Jake's Audio question for you all

Since everyone has been so helpful with the title of Jake's #2, I figured I'd just share one of the dilemmas I'm currently facing for the JMM2 audiobook. TL:DR at the bottom.

Basically, Travis Baldree has NO availability. He is booked until 2026 and isn't even accepting bookings into 2026 because he doesn't know what he'll be doing. He is publishing his own books and was already slammed for time, so it is literally impossible to get a slot with him right now.

I have a couple of options on what to do. There is one audiobook company (Podium) that has a few open slots pre-reserved in 2024/25 with Travis. I could potentially sign with them to secure those slots, but signing with them typically involves a HUGE cut of my royalties. I'm in negotiations with them now just to see what they will offer me, but I expect even the most generous offer they give me they're gonna take like 60% of my royalties or more. The more likely cut might be even more than that. Meaning they keep the majority of the money the audiobook makes. That's a lot of money that I need to be able to keep writing full-time.

The other option is produce JMM2 myself, but that would require me to hire a new narrator. I know how much people hate when a new narrator takes over a series. If I had to go with a new narrator, I could either keep book one with Travis and just hire a new narrator for book two OR I could remake book one with the new narrator and release it and book two at the same time, that way people have the same narrator for both books.

If I don't re-release book one with the new narrator, then I get to keep all the royalties for book two myself but then book #1 is Travis and book two is someone else.

If I re-release book one with a new narrator, then I likely have to bargain with the original audiobook company to have them re-make #1 for me, which means they'd get a cut of book 1/2 as well (mostly likely). But their terms are more favorable than Podium's are likely to be, so I wouldn't lose quite so much - but obviously I'd lose more than keeping all royalties myself.

The benefit of this would be I could likely get the audio out sooner and I get to keep more of my own money.

No matter what, the situation is a total mess and I'm struggling to decide what is best to do.

Here's the TL:DR options:

1) Sign with Podium to have Travis narrate sometime in 2024/2025, lose a huge chunk of royalties.

2) Hire a new narrator. Produce book two myself, keep Travis for book one, have fans be upset about the switch in narrators. Keep all the royalties myself, minus paying out of pocket for the new narrator.

3) Hire a new narrator. Bargain with my original company to remake book one with the new narrator, give them a portion of royalties for book two to get them to agree. Get to keep more royalties than with option #1, but have to pay to remake book two, and people might still be upset at Travis no longer narrating + upset they might have to buy book #1 again to have the same narrator.

Thoughts?