Exploring the world of books is incomplete, without audiobooks as they are an important part of the modern literary landscape. Whether you are on the lookout for a road trip-friendly audiobook or just want to plug into another freebie online – this piece of tech is here to stay.

No wonder, authors are now putting so much emphasis on all facets of audiobooks – publication and distribution. From new writers to prominent ones, the importance of creating, publishing, and then distributing audiobooks recently released, just cannot be undermine. Now you can get your audiobook completed with ease with our Audiobook Production Service

Not only is this a great way to maximize listener engagement but it allows authors to have greater control. While much has been said about audiobook publication, the aspect of audiobook distribution just cannot be ignored!

And that’s exactly what this blog post aims to discuss so that you make the right decision for your audiobook:

I.  How to Choose An Audiobook Distribution Channel?

Audiobooks are a great way for authors to grow their target audience. However, this is heavily dependent upon the visibility of the audiobook. That’s where the factor of choosing the right audiobook distributor comes in.

An author needs to understand the various distribution channels popular today and find one that’s best for their latest book release. This may seem a wholly different arena (especially if an author’s starting afresh).

However, understanding the essentials can prove to be helpful for many! Let’s delve right in:

• Audiobook Distribution Reach

The distribution reach for any audiobook ultimately depends on the channel that was selected for it. Many writers aim for a certain target audience while many ultimately go for global distribution. The reason is quite simple – to reach out to as many people as possible.

Although new writers want to customize their audience the aim is always to align with the target demographic. We suggest that new authors should always tailor their selection to align with the audiobook’s perceived demographic.

• Book Royalty Rates

One facet that you need to keep a check over is the book royalty rates. Deciding these needs much time at the author’s end. Different audiobook distributors would offer different rates.

That’s why you must examine these varying rates along with the book sales percentage and the upfront costs that your selected audiobook distribution platform tends to make. Strive for that much-needed balance, which aligns revenue expectations with the book industry standards as per se.

• The Service Contract

Whether you have been in the industry for a long or have just begun your journey as an author, ALWAYS thoroughly read your contract. You may think that generic terms and conditions have been put together but that’s not true.

Every author’s contract is personalized. This way both the interested parties (the author and the publishing agency) can reap maximum benefits from their contractual association.

• Relevant Marketing Tools

Never underestimate the efficacy of the selected promotional tools offered by the different audiobook distribution companies. Because marketing, if done right, then the book should go a long way.

Hence, your chosen audiobook platforms should enhance the visibility of your book significantly so that it reaches the maximum number of people. This is why authors are advised to select an audiobook distribution platform that comes with great capacity for diverse promotions.

• Control & Flexibility

Even if an author has selected a distributor for their work, they need to keep all control with them. That’s because it allows the individual freedom to exercise full autonomy in the domain. While also helping to define policies or the distributor’s control over the resource.

But more importantly, this helps both the author and the distributor reach a meeting point when it comes to crucial aspects like the price tag of the audiobook.

• Related Technical Specifications

Before selecting an audiobook distributor for your book, it is crucial to understand that your selected platform has some technical requirements, which need to align with your distribution requirements as well. These specifications may include audio file formats, quality of distribution standards, and many others.

Check and confirm with the distributor first. You should also check if the distributor offers robust customer support service, in case any tech-related issues pop up at the most inopportune time.

• Past Track Record

Before finalizing any audiobook distributor, always examine their portfolio to get an idea about their past track record. This should help to evaluate the final decision.

 

II. The Giants of the Audiobook Distribution Industry

These are some of the commonly chosen audiobook distribution companies that authors – new and old – usually opt for:

• Audible via Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX)

ACX is one of America’s most prominent platforms for audiobook distribution. Owned by Audible, it falls under the umbrella of Amazon.

1)   Retailer Platforms

The best part about opting for ACX is that it helps interested authors with basic options to distribute their audiobooks to various platforms. These exclusively include the three major ones – Audible, Amazon, and iTunes.

