How to publish an audiobook on Spotify in five steps
- 1
Prepare the files
Export one MP3 per chapter, opening and closing credits, and a square cover. Proof-listen every chapter first, because replacing files after submission slows review.
- 2
Create your author account
Sign up for Spotify’s author platform, or a distributor that delivers to Spotify, and complete the tax and payment details. Use the name or company that holds the audio rights.
- 3
Add the audiobook details
Enter the title, subtitle, series, author, narrator credit, description, language and categories. Copy them from your ebook so the editions are easy to match.
- 4
Upload chapters, cover and sample
Add the files in order and name each chapter as it appears in the book. If a retail sample is requested, choose a few minutes with dialogue; the audiobook sample chapter page shows how to pick one.
- 5
Set price, declare narration, submit
Choose a price and territories, answer the narration question truthfully and submit for review. You will be told if anything needs fixing.
Spotify audiobook files: what to prepare
| Item | What to prepare | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter audio | One file per chapter, usually MP3, at consistent levels | Start each file name with a number so the order is clear |
| Opening credits | Title, author and narrator, read at the start | A short track of its own or the start of chapter one |
| Closing credits | A brief “The end” and copyright line | Keep it short; listeners skip it |
| Retail sample, if requested | A few minutes that show the narration and story | Choose a scene with dialogue, not the copyright page |
| Cover | A square image at high resolution | Make the title readable at thumbnail size |
| Metadata | Title, series, description, categories, language | Match your ebook so the editions link up |
Spotify publishes its own specs for formats, bitrate, levels and artwork, and they can change, so check the current spec page before you export. The audiobook cover size guide covers square artwork.
Disclosing AI narration on Spotify
At the time of writing, Spotify accepts audiobooks read by digital voices as long as they are disclosed, and shows listeners a label on titles narrated that way. During setup you are asked how the book is narrated; choose the digital or AI option and say the same thing in your description.
Disclosure is not a penalty. Listeners who pick an AI-narrated title knowing what it is leave fairer reviews, and an accurate declaration protects the listing if it is reviewed later. Do not put an invented human name in the narrator field; follow the wording the form asks for so it is clear the narrator is a digital voice.
Your own files or Spotify’s creation tools?
Spotify has added audiobook creation tools of its own for some authors, which generate narration inside the dashboard. They are convenient if Spotify is your only store. Check which voices and languages they offer, how you correct a line and whether the resulting audio can be used anywhere else.
Producing the files yourself takes a little longer but leaves you with chapter MP3s and an M4B for direct listening. Store uploads still need to meet each channel’s audio specifications and AI policies, and your website must follow payment and delivery terms. You also choose the cast: the AI audiobook generator gives each speaking character a separate voice and lets you direct the lines that matter. Spotify creation tools alternative compares the two approaches in more detail.
Pre-upload checks for audiobooks on Spotify
Run through this list after you export. It catches the problems that most often send an upload back for changes, and the audiobook chapter length guide helps if a chapter runs very long.
- Every chapter plays in order, with nothing repeated or missing.
- Names are pronounced the same way in every chapter.
- Levels are even from chapter to chapter, with no clipping on loud lines.
- Each file opens and closes with a short moment of silence rather than a hard cut.
- The cover text is readable at the size of a phone thumbnail.
- Chapter titles in the metadata match the files and the book.
- The narration is declared accurately on the setup form.
Pricing, royalties and Premium listening
Spotify sells audiobooks one by one and, in some markets, lets Premium subscribers listen to a monthly allowance of audiobook hours. At the time of writing, authors earn from both purchases and Premium listening, under rules that differ by country and by route. Read the current royalty terms in your dashboard rather than figures quoted on forums.
Price the audiobook against similar titles of the same genre and length. If you publish through a distributor, its price settings may apply to Spotify as well, so set the price once and then check how it shows in the app.
After launch: checking your Spotify listing
Once the audiobook is live, open it in the Spotify app on a phone. Check the chapter list, the cover, the narrator credit and the preview. Fix anything odd in the dashboard straight away, because early listeners shape the first reviews.
Then point readers to it. Add the Spotify link to your newsletter, the back matter of your ebook and your website, and if you also sell direct, mention both options. Keep the chapter files and manuscript together so corrections or a second edition are quick to publish.
