# Audiobook Production

> Compare audiobook production platforms, narration services, and distribution channels for indie authors

Source: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook
Listings: 25
Last verified: 2026-07-01

## ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange)

> Amazon's audiobook marketplace connecting authors with professional narrators for Audible, Amazon, and Apple Books distribution — the dominant gateway to the world's largest audiobook platform.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/acx (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/acx.md)
- Website: https://www.acx.com
- Pricing: freemium — $0–$5000/per-project
- Tags: marketplace, narrators, audible, production, distribution, royalty-share, pay-per-finished-hour, amazon, exclusive

## Audacity

> Free, open-source audio recording and editing software — the most widely used tool by self-narrating indie authors, with built-in ACX compliance workflow and punch-and-roll recording.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/audacity (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/audacity.md)
- Website: https://www.audacityteam.org
- Pricing: free — $0
- Tags: recording, editing, software, free, open-source, self-narration, acx-compliance, noise-reduction, punch-and-roll, mastering, multi-track, windows, mac, linux

## Author's Republic

> Free audiobook aggregator distributing to 50+ retail, streaming, and library channels worldwide — more than any other non-exclusive aggregator — with an 80% royalty rate, no upfront fees, and a built-in narrator marketplace.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/authors-republic (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/authors-republic.md)
- Website: https://www.authorsrepublic.com
- Pricing: free — $0
- Tags: distribution, wide, aggregator, libraries, global, narrator-marketplace, chirp, no-exclusivity, self-narration, ai-narration

## AuthorVoices.ai

> AI narration platform for authors with voice cloning and 55 licensed narrator voices, offered as pay-as-you-go credits or monthly Studio subscriptions for whole-book rendering.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/authorvoicesai (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/authorvoicesai.md)
- Website: https://www.authorvoices.ai
- Pricing: paid — $22–$1490/mixed
- Tags: ai-narration, voice-cloning, author-focused, subscription, pay-per-use, elevenlabs, no-audible

## BookBaby Audiobooks

> Full-service audiobook production with AI voice-cloning, professional narrator casting, and author recording packages — distributes exclusively to the BookBaby Bookshop.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/bookbaby-audiobooks (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/bookbaby-audiobooks.md)
- Website: https://www.bookbaby.com/audiobooks
- Pricing: paid — $99–$15000/per-project
- Tags: production, ai-narration, voice-cloning, full-service, professional, per-word-pricing, managed-production

## Descript

> AI-powered audio and video editor that lets you edit recordings by editing the transcript, with Studio Sound noise removal, Overdub voice fill-in, and voice cloning.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/descript (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/descript.md)
- Website: https://www.descript.com
- Pricing: freemium — $0–$50/monthly
- Tags: recording, editing, ai-powered, voice-cloning, studio-sound, self-narration, overdub, transcript-based-editing, noise-removal

## ElevenLabs

> AI audiobook narration with 1,200+ voices in 29+ languages, professional voice cloning, and integrated ElevenReader Publishing at 60% direct-sale royalty plus $0.20/hour streamed (now global) with no exclusivity requirement.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/elevenlabs (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/elevenlabs.md)
- Website: https://elevenlabs.io
- Pricing: freemium — $0–$99/monthly
- Tags: ai-narration, voice-cloning, text-to-speech, elevenlabs, audiobook-production, spotify, voice-generation, multilingual

## Voices by INaudio

> Wide audiobook distribution to 40+ retailers and library systems worldwide — the leading non-exclusive aggregator for indie authors going wide.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/findaway-voices (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/findaway-voices.md)
- Website: https://www.voicesbyinaudio.com
- Pricing: free — $0
- Tags: distribution, wide, aggregator, libraries, global, no-exclusivity, narrator-marketplace, findaway

## Google Play Auto-Narrated Audiobooks

> Free AI-powered auto-narration tool that converts your ebook into an audiobook using Google's text-to-speech technology.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/google-play-auto-narrated (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/google-play-auto-narrated.md)
- Website: https://play.google.com/books/publish/
- Pricing: free — $0
- Tags: ai-narration, free, automated, google-play

## Hindenburg Narrator

> Purpose-built DAW for audiobook self-narration, with text-sync manuscript display, punch-and-roll recording, ACX compliance checking, and one-click chapter export.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/hindenburg-narrator (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/hindenburg-narrator.md)
- Website: https://hindenburg.com/products/audio-books/
- Pricing: paid — $13–$499/monthly
- Tags: recording, editing, software, self-narration, acx-compliance, text-sync, daw, punch-and-roll, audiobook-software

## Kobo Writing Life

> Direct audiobook distribution to Kobo's global store with 45% royalty on sales, Kobo Plus streaming in 28 countries, and no exclusivity required.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/kobo-writing-life (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/kobo-writing-life.md)
- Website: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/p/writinglife
- Pricing: free — $0
- Tags: distribution, kobo, direct, no-exclusivity, kobo-plus, international, streaming

