Ways to publish a nonfiction audiobook

First: who owns the audio rights

Every self-publishing route asks you to confirm you hold the audio rights. Google's auto-narration terms say it outright: "You must own the audiobook rights to ebook titles you select for auto-narration" (Google Play Books).

If you self-published, you almost certainly do. If you signed with a publisher, read the grant of rights. The Authors Guild model contract lists audio among the non-print rights and advises that authors "should retain these rights" by striking the language that grants them, particularly with small and medium-sized publishers, many of which "don't have the resources or intent to exploit" them (Authors Guild, section 6). More on what contracts take in who owns what.

You also need finished audio: a narrator (you, a professional or, on some platforms, a digital voice) and a producer. This guide covers where the finished audiobook goes, not what production costs.

The options side by side

ACX and Audible

ACX is Audible's platform for authors and publishers. The choice that defines everything else is exclusive or non-exclusive (ACX, exclusive vs non-exclusive):

• Exclusive. "Audible will distribute your audiobook to Audible, Amazon and Apple Books exclusively," and "you are not permitted to distribute or sell your audiobook on any site or store outside of Audible." Audible "will have the right to distribute your audiobook for seven years."
• Non-exclusive. You can sell the audiobook "in other locations and formats," but "those arrangements must be made independent of ACX."
• Libraries. "ACX does not provide distribution to libraries," so non-exclusive is the only ACX choice if library listeners matter.
• Marketplaces. Titles with worldwide rights go to the US, UK, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Spain and Brazil.

The 2026 royalty change. Starting May 26, 2026, new users and newly claimed titles are on what Audible calls its new royalty model: 50% for exclusive and 30% for non-exclusive, up from 40% and 25%. Membership sales are now paid from "Member Value," a share of each member's plan revenue split across the titles they engage with. Existing titles can be enrolled, and "by end of year, Audible's legacy royalty model will be discontinued," so titles must enroll to keep selling on Audible (ACX, new royalty model, updated July 31, 2026; How royalties work).

Royalty share deals require exclusivity. ACX lets you pay a producer up front, or split royalties with them instead. In a Royalty Share deal, exclusive distribution is required and the royalty is split with the producer, who receives 25% under the new model (20% under the legacy one) for seven years. Royalty Share Plus adds a reduced upfront payment to the producer (ACX). That is the path-level trade: paying up front keeps the whole royalty and the freedom to go non-exclusive; sharing it lowers what you pay now and locks the book to Audible.

Narration. ACX says a submitted audiobook "must be narrated by a human unless otherwise authorized," and that unauthorized text-to-speech or AI recordings are prohibited (ACX audio requirements).

Changing your mind. ACX says to contact its support team to discuss changing distribution status. Choose exclusive only if Audible, Amazon and Apple Books for seven years would suit you.

Spotify, INaudio and Kobo

Going "wide" means selling in many stores and libraries rather than one.

Spotify for Authors. Spotify says you can "upload your audiobooks directly on Spotify," that distribution there is non-exclusive, and that you can "opt to send a copy to Voices by INaudio to reach other top audiobook retailers." It accepts audiobooks with digital voice narration for Spotify only (Spotify for Authors). You earn from direct purchases and from streams by Premium subscribers whose plans include audiobooks, paid monthly, with some months including quarterly earnings (Spotify support). Its public help pages do not state a royalty percentage.

Voices by INaudio. The old Findaway Voices address now redirects here. INaudio is a distributor, not a publisher: "There is no exclusivity agreement," and authors "own 100% of the rights" (INaudio; INaudio, rights). You choose partners from its retail, subscription and library network, and selecting a partner "does not guarantee that the partner will offer the title for sale." On money, it says: "you keep 80% of all royalties Voices by INaudio receives," and partners pay it 40% to 50% of list price for a la carte sales, 30% to 40% for subscriptions and 25% to 45% of receipts in revenue-share models (INaudio, per-sale earnings). To reach Audible through INaudio, the ebook must be on Amazon and "must not be claimed on ACX" (INaudio, Audible).

Kobo Writing Life. Kobo sells audiobooks direct, and its answer on exclusivity is "Never!" It pays 45% of list price on a la carte sales at $2.99 USD or more, 35% below that, and 32% of list for subscription token downloads; Kobo Plus pays the same way as for ebooks. It does not distribute audiobooks to libraries "at this time," and you may need to email Kobo to switch on the audiobook tab in your dashboard (Kobo audiobook FAQ, updated September 18, 2026; Kobo earnings).

ISBNs. The audiobook needs its own ISBN, separate from print and ebook. INaudio and Kobo each assign a free one if you have none, but INaudio says its ISBNs "are not transferrable for usage outside of the platform" (INaudio, ISBNs; Kobo upload guide).

Digital narration: Google Play and Virtual Voice

• Google Play auto-narration. A beta that creates an audiobook from an EPUB ebook. "During the Beta testing period, there's no program fee." You can download the result and sell it elsewhere, but it "must also be for sale on Google Play in every country available for sale elsewhere" (Google Play Books). INaudio accepts Google Play's files for its digital narration workflow, with limited distribution to partners that accept such titles (INaudio, digital narration).
• KDP Virtual Voice. Amazon's own invite-only beta, for the US marketplace only, with list prices from $3.99 to $14.99 and "a 40% royalty rate." It sells on Amazon and Audible, and audiobooks enrolled in KDP Select "must be exclusive to Audible for the KDP Select enrollment period" (KDP, audiobook royalties).

Digital narration is disclosed to listeners. INaudio sets the narrator credit from the file and adds a disclosure to the description, and Kobo asks that the narrator be listed as "Synthesized Voice" (Kobo). For a nonfiction book that carries your name and expertise, decide whether that suits the book before you choose the route.

When a publisher holds audio rights

With a traditional deal, the contract decides who produces and sells the audio. The Authors Guild's model rates show what that pays: for downloadable audio, "25% of the Publisher's net receipts," and for physical audio, 10% of net on the first 10,000 copies and 12% after (Authors Guild, section 5). If the publisher licenses audio to another company, the model splits that income 50/50 (section 6). The Guild says it is advocating for a higher standard audiobook rate. How those percentages flow against an advance is covered in book advances and royalties.

Some service publishers include audio in a package. Scribe Media, which makes this site, sells a Scribe Publishing package that lists "Audiobook production included," and its FAQ says it distributes audiobooks through Author's Republic to platforms including Amazon, iTunes and Spotify (Scribe Media pricing; Scribe Media FAQ). Ask any service who holds the audio rights, whose ISBN is used and whether distribution is exclusive.

How to choose

1. Confirm you hold the audio rights.
2. Decide exclusive or wide. ACX exclusive is the simplest and pays the highest Audible rate. Going wide means ACX non-exclusive (or INaudio) for Audible, plus Spotify, Kobo and INaudio's other partners, and libraries.
3. Match the narration to the route. Human narration works everywhere. Digital narration is limited to the platforms that accept it, and ACX does not accept it without authorization.
4. Get your own audio ISBN if you will use more than one route.
5. Avoid duplicate listings. Do not send the same title to one store through two routes. Kobo asks you to remove a distributor's copy before uploading direct, and INaudio will not deliver to Audible a title already claimed on ACX.

Print and ebook platforms are compared in KDP vs IngramSpark vs Draft2Digital.