I have a confession: My book sat on a hard drive for over a year.

I didn’t write it because I wanted to be “the next big thing” for a New York boardroom. I wrote it because I loved the story and I knew it was meant to be heard—literally. I wrote it for audio.

But when I reached out to the “gatekeepers”—the agents who decide whose voice matters—I hit a wall. Most didn’t even read the query. The ones who did told me I didn’t “fit the box.”

The industry “advice” I kept hearing sounded more like a script for failure:

• “Write it the way they want.”
• “Pivot your story for our brand.”
• “Give us $10,000 to publish… and another $10,000 if you want audio.”
• “Be realistic—you might only sell 500 copies.”

It was disheartening. They wanted $3,500 just for 1,000 physical copies, and then the big audio platforms wanted a 40% cut of my royalties. Every weakness of that model—low royalties, zero control, and restrictive contracts—felt like a trap designed to keep authors from ever truly owning their work.

Then, everything changed because of my mom.

She’s a published author, too, and she was facing the same roadblock. She wanted her book in audio, but the technical and financial hurdles were too high. I couldn’t let her story stay trapped on a drive like mine. I used my tech background to build her a custom, secure audiobook player that lived directly on her own site.

It worked for her. It worked for me. And that’s why I started KOBA-I Audio.

Our mission is simple: To be the champion of author empowerment. We don’t believe you should have to choose between professional quality and true ownership. We offer a one-time fee for an all-in-one solution that puts a secure, professional audio player directly on your website. No 40% royalty cuts. No tech complexity. Just your story, your brand, and 100% of your profits.

I’m currently finishing the audio edit for my own book—a three-month journey that’s almost at the finish line. I’m going to document every step of the way: from the final script to the first sale, and the first 1,000 listeners.

I’m letting the authors tell their stories, reach their audience, and build their own platforms.

Wanna watch the journey? Follow along as we change the rules of the game.