2)  Book Royalty Rates

When it comes to book royalty rates, ACX offers two main royalty options:

a) Exclusive Distribution

If an author opts for exclusive audiobook distribution with ACX, then they can place their book on other platforms or even their author brand website. Once an author comes under the ACX contract, it will remain active for the next 7 years or so. However, ACX has recently made some policy changes. These changes allow some writers to convert their exclusive contract to a non-exclusive one, once the book has been in the market for at least 90 days. In addition to this, authors who have chosen exclusivity distribution, get to keep at least 40 percent of the total book sales.

b) Non-Exclusive Distribution

Those authors, who have chosen the non-exclusive distribution option with ACX, earn 25 percent for royalty rates. Moreover, authors can upload their books to other platforms.

c) Royalty-Share Contract

ACX also has a royalty-share option for authors, who want to work with it. If an author creates an audiobook with ACX, then they don’t have to pay an upfront audiobook production fee. Instead, they are given the option to pay the ACX producer half of their book earnings. Furthermore, the exclusive distribution contract allows the author to distribute their book via ACX for 7 years with zero options given to shorten their agreement.

3) Price Range

Authors in agreement with ACX for audiobook distribution, have no say in setting the price of their book. While the following are some general guidelines, ACX has complete discretion to modify the book price as they see fit. What’s more, ACX’s retail partner(s) determine the end price of the book, which is dependent upon its total length:

Pricing Table

Time Frame	Cost
Under 1 hour	Less than $7
Under 3 hours	Less than $10
Under 5 hours	Less than $20
Under 10 hours	Less than $25
Under 20 hours	Less than $30
20+ hours	Ranges between $25 to $35

4)   Sales Reports 

Book sales in theory with ACX sound quite nice as these are quite straightforward and clear. ACX has priced an author’s book for $10 and sells at least 100 copies under the exclusive distribution agreement. Then the author earns $400. However, if the author has opted for non-exclusive distribution, he earns $250.

However, in practice, it is quite different. Sales reports for ACX’s audiobooks are quite complex. Firstly, many Audible customers prefer Audible’s subscription service because it gives members one redeemable credit for the monthly price of $14.95.

These credits can be redeemed for any book in the store. Interestingly, the author is paid as per the available price list. However, there is a catch: Audible offers a liberal return policy. According to this, listeners are allowed to exchange their chosen audiobook (no matter how much they have listened to it). This means that the author can lose some of those royalties.

5)    Terms & Conditions

Even though ACX has faced many problems with its service terms, it has made several concessions. Many authors demanded that the distributor shorten its exclusivity period despite reading all the clauses in fine print and knowing fully well what they are agreeing to, before signing up.

• Lantern Audiobooks (Formerly ListenUp)

Lantern Audio was formerly known as ListenUp in the book lover’s community. This distributor is one of the oldest players in the audiobook game. Besides offering both production and distribution services to authors from its online store, Lantern Audiobooks

1) Retailer Platforms

Lantern Audiobooks has its online store and distributes to 20+ bookstores across the country. These include Downpour.com, Audiobooks.com, and Storytel, to name a few. In addition to this, Lantern also distributes to local libraries via Overdrive, Mackin Educational Resources, and Hoopla as well.

2) Book Royalty Rates

Interestingly, Lantern Audiobooks is well-known for its non-exclusive stance within the book community. Authors liaising with the distributor, receive an 80 percent rate of book royalties. These are paid via quarterly checks. Payments are processed, once it has crossed the first $50 mark.

a)  Non-Exclusivity Distribution

Lantern Audiobooks share a non-exclusive distribution contract with authors. This allows them to collaborate with other platforms as well.

3)  Price Range

Lantern Audiobooks allows its authors to set book prices on their own.

4)  Sales Reports

Lantern Audiobooks methods for sales reports are difficult to nail down without having an account.

5)  Terms & Conditions

Authors cannot access the service agreement as it is unavailable on Lantern’s Audiobook’s official website.

• Findaway Voices

Findaway Voices is another audiobook distributor by Spotify that prides itself on giving different options to authors to sell and charge their books as they like.

1) Retailer Platforms

At present, Findaway Voices collaborates with 40+ retail partners and local libraries. This means that the distributor offers greater distribution options to authors than ACX does.

