01
What does ACX say about exclusivity, royalties, libraries, and territory?
ACX's distribution article, dated 26 May 2026 and checked 14 October 2026, says you can choose exclusive or non-exclusive distribution. Exclusive means you may not distribute or sell the audiobook outside Audible. Audible then distributes it to Audible, Amazon, and Apple Books, at 50 percent on the new rate or 40 percent on the legacy rate. Non-exclusive means those three retailers still sell it, and you may also sell it elsewhere, at 30 percent or a legacy 25 percent. Either choice lasts seven years. Worldwide rights cover the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, France, Japan, Australia, Spain, and Brazil. Promo codes are only for the US and UK stores. A buyer elsewhere can still use the .com sites if the book does not violate that country's content laws. ACX does not distribute to libraries; choose non-exclusive if you want them. The article states no account fee, no per-finished-hour price, and no royalty-share split with a producer. The cost answer covers those production deals. ACX's royalty-model post, updated 26 May 2026, says the legacy model will be discontinued by the end of the year.[254][257]
- Exclusive: Audible, Amazon, and Apple Books only. New rate 50 percent. Legacy rate 40 percent.
- Non-exclusive: you may sell elsewhere, including libraries ACX itself does not serve. New rate 30 percent. Legacy rate 25 percent.
- Seven years. No account fee, production rate, or royalty-share split is stated on the distribution article.
02
What does Spotify for Authors say, and is Findaway Voices still the name?
Spotify's upload article, checked 14 October 2026, says upload is free, with no stated cap on titles, that distribution is non-exclusive, and that you keep ownership. A title is available to listeners within 72 hours, only in countries on a linked list the article does not print. The opt-in terms pay 50 percent of the suggested retail price you set on an a la carte sale. Subscription listening comes from a shared pool per market, as a pro-rata share, with no fixed percentage stated. Spotify's comparison article says an opt-in copy can go to Voices by INaudio for other retail and library stores, including Audible and Apple Books. It says Voices by INaudio was previously called Findaway Voices by Spotify. The self-published authors page repeats that Spotify is not exclusive, that a Findaway Voices login goes through Voices by INaudio, and that digital voice narration is accepted for Spotify only. Voices by INaudio says its own distribution is global and non-exclusive, across retail, library, and educational platforms. Its royalty article, edited 17 June 2025, says you keep 80 percent of the royalties it receives: 40 to 50 percent of list for a la carte, 30 to 40 percent of list for subscription, and 25 to 45 percent of revenue receipts for revenue share. The partner list is inside the account. Those pages state no upload fee and no term length.[339][323][322][324][73][72]
- Spotify upload: free, non-exclusive, you keep ownership, available within 72 hours.
- A la carte: 50 percent of the suggested retail price you set. No fixed subscription percentage is stated.
- Findaway Voices by Spotify is the previous name. Voices by INaudio is non-exclusive and pays 80 percent of what it receives.
03
What does Kobo Writing Life say about audiobook distribution?
Kobo Writing Life's audiobook FAQ, updated 18 September 2026, answers "Do I have to be exclusive with Kobo?" with "Never!" Libraries are not available at this time. It states 45 percent of list price for a la carte purchases at or above 2.99 USD, and 32 percent for token downloads. It does not restate a below-threshold rate. The earnings page, updated 21 November 2025, states 45 percent at or above a printed threshold and 35 percent below it: 2.99 USD, 1.99 GBP, 2.99 CAD, 2.99 AUD, 1.99 EUR, 2.99 NZD, 15.99 HKD, 299 JPY, 2.99 CHF, 7.99 BRL, 39.99 MXN, 70 TWD, 29.99 ZAR, 99.99 PHP, and 149.99 INR. Tokens are 32 percent. Do not apply that page's Overdrive library rates to audiobooks. The upload article, updated 18 March 2026, repeats 45 percent at or above 2.99 and 35 percent below, with no currency on those lines. A free-trial token pays 0. A paid token pays 32 percent. You select countries where you own rights, and the Kobo store timing is 24 to 72 hours. The distribution article, updated 18 December 2024, lists Kobo.com plus Booktopia (Australia), Libreria Porrua and Gandhi (Mexico), La Feltrinelli and Mondadori (Italy), and Bol (Netherlands and Belgium). Worldwide rights can open those stores, subject to language and content. No account fee is stated. The tool is not active on every account. Synthesized narration is accepted when the narrator is listed as Synthesized Voice, Female Synthesized Voice, or Male Synthesized Voice.[325][326][328][327]
- Not exclusive. Libraries: not at this time, on the audiobook FAQ.
- A la carte: 45 percent at or above the earnings-page threshold, 35 percent below it. Tokens: 32 percent. A free-trial token is 0 on the upload article.
- Named retail partners plus Kobo.com. Processing is stated as 24 to 72 hours on the upload article.
04
How does KDP Select ebook exclusivity relate to the audiobook?
KDP's enrollment page, checked 14 October 2026, says KDP Select is for Kindle ebooks. For 90 days the ebook can be distributed only through KDP and public libraries. The same paragraph says you can still distribute print, video, audio, or other formats elsewhere. The virtual-voice pricing page says the audiobook's Select status follows the ebook. If the ebook is enrolled, the associated virtual-voice audiobook is enrolled too. It says enrolled audiobooks must be exclusive to Audible for that period, and that this applies to any audio edition of that book. If that audiobook is unpublished, exclusivity still runs for the rest of the 90 days. The beta is US-only. The list price is 3.99 to 14.99 USD. The royalty is 40 percent where KDP supports Amazon and Audible distribution. ACX audiobooks are pointed to ACX. This answer does not merge the two KDP sentences. An exclusive ACX term is a separate seven-year contract.[78][329][254]
- Enrollment page: audio may stay in distribution elsewhere during the ebook term.
- Virtual-voice page: an enrolled audiobook must be exclusive to Audible, including any audio edition of that book.
- This answer does not pick one sentence over the other. ACX exclusivity is its own seven-year term.
05
What should a writer weigh before choosing a path?
Weigh the written limit. Exclusive ACX blocks other sales of that recording for seven years, including libraries ACX does not serve. Non-exclusive ACX leaves those sales to you at the lower stated rate. Spotify can stay on Spotify, or you can opt in to Voices by INaudio. Kobo does not require exclusivity and does not offer libraries on the audiobook FAQ. No page here states which path pays more in practice. Spotify states availability within 72 hours, Kobo states 24 to 72 hours, and ACX's distribution article states no processing time. If the ebook is in KDP Select, read both KDP sentences above.[254][339][328][78][329]
- Match exclusivity to the other places you still want to sell that recording.
- A shared pool is not a single take-home percent of list price.
- A directory listing is not a preference.
Use the guided answer
Apply this to your book
The guide preserves your exact choice in the URL, so you can return to it or send it to someone else.
Open the audio stage