Do Audiobooks Need an ISBN?
Which stores ask for an ISBN, which give you one free, what one costs, and when it’s worth buying your own.
In this article
If you’ve published a print book or ebook, you’ve probably dealt with ISBNs already. Audiobooks are different: most of the places you’ll sell them don’t insist on one.
No, most audiobooks don’t need an ISBN. Spotify, Google Play, Kobo and ACX (Audible) let you publish without one, and distributors like Voices by INaudio and Author’s Republic give you one free. If you do use an ISBN, it must be a new one for the audiobook: you can’t reuse your print or ebook ISBN.
This guide goes store by store, then covers what an ISBN costs, when buying your own is worth it, and how ISBNs differ from Amazon’s ASINs. Everything here was checked against each store’s help pages in October 2026.
Do audiobooks need an ISBN? Store by store
| Where | ISBN needed? | What happens without one |
|---|---|---|
| Audible (ACX) | No | You claim your book with your Kindle ebook’s ASIN |
| Spotify for Authors | No, but needed for its retail partners | Spotify doesn’t assign one |
| Google Play Books | No | Google gives you a free Google book ID (GGKEY) |
| Kobo Writing Life | No | Kobo assigns its own ISBN |
| Apple Books (via a distributor) | Recommended, not required | Depends on your distributor |
| Voices by INaudio | No | It gives you a free ISBN |
| Author’s Republic | No | It gives every audiobook a free ISBN |
| PublishDrive | No | It gives you its own ID (a PUI, which isn’t an ISBN) |
| Your own shop | No | Gumroad, Shopify and Payhip don’t ask |
Audible and ACX
ACX doesn’t ask for an ISBN. To claim a title, you give the ASIN of your Kindle ebook, the 10-character number Amazon uses for everything it sells. Your ebook has to be on sale on Amazon.com first.
Spotify
Spotify’s help page is clear: “ISBNs aren’t required to publish an audiobook on Spotify”, and Spotify doesn’t give you one. You can add your own when you upload.
There’s one catch. Spotify’s own metadata guide says a 13-digit ISBN is required to send your audiobook to its retail and library partners, such as Apple and Google, and that all ISBN fields lock once you submit. If you only want to be on Spotify, you don’t need one. If you want Spotify to pass your human-narrated audiobook on to other stores, you do. (AI-narrated audiobooks aren’t passed on anyway.)
Google Play Books
Google doesn’t require an ISBN. If you don’t have one, click Get a Google book ID (GGKEY) when you add your audiobook. Choose carefully, because Google says the identifier is permanent: changing it later creates a new book and loses its ratings and reviews.
Kobo
On Kobo Writing Life the ISBN is optional. If you add one, it has to be unique to the audiobook. If you don’t, Kobo assigns a Kobo-specific ISBN.
Apple Books
You reach Apple Books through a distributor. Apple’s technical spec “strongly recommends” using the audiobook’s ISBN-13 as its ID, but doesn’t require it. PublishDrive, one of Apple’s partners, says an ISBN isn’t needed for Apple.
Distributors
- Voices by INaudio gives you a free ISBN if you leave the field blank. You can’t use it with other distributors.
- Author’s Republic gives every audiobook a free ISBN, one for each format and version.
- PublishDrive doesn’t need one. Leave it empty and you get a free PublishDrive ID (a PUI, starting with 661). It isn’t an ISBN, and a few stores still ask for a real one.
Selling direct
Gumroad, Shopify and Payhip don’t ask for an ISBN at all. If you have one, you can still put it on your product page.
Can my audiobook use my ebook’s ISBN?
No. Every format and edition of a book needs its own ISBN, and an audiobook is its own format. Bowker, the US ISBN agency, says: “You will need one ISBN for each edition and format of your book.” Kobo and PublishDrive both refuse a print ISBN on an audiobook.
So a book that comes out in paperback, ebook and audio needs three ISBNs. An unabridged and an abridged audiobook would need two more.
What you can do is use your audiobook’s own ISBN everywhere you sell it. Using the same number on every store makes the edition easy to find and track.
How much does an ISBN cost?
ISBNs are sold by one agency in each country:
| Country | Agency | Price |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Bowker | 1 for $125, 10 for $295, 100 for $575, 1,000 for $1,500 |
| Canada | Library and Archives Canada | Free for Canadian publishers, including self-publishers |
| United Kingdom | Nielsen | 1 for £93, 10 for £174, 100 for £387 (including VAT) |
If you publish in more than one format, a pack of ten works out much cheaper per book. You don’t need a barcode for an audiobook: Spotify’s guide says one isn’t necessary.
Free ISBN or your own?
Free ISBNs from Kobo, Voices by INaudio, Author’s Republic or Draft2Digital are tied to that company. They list it as the publisher, and you can’t take the number to another distributor.
A free ISBN is fine if:
- You publish through one distributor, or only to stores that don’t need one.
- You aren’t building a publishing imprint.
Buy your own if:
- You publish wide through more than one distributor or store, and want one number everywhere.
- You want your own imprint name listed as the publisher.
- You plan to reach libraries or retailers that ask for a real ISBN.
Whichever you choose, decide before you publish. Stores like Google and PublishDrive don’t let you change the identifier afterwards.
ISBN vs ASIN
- An ISBN is the international book number, 13 digits starting 978 or 979, used by stores, libraries and distributors everywhere.
- An ASIN is Amazon’s own 10-character product number. Amazon gives one to everything it sells, including your Kindle ebook.
ACX works with ASINs, which is why you never need an ISBN for Audible.
Where to put your ISBN
Add it in the ISBN field when you upload to each store or distributor, the same number each time. If you make your audiobook with an AI audiobook generator like ours, add it to your book’s store details too, so it’s kept with the rest of your listing information when you upload.
FAQ
Do I need an ISBN to publish an audiobook?
Not for most stores. Spotify, Google Play, Kobo and ACX don’t require one, and distributors like Voices by INaudio and Author’s Republic give you one free.
Can I use the same ISBN for my ebook and audiobook?
No. Each format needs its own ISBN. Kobo and PublishDrive both refuse a print or ebook ISBN on an audiobook.
Does Audible require an ISBN?
No. ACX identifies your book by your Kindle ebook’s ASIN.
Are free ISBNs from distributors any good?
Yes, if you stay with that distributor. They list the distributor as the publisher and can’t be used elsewhere, so if you publish wide, buy your own.
How much is an ISBN for an audiobook?
In the US, $125 for one from Bowker or $295 for ten. In the UK, £93 for one from Nielsen. In Canada, ISBNs are free for Canadian publishers.
Do I need a barcode for my audiobook?
No. Barcodes are for printed products. Spotify’s guide says a barcode isn’t necessary, and ACX doesn’t allow barcodes on audiobook covers.
Ready to make your audiobook?
With or without an ISBN, the files are the same. Upload your manuscript and you’ll have chapter MP3s, an M4B and a square cover ready for every store.
Philip Ghezelbash is the founder of Audiobook Generator and the author of The Stoic Body, which has sold over 10,000 copies on Amazon. He writes about making, publishing and selling audiobooks.
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