I’m running a little experiment.
Actually, that’s not quite true.
I’m running five experiments at the same time—well, soon.
Here’s the question:
Can an audiobook actually work on YouTube?
And if it can…
What format works best?
Because there are a lot of ways to do this.
And I mean a lot.
Most audiobook videos I see on YouTube fall into one of two camps:
1️⃣ Just the audio with a static book cover (example)
2️⃣ A fully produced video with animations, visuals, and all the bells and whistles (example)
But there’s a lot of territory between those two.
So instead of guessing…
I’m going to test it.
The Plan
I’m uploading the same audiobook to YouTube in multiple formats.
Each version will be slightly different.
Here are the first few I’m trying:
🎧 Version 1:
Just the audio.
Static book cover.
No transitions.
No graphics.
No commentary.
No fancy stuff.
Basically the “boring baseline.”
Then we upgrade.
📖 Version 2:
Audio with chapter markers and different images for each chapter.
🎙 Version 3:
Audio with commentary from me between chapters.
🖼 Version 4:
Images or visuals inspired by the content of the chapter.
🎬 Version 5:
A more produced video version.
Why This Is Interesting
YouTube is weird.
Sometimes the simplest thing works best.
Sometimes the fancy thing works best.
And sometimes the unexpected thing wins.
So instead of guessing…
I’ll just upload them all and watch what happens.
Views.
Watch time.
Comments.
Audience retention.
Let the algorithm decide.
My Prediction
Here’s my guess.
The simplest version might actually do surprisingly well.
Why?
Because people often listen to audiobooks like podcasts.
They hit play… and go do something else.
But I could also be completely wrong.
Which is exactly why experiments are fun.
Want to Follow Along?
I created a playlist where I’ll upload each version as I test them.
You can watch the experiment unfold.
👉 Audiobook on YouTube Experiment
(And if you’re an author, creator, or curious human, this might save you a lot of guessing.)
What Else Should I Test?
Now I’m curious.
If you were experimenting with audiobooks on YouTube, what would you try?
Some ideas I’m considering:
Author commentary between chapters
Visual quotes appearing during the audio
Ambient visuals (coffee shop / rain / writing desk vibe)
A “study mode” version
A version with animated illustrations
But I’m sure there are better ideas.
So tell me:
What audiobook format would you test?
