Do you want to earn money online by being an audiobook narrator? Audible makes it possible.
Amazon’s Audible is an industry leader in high-quality audiobook services. It connects narrators with book publishers.
If you’re interested in making money and earning passive income via the audiobook market, you’ve to the right place.
My guide discusses how to make money on Audible, including some tips and strategies.
Let’s start.
Table of Contents
What Is Audible?
Audible is Amazon’s online audiobook and podcast service. It’s one of the most popular audiobook platforms today.
Many users subscribe to Audible’s membership plans, but it’s not technically necessary. You can buy audiobooks from Audible without a membership.
Think of Audible as an online version of the library you frequented as a kid or the bookstore you often visited as an adult.
Here are Audible’s most noteworthy features.
Audiobooks
Audiobooks provide book lovers with a way to experience books by listening to them rather than reading them. Audiobooks also allow authors and publishers to reach a wider audience, including people who may no longer be interested in buying physical books.
Audiobooks have soared in popularity due to their accessibility. You can play Audible audiobooks on various devices, making them ideal for listening while doing household chores, exercising, or driving.
Here are some categories you can find on Audible.
- Entertainment
- Children’s audiobooks
- Comedy
- History
- Finance Wellness
- Politics
- Fantasy
- Sci-fi
You can keep audiobooks for as long as you like.
If Audible is about to remove an audiobook, you’ll see red text on the book image saying, “Included until MM/DD.” The “MM/DD” text represents the last day the specific audiobook will be available on the platform.
Check the example below.
If you see this text on an audiobook you want, you must download it by the date on the text to keep the audiobook.
Podcasts
Audible also has podcasts for a wide variety of tastes.
You can listen to thousands of free podcasts without an Audible subscription; you only need an Amazon account.
Audible Plus Catalog podcasts are also available.
These podcasts don’t include ads, but you need a membership to listen to them. Plus Catalog podcasts are available with Audible Plus and Audible Premium Plus membership plans. You can listen to or download any Plus Catalog podcast with either membership plan.
Audible Originals
Audible offers tons of content you won’t find on any other platform. You can find exclusive audiobooks, podcasts, and audio programs on Audible Originals.
The Audible platform updates its exclusive content regularly, so there’s always something new.
Note that Audible Originals are only available with Audible’s paid membership plans.
Membership Plans
You don’t need a membership to buy books on Audible. However, subscribing to an Audible membership plan gives you access to much more content.
Audible has two subscription plans. Here’s a quick rundown of each plan’s inclusions.
Audible Premium Plus has all the inclusions of Plus, but you also receive one credit each month with the former (I’ll discuss credits in more detail in the next section.).
Audible provides a free 30-day trial for both membership plans. You can end the trial within those 30 days, and Audible won’t charge your card. You’re free to explore everything Audible offers during your free trial.
If you decide to pay for an Audible membership, you can cancel or pause it at any time.
Credits
One benefit of an Audible Premium Plus membership is that you receive credits from Audible.
Audible adds one credit monthly to your account if you’re an Audible Premium Plus member. You can use one credit to get a free audiobook. With one credit, you can purchase any audiobook on the platform, regardless of its price.
The Audible platform also sends you a monthly credit summary via email. You’ll be able to see the following details on your credit summary.
- Number of credits available
- Number of titles in your library
- Issue date and expiry date of each credit
- A warning in red text at the top of the email if you have any credits expiring in the next 30 days
Note that credits don’t expire if you purchase your membership through the Audible iOS app or the Audible Google Play app.
Credits you buy through these apps won’t expire either. Furthermore, any credits left on your account will remain after you cancel your membership.
These features help make Audible the biggest and most popular platform for audiobooks, podcasts, and other spoken word entertainment.
How Are People Making Money on Audible
Do you want to start making money online? You can make money on Audible by trying the different strategies I discuss in this section.
Here’s how people are making money on Audible.
Promote Audible Products.
Selling the platform’s products and services is one way to earn money on Audible.
Here’s what you need to do.
- Create your own account via the Audible website or app.
- Upload a recording of yourself describing an Audible product or service to the platform.
You receive a commission for every sale you make. The best part about selling Audible products and services is you don’t have to spend on marketing costs.
Narrate Audiobooks.
You can earn money on Audible by narrating audiobooks.
Narrate someone else’s audiobook in exchange for a share of the audiobook’s sales.
You only have to record your narration once, but you receive a consistent stream of passive income depending on the audiobook’s sales.
If you’re a new narrator, you’ll need to create a demo audio file to showcase to prospective clients. Edit your file with Audacity to ensure the audio quality is crystal clear and noise-free.
Market yourself as a skilled narrator on YouTube, Fiverr, and other platforms to learn about the audiobook industry.
There are three ways for narrators to earn money on Audible.
- Per Finished Hour (PFH) – You receive a fixed amount for narrating the entire book.
- Royalty Share – You split royalties with the book author or rights owner.
- Royalty Share Plus – This payment scheme combines Per Finished Hour and Royalty Share. You receive a fixed amount for narrating the book and royalties.
How To Succeed in Making Money on Audible
Here are ten things you need to be a successful narrator and make money on Audible.
Articulation
Be clear and precise in pronouncing words and entire sentences.
Breath Control
Regulate your breathing to avoid gasping for air, fading, or gulping in the middle of narrating a sentence.
Delivery
Your delivery must match the content and author’s goal.
Your pitch must be consistent and enthusiastic as you narrate the author’s work.
Accuracy
You must narrate the work precisely as the author wrote it. Never change, add, or omit words and phrases.
Consistency
Audiobook publishers will repeatedly hire a narrator with an impressive narrating style. You can get a lot of work if you consistently inspire awe with your enthusiasm, articulation, pitch, and delivery.
Familiarity and Understanding
In fiction, you need to be familiar with the storyline and characters. In nonfiction, you need at least a basic understanding of the subject to explain it to listeners.
Bringing Characters to Life
It’s essential to bring characters to life, especially when narrating children’s audiobooks.
Each character’s tone, attitude, and accent must be unique and constant throughout your narration.
Distinguishing Voices
Your narrating voice should be different from the characters’ voices in the work you’re narrating.
For example, you must say he said” or “she said” in your narrating voice, not the character’s voice.
Using distinct voices prevents listener confusion.
Endurance
A narrator spends hours in front of a microphone.
To be a successful narrator, you need unwavering energy and a consistent voice throughout recording sessions. Professional narration is like running a marathon—you need physical and mental stamina.
Emotional Involvement
You need to emotionally immerse yourself in the work you’re narrating for the audiobook to succeed. Narration isn’t just reading sentences on a page aloud.
Excellent narration means using your voice to paint a vivid picture of what is happening on the page.
With nonfiction work, you need to sound interested even if the subject is boring.
An enthusiastic narration of audiobooks engages listeners, encourages positive reviews, drives sales, and results in publishers hiring you repeatedly.
How To Create Your Own Audiobook for Audible
Create your fiction or nonfiction audiobooks to make money on Audible.
You can produce your own audiobook by writing and recording it yourself.
You can hire a narrator from ACX and a freelance writer if you have the extra cash. Your narrator will record and upload the finished audiobook.
Creating an audiobook takes time. Please don’t rush the process because it’s worth the wait.
Here’s what you need to do to create audiobooks for Audible.
Decide on the Genre of Your Audiobook
Do you want to create a fiction or a nonfiction audiobook? Avoid choosing a category or genre just because it’s popular.
There’s no single genre on Audible that sells the most.
The genre you choose should depend on your interests.
However, nonfiction is a good start for aspiring audiobook creators because the genre has something to offer everyone.
All listeners can learn something new by listening to nonfiction audiobooks.
Find a Specific Topic
If you’ve decided to write about parenting, topics for your audiobook could include “positive ways to discipline your children” or “how to stop temper tantrums in toddlers.”
You can pick a popular subject, but you can also choose a topic with a reasonably low number of monthly searches on Audible and, therefore, minimal competition.
Write the Book
You can write the book yourself or outsource the work through ProBlogger, Fiverr, and Upwork.
Design the Book Cover
You’ll need graphic design skills to make a high-quality cover. If you don’t have the skills, hire a professional graphic designer to create the cover for you.
Handle the Narration
Narrate your book yourself if you can. Otherwise, you can handle a narrator via Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX).
ACX has a pool of narrators available. You can listen to their audio samples to decide which narrator is the most suitable for your needs.
Publish and Promote Your Book on Audible
Once narration is complete, you’ll need to publish and promote your book.
ACX gives you 50 promo codes to start. You can give them to your closest friends, relatives, and colleagues so they can get a free copy of your audiobook.
Every person who downloads your book counts as a sale. The more people download your book, the higher it ranks on Audible, which translates to more sales.