## Lantern Audio

> Full-service audiobook production and distribution using professional SAG-AFTRA narrators, with 75% royalty and wide retail plus library distribution.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/lantern-audio (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/lantern-audio.md)
- Website: https://lanternaudio.com
- Pricing: paid — $50–$10000/per-project
- Tags: production, distribution, professional, narrators, premium, wide, sag-aftra, library-distribution, white-glove

## Murf AI

> AI voice studio with 200+ voices across 30+ languages, voice cloning, and a timeline editor for creating audiobooks without audio production experience.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/murf-ai (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/murf-ai.md)
- Website: https://murf.ai
- Pricing: freemium — $0–$66/monthly
- Tags: ai-narration, voice-cloning, tts, timeline-editor, nonfiction, beginner-friendly, multi-character

## NarrationBox

> AI audiobook narration with 1,500+ voices in 140+ languages, inline emotion controls, voice cloning, and word-credit pricing starting at $15/month.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/narrationbox (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/narrationbox.md)
- Website: https://narrationbox.com
- Pricing: freemium — $0–$75/monthly
- Tags: ai-narration, voice-cloning, multilingual, emotion-control, word-credits, multi-character, acx-compliant

## Play.ht

> AI text-to-speech platform acquired by Meta in July 2025 and permanently shut down on December 31, 2025. No longer available.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/playht (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/playht.md)
- Website: https://play.ht
- Pricing: freemium — $0–$99/monthly
- Tags: discontinued, ai-narration, voice-cloning, voice-generation, api, bulk-production

## PublishDrive

> Subscription aggregator distributing ebooks, audiobooks, and print to 400+ global stores with 0% commission — authors keep everything retailers pay.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/publishdrive (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/publishdrive.md)
- Website: https://publishdrive.com
- Pricing: freemium — $0–$100/monthly
- Tags: distribution, wide, aggregator, subscription, global, ai-narration, ebook, print, china, apple-digital-narration

## Spoken

> AI audiobook studio for fiction authors — automated multi-cast narration using Hume AI and ElevenLabs, with manuscript-level character analysis to assign distinct voices across 100+ characters.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/spoken (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/spoken.md)
- Website: https://www.spoken.press
- Pricing: paid — $20–$500/per-project
- Tags: ai-narration, multi-voice, multi-cast, full-cast, hume-ai, per-project, author-focused, character-voices, fiction

## Spotify for Authors

> Direct audiobook publishing portal giving indie authors access to Spotify's 600M+ users, free to upload with 50% royalty on à la carte sales.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/spotify-for-authors (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/spotify-for-authors.md)
- Website: https://authors.spotify.com
- Pricing: free — $0
- Tags: spotify, distribution, direct-publishing, streaming, audiobook-selects, analytics, ai-narration

## Voice123

> Open audition marketplace where authors post audiobook projects free and receive competitive auditions from a global network of professional voice actors — Voice123 markets 2M+ registered actors and 1M+ completed projects platform-wide.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/voice123 (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/voice123.md)
- Website: https://voice123.com
- Pricing: free — $0
- Tags: narrator-marketplace, casting, human-narration, professional, auditions, open-audition, per-finished-hour

## Voices.com

> Managed narrator marketplace using VoiceMatch AI to match authors with professional narrators, with SurePay escrow protection and built-in project management.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/voicescom (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/voicescom.md)
- Website: https://www.voices.com
- Pricing: freemium — $0–$299/annual
- Tags: narrator-marketplace, casting, human-narration, professional, managed, voicematch, surepay, escrow

## 2nd Opinion

> Free desktop app that checks audiobook files against Audible/ACX technical specs — peak, RMS, sample rate, and head/tail silence.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/2nd-opinion (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/2nd-opinion.md)
- Website: https://stevenjaycohen.com/2ndopinion/
- Pricing: free — $0
- Tags: free, technical-qc, acx, audible, desktop-app, rms, peak-level, open-tool

## Audiobook Editors

> Standalone audiobook proofing with a two-pass manual-plus-digital review and a detailed error report, billed per finished hour.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/audiobook-editors (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/audiobook-editors.md)
- Website: https://audiobookeditors.com
- Pricing: paid — $50
- Tags: proofing, qc, two-pass, detailed-report, per-finished-hour, mastering

## BookMojo

> Human audiobook proof-listening that compares finished audio to the Kindle text and documents every error with timestamps and screenshots.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/bookmojo (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/bookmojo.md)
- Website: https://book-mojo.com
- Pricing: paid — $15
- Tags: proofing, proof-listening, qc, human, no-ai, kindle-comparison, per-finished-hour

## Enchanted Quill Press

> Human audiobook proofing that checks pronunciation, character names, accents, glitches, and long silences against your manuscript.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/enchanted-quill-press (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/enchanted-quill-press.md)
- Website: https://enchantedquillpress.com
- Pricing: paid — $25
- Tags: proofing, proof-listening, qc, human, pronunciation, manuscript-check

## TravSonic

> Human-driven audiobook post-production — narration editing, proofing & QC, and mastering to ACX/Audible spec, billed per finished hour.

- Details: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/travsonic (markdown: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/travsonic.md)
- Website: https://travsonic.com
- Pricing: paid — $150
- Tags: proofing, qc, post-production, mastering, editing, acx, per-finished-hour