Producing How-TO CD's

Minimum Start-Up: $2,500 
Average Start-Up: $5,000
Revenue: $12,000
One Person Business: Yes
The CD is entitled: "This CD Can Make You Filthy Rich", and it's about 
producing how-to CDs - a concept whose time has come. At $15 each, plus 
$3 shipping & handling, the producer of CD will gross $18,000 selling 1,000 
CDs.
The production cost is quite small. The audio program was written by the 
producer who brought the script to a "Narration House" where a professional 
announcer does the voice recording using a professional studio.
NARRATION HOUSES
You can order radio commercials as well as other "voice" recorded programs 
to be produced by so-called "narration houses".  
This business is usually run by a professional announcer who owns or has 
access to a professional recording studio. Just send your script to a 
narration house and have them record it for you. The amount you are 
charged depends on the length of your material and the type of tape on 
which you want your "master copy" recorded. A recording of 30-minute 
material may cost you $450.
THE INTERVIEW FORMAT
Another popular format for a How-To CD is what we call the "Interview" 
format. This is where the author or producer of the CD is interviewed on 
a subject in which he or she is an expert. Since this format is prepared 
on a "question and answer" basis, it is relatively easy to structure, 
allowing for a more logical presentation of the ideas the author wants to 
cover.
With this format, the author can prepare 30 to 50 questions which, together 
with the answers, can be edited down to a 30 to 40 minute program.
Depending on where the interview is produced, this format may cost less than 
a straight presentation where the bulk of the work uses the voice of a 
professional narrator.
YOUR MARKET
In a "How-To" project, it is always recommended that you select your topics 
based on your expertise or access to information. From a marketing 
standpoint, it is equally beneficial for you to be familiar with the market 
to whom you expect to market your How-To CD.
If your topic is very selective, use direct mail to market your CDs. If it 
is an extremely popular topic that can be promoted on TV, use 60-second TV 
spots or print ads.