# 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.

Source: https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook/acx
Website: https://www.acx.com
Category: Audiobook Production (https://selfpublishingdirectory.com/audiobook)
Pricing: freemium — $0–$5000/per-project
AI-powered: no
Editor's pick: yes
Tags: marketplace, narrators, audible, production, distribution, royalty-share, pay-per-finished-hour, amazon, exclusive
Last verified: 2026-05-13
Best For: Authors prioritising Audible's 63% market share and willing to accept a 7-year exclusive lock-in; US/UK/CA/IE residents only
Distribution Channels: Audible, Amazon, Apple Books
Narration Type: human, professional, AI-voice-replica
Royalty Rate: 30% non-exclusive / 50% exclusive under the Member Value model (universal from May 26, 2026; legacy 25/40% retires end of 2026)
Service Type: production-platform, narrator-marketplace, distribution

ACX is Amazon's dedicated platform for audiobook production and distribution, serving as both a narrator marketplace and the primary pipeline to Audible — which holds roughly 63% of US audiobook market share. Authors post their manuscript, receive auditions from 300,000+ narrator-producers, and choose between paying upfront per finished hour of audio (PFH) or entering a royalty-share arrangement. Once production clears ACX's quality review, the platform handles mastering verification, retail metadata setup, and simultaneous listing on Audible, Amazon, and Apple Books.

## Production Models

- **Pay-for-production (PFP):** Author pays narrator a per-finished-hour fee upfront ($100–$400+ PFH depending on experience). No royalty split. Author can choose exclusive or non-exclusive distribution. Exclusive contracts can be changed to non-exclusive after 90 days on sale.
- **Royalty share (RS):** Narrator receives 50% of the author's royalties in lieu of upfront pay. Requires ACX exclusivity for the full 7-year contract term — no early exit without the narrator's written consent. Increasingly difficult to secure for niche genres.
- **Royalty share plus (RS+):** Partial PFH payment (minimum $100/hour) plus royalty split. Unlocks SAG-AFTRA Health & Retirement contributions.

## Royalty Rates

**The Member Value model becomes universal on May 26, 2026, and the legacy retail-anchored model is being discontinued by the end of 2026** — all creators must enroll titles in the new model or stop distribution. Headline rates are **50% exclusive / 30% non-exclusive**, up from the legacy 40% / 25%.

Crucially, those percentages are applied to **Member Value**, not list price. Member Value is the listener's monthly subscription fee (minus taxes and fees), plus any extra credit value used that month, divided proportionally across titles consumed based on à la carte price — then multiplied by your contractual rate. Audible reports early-access creators earned ~45% more on average over four months, but earnings on heavy-listener subscription plans can vary significantly. Suggested pricing and AYCL (All You Can Listen) opt-in eligibility are bundled with the new model.

## Narrator Marketplace

Authors post an audition script (15 minutes or less); narrators submit 1–5 minute auditions. Authors can also browse narrator profiles and make direct offers. A September 2024 beta (US only) lets rights holders work with AI-voice replicas created by willing narrators — compensation can be PFH, royalty-share, or blended. Titles produced with replicas are labelled accordingly.

**Technical specs:** Audio must be MP3 at 192 kbps CBR, 44.1 kHz; RMS between -23 dB and -18 dB; peaks no higher than -3 dB; noise floor below -60 dB.

## Limitations

- **Royalty share = 7-year exclusive lock-in.** No library distribution, no Spotify, no price control for the entire term.
- **Geographic restriction:** US, Canada, UK, and Ireland residents only — authors elsewhere cannot use ACX directly.
- **No pricing control:** Audible sets prices based on runtime; no promotional pricing or permafree option.
- **No library distribution:** OverDrive and Hoopla require Findaway/Voices by INaudio.
- **Amazon ebook prerequisite:** Your book must first exist as an Amazon ebook; audiobook-only titles are not permitted.
- **ALLi rating:** "Caution" — citing royalty opacity, account terminations for missed response deadlines, and difficult customer support.

## Alternatives

[Voices by INaudio](/audiobook/findaway-voices) (formerly Findaway Voices) distributes to 40+ platforms and pays 80% royalties — better for wide distribution but lacks Audible's subscriber base. [Author's Republic](/audiobook/authors-republic) offers 50+ channels at 80% net but no guaranteed Audible access. ACX wins on Audible reach alone; alternatives win on distribution breadth, pricing control, and geographic eligibility.