How to Publish an Audiobook on Spotify
The free, non-exclusive way onto Spotify, step by step, with the file specs, how Spotify pays, and how AI narration works there.
In this article
Spotify has become one of the biggest places to listen to audiobooks, because its Premium members get hours of audiobook listening every month. To publish an audiobook on Spotify, sign up for Spotify for Authors, set up your payment profile, click “Upload audiobook”, add your chapter files, cover and details, tick the digital voice box if the narration is AI, and publish. Your book is usually live within three business days.
It’s free, it isn’t exclusive, and it accepts AI narration. This guide covers each step, the file specs, how Spotify pays you, and what happened to Findaway Voices.
How Spotify audiobooks work
Spotify sells audiobooks two ways. Listeners can buy a book outright, and Premium members get 15 hours of audiobook listening a month in the US (12 hours in many newer markets), with more available through the Audiobooks+ add-on. Spotify is expanding audiobooks to more than 180 markets by the end of 2026.
For you, that means two kinds of earnings: sales at the price you set, and a share of Premium listening.
What happened to Findaway Voices?
Findaway Voices used to be Spotify’s audiobook distributor. In 2025 it was split in two:
- Spotify for Authors is Spotify’s own upload portal. It puts your audiobook on Spotify.
- Voices by INaudio is the old Findaway Voices, now independent. It sends audiobooks to other stores and libraries, and findawayvoices.com now redirects there.
If an older guide tells you to “upload to Findaway Voices to reach Spotify”, use Spotify for Authors instead.
How to publish your audiobook on Spotify, step by step
1. Sign up for Spotify for Authors
Go to authors.spotify.com and sign up with a Spotify account (a free one works). Spotify asks you to name your “organization”; use your author or pen name. Listeners never see it.
2. Set up your payment profile
You can’t publish until this is done. In the US, go to Settings, then Organization, then Payment profile, and set up Spotify Payouts, using your legal name and tax details. Authors outside the US are paid through Tipalti instead.
3. Upload your audiobook
Click Upload audiobook, then add your details, audio files and cover.
4. Tick the digital voice box if your narration is AI
If your audiobook is narrated by an AI voice, select This audiobook uses digital voice narration. Spotify adds a short sentence to your description so listeners know.
5. Publish
Spotify says your audiobook will be available to listeners “within 3 business days”. If it shows as Incomplete, the cover or audio is missing.
Spotify audiobook file specs
Spotify’s audio guide gives these as recommendations rather than hard rules, but following them avoids problems.
| What | Spotify’s spec |
|---|---|
| Audio format | MP3 at 192 kbps or more (constant bit rate preferred), WAV or FLAC, 44.1 kHz |
| Channels | Mono or stereo, but the same for every file |
| Loudness | RMS between −24 dB and −14 dB, noise floor below −60 dB |
| Chapters | One file per chapter, each 120 minutes or less, starting with a spoken heading |
| Credits | Opening credits with the title, author and narrator |
| Sample | Optional, up to 5 minutes. Spotify makes one if you don’t |
| Cover | Square, 3000 × 3000 px recommended, PNG or JPEG |
| Description | Under 2,000 characters |
You don’t need an ISBN to publish on Spotify.
How Spotify pays authors
Sales. When someone buys your audiobook, you earn 50% of the suggested retail price you set, in US dollars.
Premium listening. Each market’s Premium audiobook revenue goes into a pool, and you get a share based on how much of your book was listened to. Spotify doesn’t publish a rate per hour, so earnings from Premium are hard to predict, and the data can arrive a few months late.
Payouts. In the US, Spotify Payouts pays monthly after a 30-day setup period, with a $10 minimum and a $0.30 fee per payout, to a bank account. Outside the US, payments go through Tipalti.
AI narration on Spotify
Spotify accepts audiobooks with digital voice narration, as long as you say so when you upload. A few things to know:
- Spotify only. Spotify doesn’t share digitally narrated audiobooks with its referral partners, so an AI-narrated book uploaded here reaches Spotify, not other stores.
- Replacing it later is easy. If you later make a human-narrated version, untick the digital voice box when you replace the files, and Spotify removes the note from your description.
- Spotify has its own tool too. Spotify’s free Audiobook Creation Tools can turn an EPUB into an AI audiobook, but it’s a US-only, English-only beta, limited to five books per account.
Before you upload: a checklist
Have these ready before you open Spotify for Authors, and the upload takes minutes:
- Your payment profile details: your legal name (not your pen name), address and tax details. In the US that means a W-9 and an SSN or TIN.
