4 Proven Ways to Make Money on Audible (Listen, Learn, & Earn!)

And when it comes to audiobook retailers, Audible (an Amazon subsidiary) is the best-known audiobook seller out there.

Customers on Audible pay a subscription fee each month, which provides them with access to thousands of audiobooks, podcasts, and originals.

With an Audible subscription, customers can listen to any audiobook in the “included” library no matter which subscription they purchase. Basically, it’s a streaming service for audiobooks.

However, not all content is included in the subscription. If a customer wants to listen to an audiobook that’s not included in their subscription, then they’ll need Audible credits. That’s essentially how payments work on the platform.

But how does all of that help you earn money on Audible?

Read on to find out…

How Do You Make Money Using Audible

Here are the most profitable and proven ways to make money with Audible.

1. Make Money as an Audio Content Creator

One option is to apply to join the Audible Creator Program. You get $15 for each trial membership that you generate with the program.

How it works is simple:

• Promote a 30-day free trial of Audible with your own custom URL.
• Listeners go to an Audible trial landing page.
• You earn a $15 commission for each trial you generate.
• Then, listeners get to enjoy a free audiobook.
• You get paid each month that you reach the $30 payment threshold.

2. Make Money as an Audible Affiliate

You can make money on Audible by joining the Audible Amazon Associates Program.

The Associates Program allows you to refer people directly to Amazon.com where they can conveniently and securely purchase the Audible products and memberships that you advertise. You’ll earn a fixed advertising fee for each eligible Audible purchase or membership signup that you refer.

These are the eligible products and services and their fee structure:

• Audible Gold Digital Membership: Value: $10.
• Audible Free Trial Digital Membership: Value: $5.
• Audible Audiobook: Value: $0.50.

So, as a member of Amazon Associates, you are eligible to receive advertising fees for each site visitor who signs up for an Audible membership plan and/or purchases an audiobook on Amazon.com.

3. Make Money on Audible as a Narrator

If you have the voice for it, you could make money narrating audiobooks. All you need to get started is a good quality microphone, a computer, and a quiet place to record, of course!

You can find voiceover work online. One site to try is ACX.

On there, you can find acting gigs and the audiobooks you produce will be available on Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. You can choose the books you want to audition for.

ACX enables you to choose how you’d like to get paid for your narration work too!

Here’s how you can get paid:

• You can choose your own per-finished-hour rate, which is paid upon successful completion of the audiobook.
• You can share royalties from sales with the Rights Holder.

On ACX, an Audiobook Narrator is also an Audiobook Producer.

Here’s how voiceover jobs work on ACX:

Step 1: Create a profile

Sign up on ACX and create a profile that details your acting and audiobook experience.

Step 2: Upload samples

Tag an unlimited number of samples in your profile based on accents, genre, and style. The more audio samples you include, the easier it will be for authors to find you, and therefore hire you!

Step 3: Choose how you want to get paid

You can choose to receive a per-finished-hour rate or choose to share 50% of royalties. If you’re not sure, you can choose both the per-finished-hour rate and the 50% share of royalties.

Step 4: Audition

Search for books that you want to narrate and produce and record a few minutes of the manuscript. If you’re the Rights Holder’s top voice, then you’ll receive an offer.

Step 5: Accept the offers you want

When a Rights Holder makes you an offer, you can accept it. You’ll need to agree on delivery dates for the first 15 minutes of audio and the final audiobook, and payment terms.

Step 6: Start recording

You can record, edit, and upload a 15-minute checkpoint of the audiobook, which the Rights Holder will approve or provide feedback for. When the sample is approved, you’ll need to record the rest of the project.

Step 7: Work with other studio professionals

You may want the guidance of other audiobook experts to create a professional audiobook. If you need to hire one or more, ACX has Independent Contractor Agreements that you may use.

Step 8: Finish the recording

You will need to upload each completed chapter of the audiobook to meet the site’s Audio Submission Requirements and Production Standard Terms. The Rights Holder must approve the full audiobook before payment and has the right to request changes.

Step 9: Get paid

You will be paid directly by the Rights Holder if you and the Rights Holder agreed on a Pay for Production Fee. If you produced the audiobook as a Royalty Share deal, then you’ll be paid based on 50% of the royalties on sales.

Step 10: Get more jobs

You can keep getting more work once you’ve finished a job. According to ACX, it has tons of books that are waiting to be turned into audiobooks, so you can keep auditioning. And, if you’re a highly experienced narrator with at least 25 audiobook credits, then you could apply to be an Audible Approved Producer.

You can also find voiceover work on sites like Fiverr, Upwork, and Voices.com.

4. Sell Your Own Audiobooks on Audible

You could make your own audiobook if you’re the creative type. You can create a fiction or non-fiction audiobook. It’s really up to you.

You can write and record the audiobook yourself. Or you can hire someone to write it and/or record it for you.

This means that if you’re not the artistic type, you can still earn money from selling your own audiobooks. You’ll just need to hire people to create them for you.

You can hire writers, cover designers, and narrators online.

Some sites where you can hire people include:

• Upwork
• Voices.com
• ACX
• Fiverr
• Freelancer

It’s really up to you whether you decide to create the audiobook yourself or hire someone to do it for you. Obviously, creating the audiobook yourself is going to be the most cost-effective option, but it requires more effort and creativity on your part.

Making Money with Audible FAQs

In this section, I’ll cover answers to some common questions people have about how to make money on Audible.

Can you actually make money from Audible?

Yes, you can make money on Audible by joining the Audible Creator Program, joining the Audible Amazon Associates Program, becoming an audiobook narrator, and creating your own audiobook.

How much do Audible narrators get paid?

According to ZipRecruiter, the average salary for an audiobook reader is $36,550 per year. Salary can vary from $23,000 to $59,000 per year though. Pay is $18 an hour on average. It can range from $11 to $20 an hour though.

How do I start making money on Audible?

You can start making money on Audible by joining the Audible Creator Program, joining the Audible Amazon Associates Program, becoming an audiobook narrator, or creating your own audiobook.

How do I get paid to read audiobooks?

There are lots of platforms that pay you to read audiobooks, such as ACX. This is designed by Audible and Amazon and allows voice narrators, like you, to connect with authors and publishers. It’s great for finding paid voiceover opportunities. Other sites where you can find voiceover gigs include Fiverr, Upwork, and Voices.com.

Unlock Your Audible Money-Making Potential

Audible is a super popular platform where people listen to everything from mystery books to how-to guides. You can cash in on the platform by using the tips in our list above.

There are so many options for making money on Audible from creating your own audiobook to joining the Audible Amazon Associates Program. So pick one (or more) that interests you the most and start a fun side hustle.

If you have any tips on how to make money on Audible, be sure to leave them in the comments section below.