How to Get a Book on Audible

Did you know that audiobooks first started becoming popular back in 1955? At that time, the Listening Library released recorded books to consumers. As technology continued to advance, so did the availability of audiobooks.

Today, technology makes it possible for people to download books to their phone and listen to stories while on the go. In a survey from 2021, more than 45% of the adults who responded said they listened to audiobooks, and that trend seems to be continuing upward.

If you’re an author, creating an audiobook could be another way to make sales and get your narrative into the hands of readers. Should you be wondering how to get a book on Audible, we’re here to help you through the process.

Believe it or not, being able to publish on Audible isn’t as hard as you might think.

How to Get a Book on Audible

If you didn’t know, Audible is owned by Amazon, which means that it’s backed by one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world. This could be a good thing and a bad thing when it comes to wondering how to get your book on Audible.

Good in the sense that you know the platform to sell your book is trusted by thousands (if not millions) of readers. Bad in that many, many authors also use this site to publish their audiobooks, so it’s easy to get lost.

Still, if you’re asking how to get a book on Audible, let us walk you through the process.

Step 1: Go to ACX.com

When wondering how to get your book on Audible, the first thing you need to do is go to ACX.com and create an account.

If you already have a KDP author account, you should be able to use the same login to access ACX. This is Amazon’s audiobook creation site, and it stands for Audible Creation Exchange.

Step 2: Create a Profile

After logging in, even though you can use your KDP author account, you’ll still need to create a profile on ACX.

You’ll need to fill out the information on the following tabs:

Personal Information
Email Settings
Tax Information
Bank Information

As you can imagine, the tax and bank information are necessary so that you can get paid from the sales of your audiobooks. Filling these out as soon as possible is beneficial when it comes to making money.

Step 3: Start a Project

After filling out your profile, when learning how to get a book on Audible, you’re ready to start your audiobook project.

You can quickly and easily find the books you want to transfer from Amazon. All you need to do is click on Projects from the toolbar at the top of the page.

You’ll be taken to a new screen with a search bar in the middle. Your name should appear in the dialogue box, but if your author name is different than your given name (i.e., you use a pen name for your works), you’ll need to type that in and then hit search.

A list of your books should appear beneath the search box.

Step 4: Choose Your Book

If you happen to have more than one book published on Amazon, decide which one you want to convert into an audiobook first.

Find it in the list, then click the “This is My Book” button on the right-hand side.

Step 5: Determine How to Produce Your Audiobook

Clicking “This is My Book” will bring up a new menu. You have two choices of how to produce your book:

Look for someone to narrate and produce your audiobook
Upload audio files that you already have recorded

Whichever option you choose, click “Continue” next to it.

Step 6: Look for Producers

When learning how to get a book on Audible, if you decided you’re going to have someone else narrate your book, after clicking “Continue” for that option, you’ll then be taken to another menu.

Here, you’ll have a few more choices to make. You can either pay a producer upfront to produce your audiobook, or you can share royalties with them.

Which one you pick will be determined by your budget and how much money you think you’ll make.

Keep in mind that not all producers may be willing to settle for royalty payments — especially if you aren’t an established author and they are uncertain about how many sales you’ll make. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you won’t be able to find someone to narrate your story if this is the route you decide to take.

When it comes to paying upfront, there is a range of price options to choose from. Those on the more expensive end are generally well-established narrators. In some cases, they may even be other authors that lend their voices to audiobooks.

Again, you’ll have to decide how much you are willing to spend to get your audiobook produced. You’ll then choose that option.

Step 6a: Ask a Specific Producer

When going through the process of learning how to get a book on Audible, you have the option of asking a specific producer if they are interested in narrating your book.

As you go through the list of producers in your price range, if they have uploaded a sample, you can listen to it. If you like what you hear, you can send a request directly to them through the ACX platform.

Step 7: Listen to Auditions

Should you find that you don’t have a particular producer for your book in mind, then you will put it up for auditions.

A section of your book (that you upload) will be sent to people within your price range, and if they are interested in being part of the project, they will send a recording of themselves reading your excerpt.

When looking for your producer, there are certain criteria you can set. For example, if your story requires a female narrator, then you can request that only women audition. If you’re looking for a certain age or accent or mood, those are all things that can be specified when sending your work out for auditions.

How many auditions you get will depend on numerous factors, including how much you are offering to pay, the genre of your work and if you have any specific criteria you’re looking for.

You get to choose which narrator is right for you from the auditions you get. If you haven’t found the right one, you can send your excerpt out again to hopefully find other producers who want to work with you.

Step 8: Make an Offer

When you find the producer you like for your recording, you will then make them an offer.

This is as simple as clicking a button on the ACX site.

The nice thing about going through ACX is that they take care of the contracts and legal stuff for you. You don’t have to worry about finding your own lawyer and paying for their services. If there is a dispute or issue, you can bring it up within the site and have it settled there.

ACX also takes care of the payments for you. Whether you’re paying your producer upfront or splitting royalties with them, you can do it through the ACX site.

Step 9: Begin Recording

When wondering how to get a book on Audible, once an offer has been made and the producer accepts, you can then begin the recording process.

Your full book will be made available to the producer, and they will start uploading chapters or sections as they get them completed. You have the option of listening to each section and asking for edits (if necessary) or you can wait until the very end to ask for changes.

Again, this will be up to you and your producer. Making it as easy as possible for both of you will ensure that the audiobook recording process goes smoothly.

Step 10: Approve Final Recording

Even if you go through each section and approve as the producer uploads, you’ll still need to approve the final recording. It’s in your best interest to listen to the book from beginning to end. This can be incredibly time-consuming, but it ensures that you’re putting out the best product possible.

If you approve of what you hear, all you need to do is click a button.

Step 11: Distribute to Audible

After approving the final recording, you’re ready to start selling on Audible. Again, when learning how to get a book on Audible, ACX makes this incredibly easy. It’s just a click of a button.

You also have the option of selling on other platforms as well, including Amazon and iTunes. If you were wondering how to sell audiobooks on Amazon, all you have to do is create your project through ACX. Wider distribution of your book could help with increased sales — which means more money in your pocket.

How Much Do You Make Selling on Audible?

Now that we’ve brought up the topic of money, you’re probably wondering how much you make from Audible sales.

Depending on the contract agreement you sign, you can earn up to 40% of total sales. Unfortunately, unlike publishing a book on Amazon’s platform, you don’t get to pick the price of your audiobook. ACX decides that for you automatically.

They will tell you the amount, and then you can figure out potential payments from there. Keep in mind that if you’re sharing royalties with your producer, that will come out of your payments, not ACX’s.

As mentioned, having your audiobook available on as many platforms as possible is in your best interest. When asking how to sell audiobooks on Amazon, since ACX is a subsidiary of that company, your book will automatically be available on that site.

Can You Buy Individual Books on Audible?

In addition to asking how to get a book on Audible, you might also be wondering: Can you buy individual books on Audible. Of course you can! Here are the steps you’ll need to take to achieve your goals:

Step 1: Log in to Audible

The first thing you’ll need to do when buying an individual book is to log in to Audible. Since this is tied to Amazon, you can use your Amazon credentials to gain access to the audiobooks site.

Step 2: Search for the Book You Want to Purchase

Once you’ve gained access to the site, you’ll then need to search for the book you want to purchase. There is a search bar at the top, and typing in the title or the author’s name is the quickest and easiest way to find what you’re looking for.

Step 3: Buy the Book

After finding the right book, you’ll then click “Buy for X amount of money.”

Step 4: Complete Your Purchase

To be able to access the audiobook, you’ll need to complete your purchase. Once you’ve done that, you’ll be able to start listening to the story at your convenience.

How to Buy Audible Books on iPhone

If you happen to have an iPhone, you may be wondering if you can purchase audiobooks on that particular device. You will be happy to know that you can, by following these steps:

Step 1: Open the Audible App

The first thing you’ll need to do is open the Audible app on your iPhone. If you haven’t already downloaded it, you’ll need to go to the store and make sure to install it on your phone.

Step 2: Tap on the Shopping Cart

To open the Audible store, you’ll need to tap on the shopping cart within the app.

Step 3: Search for the Book

Click on the magnifying glass to do a search for the book you want to purchase. Type in the title or the author’s name to find it quickly.

Step 4: Click on the Book

Once the book appears in the results list, click on it to purchase it.

Step 5: Complete Your Purchase

Complete the purchase to get access to the book you want to listen to.

In addition to accessing Audible on your iPhone, many books created through ACX are also available on iTunes. You can use that app instead and do a search for the book you want to listen to.

How to Get Credits on Audiobooks

Using Audible is a great way to get access to audiobooks, but some of the stories can be incredibly expensive. If you’re wondering how to get credits on audiobooks, you have to sign up for a membership program.

There may also be times when you can buy additional credits during promotional periods.

Selling Audiobooks Through Audible

Creating an audiobook is a great way to expand your reader base and potentially make more money from the sale of your story. If you’re wondering how to get a book on Audible, you’ll need to follow these steps: