How to Publish an Audiobook: The Ultimate 8-Step Guide

Audiobooks are a rapidly growing market. In the US, sales revenue increased by 9% to $2 billion in 2023, and the upwards trend is still continuing. As more and more consumers are listening to their favorite books, you might be wondering how to release your titles in audiobook format.

To self-publish an audiobook, you first have to edit your manuscript and remove visual or print-only references. Next, choose an audiobook distribution platform, record your audiobook to the required standard, and upload your audio files and square cover art. Then, all you have to do is optimize your metadata, set your price, and press submit — and voilà, you've unlocked a new sector of the market.

Let’s look at these steps in more detail.

1. Prepare your manuscript for audio narration

It goes without saying that an audiobook must be as professionally polished as an ebook or paperback. But what you might not realize is that an audiobook needs an extra round of editing to ensure it’s suitable for reading out loud.

Go through your entire manuscript and remove any references to visuals, page numbers, hyperlinks, footnotes, or endnotes. If a note is very important, integrate it directly into the main body of the text instead. For essential diagrams, refer listeners to the accompanying PDF that most audiobook distribution platforms allow you to upload.

To prevent your narrator from making mistakes, you should also prepare a list of words that may be difficult to pronounce, such as:

• made-up names and places;
• real but obscure names and places;
• words from another language;
• preferred regional pronunciations; and
• technical jargon.

You’re now nearly ready to start the recording process! But first, it’s a good idea to pick a distribution platform, so you can follow all their rules from the beginning.

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2. Choose an audiobook distribution platform

The biggest decision you have to make is whether to remain exclusive to ACX (Amazon’s audiobook equivalent of KDP) or go wide and publish your audiobook to multiple retailers and streaming services. The advantage of sticking to ACX is that you can access higher royalty rates, but the main drawback is that you’ll only reach listeners on Audible, Amazon, and Apple Books — which comprise about 65% of the market.

Depending on your target audience’s preferred channels, you may be better off using an aggregator, like Author’s Republic or Voices by INaudio, to list your audiobook on tens of sites at once.

You can read in-depth reviews of ACX, Author’s Republic, and Voices by INaudio on the Reedsy blog, but the table below gives a quick comparison:

3. Produce your audiobook to the required standard

As you may have gathered from the table, some audiobook distribution platforms also offer production services. This can be very convenient, particularly as the narrator will edit the audio for you — something which voice actors elsewhere on the internet may not always do.

However, none of the platforms preclude you from uploading your own audio files instead. Ultimately, you have four choices: record the audio yourself, hire a pro upfront, hire a pro on a royalty share basis, or use an AI narrator. The best option depends on your skills and budget. The table below compares all your options:

If you choose to record the audio yourself or use AI software, make sure you first read up on the technical specifications for your chosen distribution platform. As an illustrative example, here are some of ACX’s requirements:

• Include opening and closing credits in separate audio files.
• Only include one chapter or section per file.
• Leave 1–5 seconds of silence at the beginning and end of each recording.

Equally, if you hire a professional narrator from an external marketplace — for example on Fiverr, via Reddit, or through their own website — double check that they’re aware of the audio requirements for your particular platform. 

Moreover, you should ascertain whether sound engineering is included in the service or whether you’ll still have to edit the audio yourself (see step 4).

4. Upload your audio files in the correct format

If you do need to edit your audio files yourself, you’ll most likely need to watch several YouTube videos to learn how to meet criteria such as:

• maintain the same constant bit rate for all files;
• measure between -23dB and -18dB RMS;
• have peak values no higher than -3dB; and
• have a noise floor no higher than -60dB RMS.

Some of the most popular tools to perfect your audio are Reaper and Audacity. 

Once that’s out the way, it should be fairly simple to upload your files to your chosen distribution platform. If you haven’t already, you’ll need to create an account and fill out your personal and book details as prompted. Then, upload each chapter as a separate audio file — and be sure to follow any stipulated naming conventions, such as including the chapter number and name.

You might have to upload a separate 5-minute audio sample, too — or it might be generated automatically, depending on your platform’s policies. If given the choice, it’s generally best to stick to the first 5 minutes of your book so that if listeners purchase your title, they can simply continue from where they left off.

5. Prepare and upload your cover art

But your audio files aren’t the only thing you’ll need to upload. A compelling piece of cover art is perhaps even more crucial than your sample for grabbing listeners’ attention in their chosen store.

Your cover art must be square (usually 2,400 x 2,400 pixels) and will often be shown as a small thumbnail — so your ebook cover, if you have one, needs to be adapted accordingly. Most cover designers will offer to produce corresponding audiobook art for an additional fee.

If you choose to create the art yourself, be sure to follow these steps to success:

• Use large text.
• Avoid complex background imagery.
• Keep important elements away from the edges.
• Maintain consistency with your ebook cover where possible.

These will ensure that your cover art is readable and memorable, helping to draw listeners in.

6. Optimize your metadata

The quest to find listeners doesn’t stop with cover art, though. Your design won’t attract listeners unless the algorithms show your audiobook to the right listeners in the first place.

Specifically, you need to select the most appropriate genres/categories for your audiobook and use relevant keywords in your description. Keywords might include:

• Important tropes (e.g., enemies-to-lovers romance, Chosen One)
• Major themes (e.g., bereavement, friendship, justice, healing)
• Similar books (e.g., Pacific Rim meets The Handmaid's Tale, for fans of Circe and The Silence of the Girls)
• Awards and recognition (e.g., longlisted for The Women’s Prize for Fiction)
• Brands or celebrities involved (e.g., if your book was a Reese’s Book Club pick)

For more tips on writing book descriptions, check out this post. 

7. Set your pricing

The final thing that might be missing is your price. Or it might not — some distribution platforms, like ACX, automatically price your audiobook for you. Others allow you to give a manufacturer suggested price, but warn that individual retailers reserve the right to ignore your suggestion.

If you do get to suggest the cost of your audiobook, ACX’s pricing structure can still serve as a helpful guide:

• under 1 hour: under $7
• 1 - 3 hours: $7 - $10
• 3 - 5 hours: $10 - $20
• 5 - 10 hours: $15 - $25
• 10 - 20 hours: $20 - $30
• over 20 hours: $25 - 35

To narrow down the exact price, research the cost of other indie audiobooks of a comparable genre and length.

Remember that a lower price point will result in less revenue per sale, but may lead to a higher number of sales and increased visibility.

8. Submit your audiobook for review

Once you’ve filled out all the fields, you’ll need to submit your audiobook for review. You can expect to wait 10 business days for approval and up to 4 weeks for your audiobook to start appearing on retailer websites.

In the meantime, though, don’t sit around twiddling your thumbs! Use the time to prepare a solid marketing strategy for your launch and beyond. You can find valuable audiobook marketing tips here.

And there you have it! Follow these steps to self-publish your audiobook and unlock a new market on any budget.