- One audio file per chapter, in reading order, each with a spoken heading and none longer than 120 minutes.
- Opening credits with the title, author and narrator, and closing credits that tell listeners the book has ended.
- A square cover, ideally 3000 × 3000 pixels, showing the title and author.
- Your description, written and checked, under 2,000 characters.
- Up to three categories (BISAC subjects) that describe the book.
- A price in US dollars.
- A five-minute sample, if you want to choose it yourself.
How to write a Spotify listing that sells
Your listing is what turns a browser into a listener, so spend a few minutes on it.
Title. Use your book’s real title and subtitle. Spotify’s guide asks you not to add words like “Audiobook” or “Exclusive” to the title, and to keep title and subtitle under 256 characters together.
Description. Start with the hook: who the book is for and what happens or what the reader will learn. Mention the series and book number if there is one. If the narration is AI, you don’t need to explain it at length; Spotify adds its own sentence when you tick the box.
Categories. Choose the most specific categories that fit. A narrow category puts you next to fewer books, which makes it easier to be seen.
Sample. Pick the most gripping five minutes near the start, with no credits or music. If you skip it, Spotify makes one for you.
After you publish
- Share your Spotify link. Once the book is live, add its Spotify link to your website, newsletter, social profiles and the back of your ebook. Premium members can start listening straight away at no extra cost.
- Watch your reports. Royalty reports arrive monthly, and Premium earnings can take a few months to settle, so judge a launch over a quarter, not a week.
- Replace files when you need to. You can upload corrected audio later. If you swap AI narration for a human recording, untick the digital voice box and Spotify removes its note.
- Add the other stores. Spotify keeps AI-narrated books to itself, so publish on Kobo, Google Play and your own shop too.
Troubleshooting
It says Incomplete. The cover or some of the audio is missing. Open the audiobook and check both.
It vanished from my catalog after I submitted it. That’s normal. Spotify says a submitted title can briefly drop out of your catalog while it’s processed.
It isn’t live after three business days. Check that your payment profile is complete, because you can’t publish without it, then contact Spotify for Authors support from your dashboard.
My chapters are in the wrong order. Put the files back in reading order before you publish. Numbering the file names (01, 02, 03) makes it easy to keep them sorted.
FAQ
How do I upload an audiobook to Spotify?
Sign up at authors.spotify.com, set up your payment profile, click “Upload audiobook”, add your details, chapter files and cover, and publish. It usually goes live within three business days.
How much does Spotify pay for audiobooks?
50% of your price when someone buys the audiobook, plus a share of each market’s Premium pool when members listen. Spotify doesn’t publish a fixed rate for Premium listening.
Can I sell an AI-narrated audiobook on Spotify?
Yes. Tick “This audiobook uses digital voice narration” when you upload, and Spotify adds a note to your description. The audiobook will be available on Spotify only.
Is Spotify for Authors free?
Yes. Uploading is free, there’s no limit on how many audiobooks you publish, it isn’t exclusive, and you keep all your rights.
Do I need an ISBN to publish on Spotify?
No. Spotify doesn’t require one and doesn’t assign one.
Is Findaway Voices the same as Spotify for Authors?
Not anymore. Findaway Voices is now Voices by INaudio, an independent distributor. Spotify for Authors is Spotify’s own way to publish on Spotify.
Can I sell my audiobook on Spotify and Audible at the same time?
Yes, unless you chose exclusive distribution on Audible’s ACX, which stops you selling anywhere else. Note that Audible only accepts human narration from indie authors.
Ready to publish?
Spotify is one of the easiest places to start: it’s free, it isn’t exclusive and it accepts AI narration. Add it to the other places you can sell, and if you haven’t made your audiobook yet, our AI audiobook generator makes files that meet Spotify’s specs, with your first chapter free.
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.
Keep reading
How to Sell Audiobooks on Shopify
Turn your Shopify store into an audiobook shop: the free Digital Products app, file limits, delivery, tax and the apps worth knowing.
Philip Ghezelbash··7 min read
How to Sell Audiobooks on Payhip
A simple store for your audiobook with audio previews and tax handled: setup, files, pricing and fees, step by step.
Philip Ghezelbash··7 min read
How to Sell Audiobooks on Gumroad
Sell your audiobook straight to readers from a Gumroad page: setup, files, pricing, fees and tax, step by step.
Philip Ghezelbash··7 min read