The Author Resources Hub

Lantern Audio — the rebranded successor to the longtime traditional-publishing studio ListenUp Audiobooks — positions itself as a curated, quality-forward audiobook distributor with a 75% author royalty, production services, and a smaller but established distribution network. This guide covers what Lantern offers, where it fits, and what to expect from its royalty structure and reach.

Soundwise is a direct-to-listener audio platform designed specifically for authors and creators who want to sell audiobooks and audio courses without retail platform middlemen. This guide covers what Soundwise does, how it compares to BookFunnel for audio delivery, its subscription capabilities, and when it makes sense relative to other direct sales options.

Whispersync for Voice lets Kindle readers add your audiobook for $1.99 to $3.99 instead of full retail price — making the barrier to trying your audio edition dramatically lower for the readers who already love your books. This guide covers how Whispersync works, how to verify it's active, and how to promote it to maximize audiobook sales from your existing Kindle audience.

YouTube is the world's second-largest search engine and the platform where millions of listeners discover audiobooks through free sample content. This guide covers what to publish on YouTube, how to use it as a discovery funnel toward paid distribution and your direct store, copyright considerations, and how to connect YouTube traffic to your author business.

BookFunnel does one thing — gets your digital files to readers cleanly, on any device, with reader support you don't have to provide yourself. For authors selling direct, it solves the delivery problem so completely that most authors never look for an alternative. This article covers how it works, how to connect it to your store, how audiobook delivery works, and what the 2026 pricing structure actually costs.

ACX is Amazon's audiobook production and distribution exchange — connecting authors with narrators, managing the production process, and distributing finished audiobooks to Audible, Amazon, and Apple Books. This guide covers every step from account setup through narrator auditions, contract types, audio file requirements, and the exclusive vs. non-exclusive distribution decision.

Findaway Voices (owned by Spotify) distributes audiobooks to Spotify, Chirp, Hoopla, OverDrive, Libro.fm, and 40+ other platforms — no exclusivity required. This guide covers every step: account setup, the square cover requirement, audio file technical specs, distribution channel configuration, and Chirp promotional submissions.

The self-publishing production process has dozens of interdependent steps — and doing them out of order costs time, money, and rework. This checklist sequences every task from manuscript finalization through post-launch, covering ebooks, print books, and audiobooks for both wide and Amazon-exclusive authors.

Discover how paid newsletters help indie authors promote ebooks, print, and audiobooks. Explore tools like BookBub, Freebooksy, and ScribeCount to build a powerful promo strategy.