The Verdict
ACX puts your audiobook on Audible, Amazon and Apple Books, and since May 26, 2026 it pays 50% if you distribute exclusively through it or 30% if you do not. Spotify for Authors puts your audiobook in front of Spotify's listeners, paying on purchases and on listening by Premium subscribers. If Audible is where your readers listen, ACX exclusive pays the highest rate. If you want to be on Spotify, in libraries and in other stores too, choose ACX non-exclusive and add Spotify. There is no single right answer, but the choice is mostly about exclusivity.
What ACX and Spotify for Authors Are
ACX, the Audiobook Creation Exchange, is Amazon's platform for publishing audiobooks to Audible, Amazon and Apple Books. You can upload a finished audiobook, narrate it yourself, or hire a narrator through ACX, paying a fee per finished hour or sharing royalties with them.
Spotify for Authors is Spotify's platform for authors and publishers to bring audiobooks to Spotify. Listeners can buy audiobooks individually, and eligible Premium subscribers get a monthly allowance of audiobook listening included in their plan. Authors are paid for both.
At a Glance
| ACX | Spotify for Authors | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it sells | Audible, Amazon and Apple Books | Spotify |
| Royalty | 50% exclusive or 30% non-exclusive under the new model | Paid on purchases and on Premium listening; no single published rate |
| How royalties are calculated | On sales and, for Audible membership listening, on "Member Value" | Per purchase and per listen within Premium |
| Exclusivity | Optional; exclusive pays more | None |
| Payment | Monthly, held over if under $50 | Purchases monthly, Premium quarterly |
| Narrator marketplace | Yes, with royalty share or per-hour fees | Upload a finished audiobook |
| Best for | Authors whose listeners use Audible | Reaching Spotify's listeners |
ACX's New Royalty Model
ACX changed how it pays in 2026. From May 26, 2026, newly claimed titles, new users and existing titles that enroll in the new model earn 50% for exclusive distribution and 30% for non-exclusive. The older rates of 40% and 25% continue only for titles not yet enrolled, and ACX says the legacy model ends at year-end, after which every title must move to the new model to stay on sale.
The rate is higher, but the base has changed too. For listening by Audible members, royalties are now calculated on what ACX calls Member Value. It starts with the member's monthly plan revenue after taxes and fees, increases if they spend an extra credit, and is divided among the titles that member listened to, in proportion to each title's regular price. Your royalty is your share of that value multiplied by your rate.
In practice, that means earnings depend on how members listen, not just on how many copies are bought. Some authors report higher payouts under the new model; others see less. Track your reports for a few months after enrolling rather than assuming the higher percentage means higher income.
Exclusive or Non-Exclusive
This is the central decision. With exclusive distribution, ACX is the only place your audiobook is sold, through Audible, Amazon and Apple Books, and you earn 50%. With non-exclusive distribution, you earn 30% on those stores but are free to sell the same audiobook on Spotify, through library platforms, on other audiobook stores and directly to readers.
The 20-point gap is large, so non-exclusive only makes sense if those other channels bring in enough to make up the difference. Authors with strong library demand, a direct-sales audience or many Spotify listeners often find that it does. Authors whose readers live mainly on Audible usually earn more by staying exclusive.
Exclusivity terms and when you can switch depend on your ACX agreement and how the audiobook was produced. Royalty share titles, for example, are tied to the narrator's deal. Read the agreement before you choose, especially if you plan to go wide later.
How Spotify Pays
Spotify pays on two kinds of listening. When a listener buys your audiobook outright, you earn a royalty on that purchase, paid monthly, usually toward the end of the following month. When an eligible Premium subscriber listens to your audiobook as part of their included hours, you earn a royalty based on that listening, paid quarterly.
Spotify does not publish a single, fixed percentage for Premium listening the way ACX does, so treat early months as a test. Its reports show purchase and Premium royalties separately, which helps you see where listeners actually come from. For US accounts opened after May 4, 2026, payments go through Spotify's own payout service.
The real draw is audience. Many people already open Spotify every day for music and podcasts, and an audiobook in their Premium plan is one tap away. For authors whose readers are younger or not on Audible, that is a meaningful new channel.
Getting the Audiobook Made
ACX includes a marketplace of narrators and producers. You post your book, audition narrators and choose either to pay a fee per finished hour or to split royalties with the narrator. Royalty share costs nothing upfront but commits you to exclusive distribution and shares half your royalty for seven years. Paying per finished hour costs more upfront but keeps the full royalty and leaves your distribution options open.
Spotify for Authors expects you to arrive with a finished audiobook. That suits authors who narrate their own books, hire a narrator directly or produced an audiobook for another platform.
If you plan to go wide, paying a narrator directly is usually the cleaner route, because you own the finished files outright and can place them anywhere.
I edit and polish manuscripts so they read aloud cleanly, and write audiobook descriptions that sell.
Where Listeners Are
Audible remains the largest audiobook store for many genres, and ACX also reaches listeners on Amazon and Apple Books. Its membership model means many listeners have credits to spend each month, and they often look for books by authors they already read in print or on Kindle.
Spotify brings audiobooks to people who might never have opened an audiobook store. Its listeners discover books alongside music and podcasts, and Premium's included hours lower the barrier to trying a new author.
Libraries are a third audience. Many listeners borrow audiobooks through library apps, and those platforms pay authors for each copy or checkout. Library distribution is only possible if your ACX audiobook is non-exclusive.
Choosing a Strategy
| If... | Consider |
|---|---|
| Most of your readers buy on Amazon and listen on Audible | ACX exclusive at 50% |
| You used royalty share with a narrator | ACX exclusive, as the deal requires |
| Your ebooks are wide and do well in libraries | ACX non-exclusive plus Spotify and library platforms |
| Your audience is younger or heavy Spotify users | ACX non-exclusive plus Spotify |
| You sell ebooks directly and want to sell audio too | Non-exclusive, so you can sell audio direct |
Whichever route you choose, a clean manuscript makes narration faster and cheaper. Our guide to what to outsource when self-publishing covers when to hire a narrator and other professionals.
Steps Before You Publish
- Decide on exclusivity first, because it shapes how you hire a narrator.
- Choose narration: yourself, a narrator paid per finished hour, or royalty share on ACX.
- Prepare a narration script with pronunciations for names and places.
- Produce a square audiobook cover from your ebook cover.
- Upload to ACX and choose exclusive or non-exclusive.
- If non-exclusive, add Spotify for Authors and any library or store distributors.
- Review reports after three months and adjust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Under the new model from May 26, 2026, ACX pays 50% for exclusive distribution and 30% for non-exclusive. The legacy rates of 40% and 25% end at year-end.
For Audible membership listening, ACX takes a member's monthly plan revenue after taxes and fees and divides it among the titles they listened to, in proportion to each title's price. Your royalty is your share times your rate.
Only if you chose non-exclusive distribution on ACX. Exclusive titles are sold only through Audible, Amazon and Apple Books.
Spotify pays royalties on audiobooks bought individually, monthly, and on listening by eligible Premium subscribers, quarterly.
It avoids upfront narration costs, but you split the royalty with the narrator for seven years and must stay exclusive. Paying per finished hour keeps your options open.
Monthly, by electronic payment. If royalties for a period are under $50, Audible may hold them and add them to the next payment.
Yes, through library distributors, but only if your audiobook is not exclusive to ACX.