2) Book Royalty Rates

When it comes to commissions and royalties, Findaway Voices pays an upfront rate of 80 percent of the royalties they receive. The distributor is also known to adjust royalty rates for book subscriptions and library check-outs. What’s more, the distributor offers a terrific marketplace for authors to connect with like-minded folks, such as narrators, artists, marketers, etc. Unfortunately, Findaway Voices does not offer any royalty-share option as ACX does. Authors working with this distributor need to pay narrators an upfront fee.

a)  Non-Exclusivity Distribution

Findaway Voices does not offer authors the option of exclusivity distribution for their audiobooks.

3)  Price Range

When working with Findaway Voices, authors get full control over the price of the audiobooks. This also includes the option to increase the library price list to compensate for the limited checkouts. Authors collaborating with Findaway Voices can also set up pre-orders or sales for promotions.

4) Sales Reports

This distributor’s newsfeed does support book sales figures for authors in real time, which means that authors are constantly updated on their earnings. In comparison to major players such as Amazon, who provide figures until the month’s end. However, authors have to wait at least 3 weeks to get their hands on the official figures.

5) Terms & Conditions

The service agreement is transparent with all terms of service stated clearly, leaving no room for ambiguity or confusion. However, the only downside here is that Findaway Voices can modify the contract without first informing the author.

• Author’s Republic

Author’s Republic has been a favorite among new and old authors for it offers much better distribution options than others available elsewhere!

1) Retailer Platforms

Author’s Republic is known for offering wide audiobook distribution and fair compensation to its users, thanks to its massive network of 50+ retailers. These include industry giants such as Apple Books or Amazon along with other popular global options, like Storytel or Kobo. It is considered a go-to option for authors interested in the North American book industry. Unlike other distribution options, Author’s Republic has zero geographical restrictions, making it accessible to many!

2) Book Royalty Rates

When it comes to book royalty rates, authors receive nearly 70 percent of the royalties, earned by their audiobook across 50+ channels. These include some top distributors like Apple, Spotify, Audible, Google, Audiobooks.com, and Amazon to name a few. The idea is to set an open and independent platform where the author has complete freedom over the different aspects of their audiobook.

a)  Non-Exclusivity Distribution

Author’s Republic offers a non-exclusivity distribution contract, which means that the author has the freedom to sell their book as they like. Yet, once signed up with this distributor, you can sign up with any other

3)  Price Range

Authors get complete control and greater choice over the price tag of their audiobooks in comparison to other major distributors (like ACX, for instance).

4) Sales Reports

When it comes to sales reports, the distributor’s dashboard allows the authors to see all the relevant data in one place, thanks to its user-friendly and trouble-free interface.

5) Terms & Conditions

Author’s Republic is crystal clear about its service-related terms and conditions.

On a Concluding Note,

With audiobooks gaining incredible popularity in recent times, thanks to the convenience of the download audiobooks for free option, the average reader is entertained and engaged, even when they are on the go! This increased demand for audiobooks has led to a greater number of audiobook distributors.

This makes an author realize why choosing the right audiobook distributor for a book project is important. When an author takes care of the nitty-gritty of choosing the right distributor, he can make better yet informed choices before publishing his audiobooks.

No wonder, choosing the right audiobook distributor is crucial for a book’s success as it helps an author determine who gets access to the book and how much it will help you earn.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q. What are some popular audiobook distribution companies?
Some of the popular audiobook distribution companies include:
– Audible
– Findaway Voices
– Lantern Audiobooks

Q. How to Distribute Audiobooks

The best way to distribute your audiobook is to use platforms like Audible, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, and Findaway Voices. Each platform has its own submission process, but these are the most popular options for reaching a wide audience. You can also distribute through multiple platforms to maximize your reach. Make sure your audiobook meets their technical requirements, such as file formats (MP3 or M4B) and quality standards (clear audio, correct file size, etc.).

Q. Does Author’s Republic offer a non-exclusivity distribution contract to interested authors?
Yes. This means that the author is free to sell and distribute their book, however they choose to.

Q. Are authors able to access the sales report for Lantern Audiobooks?
Authors collaborating with Lantern Audiobooks will find it difficult to access their book sales reports, without having an account on the distributor’s website.