership for Christmas. The first thing I bought was Lord of the Rings, narrated by Rob Inglis.

What a revelation! A great work of fantasy was elevated, by a masterful job of narration, to a plane of perfection almost beyond my comprehension. That was when I knew I had to pursue an audiobook of my own series, and damn the cost.

… And Now Here We Are

Here we are, on June 1: Release Day! I can hardly wait for the world to hear Simon de Deney’s wonderful work on Waterspell: The Complete Series. I love how Simon connected with the characters. I am deeply grateful that he took on this big project, that he liked the story and my writing, and was willing and able to produce 51 hours of narration. Not a small undertaking! I feel honored to have an actor of Simon’s reputation narrating my novels. 💙

Simon de Deney is a professional actor, playwright, director, and audiobook narrator with more than 25 years of broadcast experience and a wide range of acting credits, from feature films to shows in London’s West End. His audiobook work includes Flames Over Frosthelm (Dave Dobson), It Calls from the Forest (multiple authors), and The Story of Wine (Hugh Johnson), for which de Deney was nominated for Best Performance (Factual Audiobook) in the 2022 One Voice Awards (UK). As a writer, de Deney has had several BBC Radio commissions, including “The Way It Is” and “Future Perfect.” He has developed and directed new plays including “Broken Voices,” “Scotch and Water,” and “Late Fragment.” His acting credits include (theatre) “The Madness of George Dubya,” “The Prisoner of Windsor,” “Beneath The Waves,” and “Felix,” as well as television roles in “House of Elliot,” “The Upper Hand,” and “Rose Cottage.” His film credits include Damage, Shining Through, Another Country, and The Selfish Act of Community. Simon de Deney has a Master of Arts degree in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University. He lives in London.

This being my first audiobook, I’m not sure what to expect. Will it suddenly just appear in the catalog of every retailer? It’s been available for pre-order at Barnes & Noble, Chirp, AudiobooksNow, and Libro.fm. It’s supposed to show up on June 1 at Apple, Kobo, Walmart, Overdrive, and many others including Audible. But I’ve been warned that Audible lags behind.

So check back here on my website for new links. I’ll post them as I get them.