You can promote your book via email, blog, social media posts, and even your own website if you have it. You can also use Spotify and other similar platforms to sell audio versions of your books.
Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX)
ACX is a self-publishing platform from Audible.
You can use ACX to create your own audio content to publish on Audible or send to other audiobook distributors.
Here are the benefits of using ACX.
- The platform provides audio quality control before your audiobook becomes available on Audible.
- The platform calculates and pays out royalties.
- The platform releases your audiobook on Audible, Amazon, and the Apple store.
- The platform brings together narrators and authors.
Here’s how to get started on ACX.
- Sign up for an ACX account.
- Register your book.
- Enter the details.
- Submit your files.
How to Sell on Audible
Follow this step-by-step process to earn money by selling audiobooks on Audible.
- Sign up for an ACX account. If you have an existing Amazon account, use that to log in. Create an Amazon account if you don’t have one.
- Select Start My Audiobook.
- Search for your audiobook on the Amazon catalog and select This is my book.
- You’ll see two options. Select the I already have audio files for this book, and I want to sell it option and click Continue.
- Choose Territories and Terms of Distribution and the book’s language, and click Continue.
- Accept the terms and conditions.
- Fill in all necessary details.
- Enter your chapter names, then click save and continue.
- Upload your book cover and audio files.
- Submit your audiobook for review (Your book should be available for sale after 30 days.).
- Fill in your bank and tax information.
You can now start to make money on Audible.
Take Advantage of the Audible Affiliate Program.
You can also earn extra money through the Audible Creator Program (the Audible affiliate program). You can join for free, and it’s easy to start.
To take advantage of the Audible affiliate program. You have to create an affiliate link. Your affiliate link is a specific URL with your affiliate ID or username.
You receive advertising fees when your page visitors click an affiliate link to buy Audible (and Amazon) products and services.
Your payments depend on the product or service you sell through your affiliate links.
You can visit the Audible Creator Program page for more information.
You’ll receive your payments via direct bank deposit.
FAQs
How to Get Paid by Audible?
If you are an audiobook narrator or producer and want to get paid by Audible, you can follow this audible income process:
- Sign up for the ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) program, through which Audible publishes and distributes audiobooks. To create an account, go to ACX.com and register as a narrator, producer, or rights holder.
- Create a profile: After registering, create a profile that highlights your experience, skills, and samples of your work. This will help you get noticed by rights holders looking for narrators or producers.
- Find audiobook projects that match your skills and interests on the project directory. You can also create a profile and wait for rights holders to contact you.
- Audition for projects: Once you find a project that interests you, you can submit an audition. Make sure to follow the instructions provided by the rights holder and submit your best work.
- Negotiate the contract: If the rights holder likes your audition, they will contact you to negotiate the terms of the contract, including payment. Make sure to read the terms carefully and negotiate a fair payment for your work.
- Record and submit the audiobook: After the contract is signed, you can start recording the audiobook. Once you finish, submit it to ACX for review.
- Get paid: After the audiobook is reviewed and approved, you will receive payment according to the terms of your contract. Audible pays narrators and producers based on a royalty model or a flat fee, meaning that you can get paid to read audio books and get paid to narrate books.
How to Use Audible to Make Money?
Here are some ways to use Audible to make money:
- Read audiobooks for money or produce audiobooks: You can earn royalties from sales of your audiobook, which typically range from 5% to 40% of the book’s sale price. You can also earn a flat fee for your work, depending on the terms of your contract with the audiobook rights holder.
- Produce other audio content, such as podcasts, guided meditations, and news briefings. You can create and publish this content on Audible, and earn revenue from ad sales or subscriptions.
- Publish your book on Audible and earn royalties from sales. Audible offers a program called ACX that connects authors with narrators and producers to create audiobooks. You can either narrate your book yourself or hire a professional narrator.
- Participate in Audible’s bounty program that pays you for every person you refer who signs up for an Audible membership. You can earn up to $75 per referral, depending on the membership plan the person signs up for.
To use Audible to make money, you will need to create high-quality audio content that appeals to Audible’s audience, and market it effectively to reach a wide audience.
The Bottom Line
If you want to make money online, Audible is an excellent avenue.
Hopefully, my article has given you a clearer picture of how you can make money on Audible by selling audiobooks, creating and publishing audiobooks, narrating other authors’ audiobooks, and promoting Audible and Amazon products and services through affiliate links.
Don’t be afraid to start your journey. Make money on Audible today.
Make even more money by learning how to earn passive income on Amazon.
