Author's Republic

Author's Republic is a free, non-exclusive audiobook aggregator that distributes to more retail and library channels (50+) than any other commission-based competitor. The 80% royalty rate began as a May 2024–February 2025 promotion and was afterwards made permanent for newly submitted audiobooks; the signup country list covers 249 countries and territories, and a direct Chirp Audiobook Deals integration lets authors submit titles for promotion from the dashboard. Channel breadth is its primary edge over Voices by INaudio.

• Best for: Authors targeting international audiobook channels (BookBeat, Storytel, Nextory, Bookmate, Audioteka, Ubook, YouScribe) or wanting the broadest possible distribution net
• Key features: 50+ partner channels (47 named on the partners page); direct Chirp Audiobook Deals submissions; narrator marketplace with no admin fee on production spend; opt out of the Amazon/Audible, Retail Distributors, and Music Channel Distributors groups yourself before submitting; no requirement to have an ebook or paperback on Amazon first, unlike ACX
• Pricing: Free; Author's Republic keeps 20% of net receipts; no setup, listing, submission, review, or annual fee
• Limitations: Opting out of an individual retailer still requires emailing support before you submit; the 80% rate applies only to audiobooks first submitted on or after May 1, 2024 (older catalogue stays at 70%); the narrator roster is closed to new narrators as of August 2026; music and soundscape recordings are not eligible
• Why authors love it: Strongest international footprint of any free aggregator, the deepest library network of any non-exclusive audiobook distributor, and the only one with built-in Chirp promo access — solid standalone choice or complement to INaudio

Royalty basis and rate history#

The 80% is paid on Author's Republic's net receipts — what each retail or library partner actually remits — not on the consumer list price. Author's Republic keeps the other 20%; there are no other deductions.

The rate history matters when auditing an existing account. Author's Republic ran 80% as a limited-time offer for audiobooks submitted for distribution between May 1, 2024 and February 28, 2025, then added an editor's note to that announcement making the rate permanent for newly submitted audiobooks. Titles first submitted before May 1, 2024 were never migrated and remain on the legacy 70% rate — the vendor's own FAQ states the promotion "will only apply to your new audiobooks." Authors with a pre-2024 backlist therefore run two royalty rates in one account.

Channel control#

Distribution is not all-or-nothing. Retailers are grouped into three buckets — Amazon/Audible, Retail Distributors, and Music Channel Distributors — and any of the three can be deselected inside the account before a project is submitted for review. Deselecting Amazon/Audible is the supported route for an author who already sells on Audible non-exclusively through ACX and wants Author's Republic for everything else.

Finer-grained control is manual: to exclude one specific retailer you must email support before submitting. Author's Republic's terms also forbid delivering the same audiobook to the same retailer through two distributors, so any direct or second-aggregator relationship has to be opted out on this side first.

Library and international reach#

Author's Republic carries the widest library network of any non-exclusive audiobook distributor — OverDrive, Hoopla, CloudLibrary (Bibliotheca), ODILO, Follett, Mackin, Wheelers, LibraryOne, 3Leaf and Germany's Onleihe/divibib. That is a superset of Voices by INaudio's OverDrive-plus-Hoopla coverage, not a thinner one.

International retail is the other differentiator: Audioteka (nine languages), Ubook (Brazil), YouScribe (francophone Africa), Rahva Raamat (Estonia), BOOK☆WALKER Global (Japan), Nextory, Mofibo, BookBeat, Bookmate, Storytel and 24symbols. The registration form accepts authors resident in 249 countries and territories.

Payments#

Royalties are paid monthly. As of a July 9, 2026 platform update, authors manage their own payment profile (banking details, mailing address, tax forms) under My Account → Payment Account Information → Step 2, and can choose between PayPal, ACH, local bank transfer, wire transfer and cheque, with availability depending on country of residence. PayPal remains the fastest rail and pays out once $10 has accumulated; wire transfers may carry a $100 USD minimum because of transaction fees. Wise payouts are available on request but are not enabled by default, and switching tax classification between SSN and EIN still needs support.

Audio requirements#

MP3, 192 kbps constant bit rate, 44.1 kHz, mono or stereo, −23 dB to −18 dB RMS, peaks no higher than −3 dB, noise floor below −60 dB RMS. One chapter per file, each file no longer than 119 minutes and no larger than 170 MB. Cover art is 2400×2400 JPG, RGB, under 8 MB.