Successful Self-Publishing: How to self-publish an audiobook
Now that you understand your overall options for audiobook publishing, let’s go into specifics on what you need to self-publish.
Most of the fields are similar even though the sites have different interfaces. I use ACX for Audible/Amazon, Spotify for Authors, and INaudio (previously FindawayVoices) for wide distribution, as well as BookFunnel for selling audio direct.
Use the same title, subtitle, author details, series, sales description, categories, and keywords as the other formats. Here are some of the other elements to consider.
Do you own the rights to your audiobook?
If you haven’t signed a contract with a publisher, you most likely own the rights to your audiobook. But many publishers license audio alongside ebook and print, so make sure you check your contracts first.
Claim your book on ACX and choose a royalty contract type
ACX audiobooks need to be related to ebooks already published, whereas INaudio and Spotify for Authors allows you to publish other un-related audio.
Search by ASIN, Amazon’s own identifier, and claim your book, which adds it to your author dashboard. It also pulls through most of the metadata from Amazon.
Select whether you want to work with a narrator and go through the audition process on ACX, or upload your own audio files.
You will also need to choose the territory. Most indies select world, and then whether to be exclusive for 40 percent royalty, or non-exclusive for 25 percent, as covered in the previous chapter.
Audiobook cover and supplemental material
Audiobook covers are square, usually 3,000 by 3,000 pixels. While there is no legal requirement to label AI-narrated audio, I add a round ‘sticker’ on my audiobooks labeling them as ‘Digitally narrated’ files.
You can also add supplemental information in PDF format — for example, photos, charts, graphs, or a workbook.
ISBN
Some retailers don’t require an ISBN for audio, or they can provide one. I use my own ISBNs.
For more detail on ISBNs, check out this article from the Alliance of Independent Authors: www.TheCreativePenn.com/isbn
Distribution
On INaudio (previously FindawayVoices) you can choose the services you want to distribute with, and de-select those you don’t want to use them for.
I de-select Audible as I use ACX for that, and if you want to distribute directly to Kobo or other services, just de-select them, too.
Upload your audiobook-ready MP3 files
Each audiobook MP3 file must be a separate chapter, and also mastered to adhere to the technical requirements of the platform. These files should also be proofed so you’re happy with the quality.
If you pay for professional narration, they should provide these files, and if you’re producing yourself, you can use Hindenburg Narrator to output files in the right format.
For digital narration on INaudio or Spotify for Authors, you need an LPF file from ElevenLabs or Google Play Audio.
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Once you have your production-ready audiobook files, publishing an audiobook is fast and relatively easy, especially once you’ve done a few.
I produce audio versions of all my books and short stories now, and consider it an important part of my body of creative work, as well as a valuable income stream. The options for creation and distribution will continue to expand, so it’s an exciting time to be into audio!
Resources:
• ACX for publishing on Audible and Amazon — www.ACX.com
• Spotify for Authors — authors.spotify.com
• INaudio for wide audiobook distribution (previously FindawayVoices) — www.inaudio.com
• Hindenburg Narrator — hindenburg.com/products/narrator-studio
• ISBNs Made Easy — www.TheCreativePenn.com/isbn
• BookFunnel — www.TheCreativePenn.com/bookfunnel
