How It Works

Print Publishers

ACX Puts You in the Director’s Chair.

Offering Rights?

If you’re a book publisher, ACX can help you. If you control a slew of previously unexploited audio rights, now is the time to surface those titles. Using top-notch Producers, ACX allows you to produce audiobooks—at market-optimized rates.

Here’s how to use ACX:

Step 1. Confirm

First, confirm you have audio rights a book by double-checking those book contracts. If you have the audio rights then ACX considers you, and will refer to you from here on out, as a Rights Holder.

Step 2. Create a profile

Search ACX for your books. Type in each book’s title, and ACX will find it (we’re powered by Amazon’s huge book database). If your book is eligible for production through ACX, you’ll see a big “This Is My Book” button. Click that to begin the process of creating a Title Profile. In the profile, describe the book and the type of narrator best suited for it. The Title Profile is a way to get Producers (narrators, studio professionals, and audiobook publishers) excited about producing the audiobook. When you’re writing the profile, think of it as an ad. In addition to your description, you’ll also post a short (one or two page) excerpt from the book. This will serve as the Audition Script so you can listen to potential narrators reading the text you’d like turned into an audiobook. (You’ll be required to review and sign the ACX Book Posting Agreement before posting the Title Profile).

Note: If authors want to narrate themselves, instead of creating a Title Profile, go here.

Step 3. Find Narrators

Post your Title Profiles with audition scripts so Producers (narrators, studio professionals, and audiobook publishers) have the chance audition for you. If you prefer to be proactive, listen to sample narrations already posted by Producers then invite a handful to audition for your book. Otherwise, just wait for auditions to roll in.

Step 4. Review Auditions

Review the incoming auditions. In addition to submitting recorded samples, some auditioning narrators may specify how much they’d like to be paid, and when the production can be completed. Otherwise, the ball’s in your court to send them a message—or a formal Offer—through ACX.

Step 5. Make a Deal

A) Make an Offer to a Producer. You can offer to pay them a Pay for Production fee (based on their posted per-finished-hour rate range), or negotiate something lower through ACX Messages. In lieu of an upfront payment, you can choose to share your royalties fifty-fifty.

Or you can take your book off ACX....

B) You may receive an offer from an audiobook publisher to buy the audio rights for your book directly from you. If you decide to work with an audiobook publisher outside of ACX, you must remove the book from ACX by deleting the Title Profile. See the Book Posting Agreement for complete terms

Step 6. Check-in

The audiobook production process begins. This generally lasts between 3–8 weeks. The Producer will let you know, through ACX, when the first fifteen minutes of each audiobook is complete. Take this opportunity to listen to narrator’s performance, the quality of the recording and editing, and offer guidance..

Step 7. Approve the Final Product

When the audiobook is complete, you can request two rounds of corrections or edits from the Producer. Then you’ll give final approval of the completed audiobook and pay the Producer (unless they had agreed to forego the upfront Pay for Production Fee option, and opted for a Royalty Share deal).

Step 8. Distribute

ACX distributes your audiobook through Audible.com, Amazon.com, and iTunes. If you grant us exclusive distribution rights, we alone will distribute the audiobook. If you grant us non-exclusive distribution rights, you can distribute the audiobook through other channels as well, but any additional distribution will have to be arranged independent of ACX. (Note: the royalty you earn is higher if you agree to distribute your book exclusively through ACX.)

Step 9. Promote

Promote the availability of the audiobook to your authors’ fans. Feel free to use our great marketing tools and advice in the Promote Yourself section.

Step 10. Earn Royalties

You will receive a monthly royalty statement and payment from Audible, and you can choose to receive your royalties by check or by direct deposit to the account of your choice.

For more information, please read our FAQ. If you don’t find the answers you need there, email us with your questions.