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297 Best Audiobook Services & Audiobook Publishers to Know
Audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment in publishing. And, with the emergence of Playexch narration, such as Apple Books digital narration with PublishDrive, it’s never been easier to turn your manuscript into an audio format. Entering this market is a fantastic way to expand your reach. To help, below is a list of the best audiobook services and audiobook publishers to know.
Key Takeaways:
- With a completed manuscript, there’s no reason not to distribute it as an audiobook and reach a growing number of audio listeners. You can work with audiobook production companies or take care of the production yourself.
- The best audiobook companies make the production and publishing process as easy as possible, provide the largest reach, and give you the highest royalty percentage.
The Audiobook Market Is Booming
Real quick, let’s go over just how lucrative the audio market is looking:
- The global audio market is worth over $5.3 billion and is projected to reach $35 billion in 2030.
- This means that the audio market will grow by 26.4% every year over the next 7 years, while the book market will grow by 1.9%.
- By 2030, projections show that audio titles will account for over 21.3% of the global book publishing revenue.
As audiobook consumption peaks, so do audiobook services focusing on production, distribution, and beyond. With the rise of AI in publishing, audiobook publishing companies are increasingly integrating many of these technologies into their services. In fact, all the big five publishing retailers now provide AI-narrated audiobooks.
If you previously hesitated to create an audio format for monetary reasons, know that AI narration makes audiobooks widely affordable and accessible to produce. This has been a game-changer, especially for our self-publishing indies.
If you decide to go exclusive with ACX, you can always switch out after your 90 days is up. Or, you can continue being exclusive if the sales you earned under the exclusive deal were worth it. Note that with the royalty-share option, you can’t switch out to non-exclusive. To see what’s right for you, check out the pros and cons of self-publishing on Amazon.
2. Kobo
Kobo distribution gets your book listed in Kobo.com, Walmart, Indigo (Canada’s #1 bookstore), Bol (e-commerce shop in the Netherlands), and other stores. There are no exclusivity clauses or fees to publish with Kobo.
Royalties you earn:
