The 5 Tiers of Audiobooks: Which One Should You Publish?

From the dawn of books until today, publishing an audiobook always meant writing a check for thousands of dollars, handing your book to a producer or narrator, and hoping you’d make your money back in book sales. A lot of authors did that math, especially authors just starting out, and decided it was too scary. They opted not to have an audiobook at all.

That’s a terrible mistake.

The number one tell of an AI-written book is now the lack of an audiobook. If you don’t have one, your book looks like it was written by a robot. Even an AI-narrated audiobook makes you look more human than having no audiobook at all.

The range for the cost of producing an audiobook has expanded dramatically, and what an audiobook even is has changed. You can spend as much as $10,000 for a full cast of actors to perform your book like a movie, or as little as $100 for a shockingly human-like artificial voice.

There’s a lot of variation, and not just in production.

Five years ago, Audible was the only game in town. Recently, Chirp, Spotify, and even YouTube have been chipping away at Audible’s market share.

Audible is losing market share to competitors every month due to its low royalty structure, and, for the first time in modern history, Audible is becoming optional. It’s not optional for most authors, but it’s more optional than it’s ever been. Some authors are making a lot of money with their audiobooks without using Audible at all.

I recently spoke with audiobook expert Derek Doepker. We discussed five different options authors have for creating audiobooks. We’re going to give you a map and some guidelines and walk you through the pros and cons of all the big decisions you need to make.

Tier 1: AI Narrated Audiobook

Derek: I’m not someone who thinks AI is everything and you’ll be left behind if you don’t use it, nor am I anti-AI. I work with a company doing AI copywriting, so I use AI a lot in my business.

I have a nuanced take. I see applications, upsides, and downsides, and that’s the case with an AI-narrated audiobook. Practically speaking, you can’t just make any book with AI narration and publish it anywhere. You have to follow each platform’s terms.

If you want to be on Amazon, they have a Virtual Voices program using some of their own AI voices, but that doesn’t mean you can make your own AI audiobook and put it there.

Thomas: Amazon’s Virtual Voices program is shockingly expensive. I looked up the price today, and it’s about $150 per recorded hour, which is not much cheaper than human narration. ElevenLabs does the same thing for $15 an hour, with better voices and better performance. But as you said, Audible currently blocks ElevenLabs voices. So, if you produce your audiobook with ElevenLabs, you can’t distribute it through Audible.

Derek: On that point, I’ve had someone say, “I managed to do it with ElevenLabs and get it out there on these platforms.” I’m like, technically their terms say you’re not really supposed to do that unless you get their approval. Different platforms have their own specifications regarding voice replicas, virtual voices, and there are nuances to what’s allowed where.

One of the downsides of AI audiobooks is the listener experience. Some people simply don’t want to listen to an AI-narrated audiobook. If you publish an AI-narrated audiobook, you’re foregoing that market share. I don’t mind AI voices in small doses, and some are quite convincing. But after a few minutes, they tend to slip into the uncanny valley and start feeling weird.

Some people won’t get the book if it’s AI-narrated.

Personally, I prefer using my own voice. I can see the convenience of tools like ElevenLabs if I wanted voiceover narration for blog posts without recording every article myself. But for audiobooks, I’ve found it’s faster to record the narration the way I want it than to clone my voice and keep tweaking it until it sounds right.

Of course, some people say, “I don’t have a voice for audiobooks, and hiring a narrator is expensive.” In that case, I think the question is whether an AI audiobook is better than no audiobook. If the choice is between nothing and an AI-narrated version, AI is at least something. It can generate sales you otherwise wouldn’t make, and you can always replace it later with a human-narrated version, whether you record it yourself or hire a narrator.

It’s not the option I would choose, largely because of the distribution limitations. But for authors who are just getting started, having an AI audiobook is often better than having no audiobook at all.

Thomas: People’s tolerance for AI voices is shifting dramatically, particularly among people who watch Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, and TikTok. Probably 30 to 40% of all the audio people consume on Reels is AI-generated, and probably half the time they don’t even realize the voiceover on the video they’re watching is AI.

The performance is getting better too. ElevenLabs is starting to let you add coaching into the text so it emotes, instead of the flat read it had a year ago. Now it’s starting to perform the text more like a human narrator, and it’s getting better.

I think the sea change moment for AI voices was when Melania Trump used a clone of her voice for her audiobook using ElevenLabs. That was a big deal. If AI is good enough for the First Lady, maybe AI is good enough for me, and it’s better now than it was even then.

Tier 2: AI Full Cast

Thomas: There’s another tier above a single AI narrator that I think is often overlooked, which is using an AI full cast. With a tool like ElevenLabs, it’s not much more expensive to give each character a distinct voice and use a separate narrator than it is to have one AI voice read the entire book.

The result feels more like a radio drama, even though the narration is word-for-word from your book. Female characters can have female voices, male characters can have male voices, robots can sound like robots, and dogs can sound like dogs. The flexibility is remarkable, and most authors aren’t taking advantage of it.

If your goal is simply to imitate a traditional audiobook narrator, I’m not convinced it’s worth it. At that point, you may be better off hiring a human narrator through ACX, and many talented narrators are available at that price point.

But if you’re going to use AI, lean into what AI does well. Use a tool like ElevenLabs and put in the extra effort to create a full cast. The listening experience is significantly better, and the additional cost is relatively small.

Derek: I agree that AI voices have gotten better, and with the right program at a high enough quality, ElevenLabs will be relatively indistinguishable from a human. Technology being what it is, it’ll reach a point where it’s hard to tell in most cases.

Even with video, it wasn’t long ago that AI-generated video was obviously fake. Now AI-generated video and images have become indistinguishable in many cases, unless you know what subtleties to look for. I think that’s the trend we’re heading toward. That’s scary for some people, and I think there are real implications, but that’s how technology works. We can accept it and ask what we do with it.

Regarding a full cast, I don’t want people to think every novel needs to be a full cast production. Many novels have a single narrator.

One reason full cast was less common for novels is that it meant hiring different voice actors and stitching their parts together. You need consistency in the audio, and if one person records in one studio and another in a different studio, mixing it creates problems.

All those issues are solved with an AI full-cast audiobook. For fiction authors who want a full cast, this could make sense. Even if they could afford to hire real voice actors, because that gets pricey fast. Then you have to ask whether it’s worth the additional price compared to AI.

Again, if you produce it with ElevenLabs, you’re limited in where you can sell it. You could treat it as a special offer and sell it direct to consumer through a sales page on your own website. But if you’re okay with those distribution limits, ElevenLabs offers a really cool option for people who want full cast production with a different voice for each character. It’s a lot more convenient than hiring an actual full cast of human narrators.

Tier 3: Professional Human Narrator

Thomas: The go-to default option I’m calling tier three is a professional human narrator, which has gotten a lot cheaper over the years.

My grandfather did recording for the blind for years. As a retired doctor, he could read medical works and pronounce all the words correctly. For him to record an audiobook in the ’90s meant going to a studio where someone had a tape recorder. Every time he misread a word, they’d rewind, find where to start, and press record again. It was time-consuming. Plus, the finished books existed on cassette tapes, so it was often cheaper to pay a human to abridge the book than to read the full-length version.

Now it’s completely changed. It’s cheaper to record a full-length book, and basically every audiobook narrator records from home now. The equipment for a professional home recording is good enough that there’s no reason to go to a studio. Since narrators can work from home and from anywhere at any time, the number of narrators has increased, and the cost has decreased.

AI is crazy cheap at $15 an hour on the low end, but human narrators are as little as $150 per finished hour. Most audiobooks run 10 to 30 hours, so you’re looking at $1,500 to $3,000 at the $150 rate.

Celebrity narrators cost more. Certain narrators are famous for certain genres. It’s like going with a celebrity book cover designer who’s done all the top covers in your genre. A narrator may do all the books in your genre, and that might be worth paying for. You might wonder why you’d spend extra for a celebrity narrator, but readers care, and they’ll search on Audible by narrator. If your narrator is known to your readers, that may be worth an extra $50 to $150 per finished hour because it will generate additional sales.

Derek: Because recording equipment is more affordable and the technology is easier to use, authors have more narrator options than ever before. There’s the celebrity narrator route, and there’s also the do-it-yourself approach I’ve taken, though that may be less appealing to some fiction authors.

That said, I’ve worked with plenty of fiction authors who wanted to narrate their own audiobooks. Today, recording from home is entirely possible thanks to the quality of modern microphones, equipment, and software. One unexpected benefit is that I ended up narrating books for other authors as well. I still do some audiobook and voiceover work because I enjoy it, though it’s not for everyone.

Some authors have even turned narration into a side business, recording audiobooks from home. It still requires learning how to record and edit properly, but those skills are much easier to acquire than they used to be.

If you’re looking for a narrator, start by listening to audiobook samples in your genre on Audible or Amazon. When you find a narrator you like, search for them online or look them up on ACX, which has a narrator search feature. Many narrators will also record a custom audition, allowing you to hear how they sound with your material before you hire them. Some authors even share several samples with their audience and let readers vote on their favorite.

Finding narrators has become more affordable and easier, thanks to platforms like ACX and Upwork.

Thomas: I have an episode about ACX that walks through how to find and work with a narrator that listeners will find helpful.

When my grandfather was recording audiobooks, a professional studio could cost anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000. Today, you can buy all the equipment you need to record audiobooks at home for less than the cost of hiring a professional narrator for a single book. I even have a podcast gear guide on Author Media that works just as well for audiobook recording.

Once you own the equipment, you can use it for future audiobooks, podcast interviews, and other projects. The hardware that once required expensive mixers and compressors has largely been replaced by software or isn’t needed at all. That shift has dramatically changed the economics of audiobook production.

In fact, one reason not having an audiobook can be a red flag today is that many AI-generated books don’t have them. If someone is publishing AI-written books at scale to test the algorithm, creating an audiobook is usually more work and expense than they’re willing to invest. So, when a book lacks an audiobook, it can seem a little suspicious.

That’s why my third recommendation is the “when in doubt” option to narrate the audiobook yourself or hire a professional narrator.

For nonfiction, there’s a strong case for reading it yourself. For fiction, however, you need the performance skills to bring the characters and voices to life.

Tier 4: Human Narrator with AI Supporting Cast and Sound Effects

Thomas: Tier four is a human narrator supported by an AI cast and sound effects. It helps solve the performance challenge for authors who want to narrate their own fiction.

This approach moves into audiobook production. Instead of a single narration track, you have multiple tracks in your DAW (digital audio workstation), including your voice, AI character voices, sound effects, and possibly music. If a gun goes off in the story, there’s a gunshot sound effect in the audiobook.

What surprises many authors is how affordable these tools have become. A few months ago on Author Update, we featured an audiobook produced this way, and it was excellent. The author narrated the protagonist in a first-person novel. Whenever another character spoke, he used an AI voice for that character. He also added sound effects and music, creating an experience that felt more like a movie than a traditional audiobook.

The production still required some technical skills, like knowing how to use a DAW and mix multiple audio tracks, but it’s within reach for many authors. Alternatively, you can hire someone to handle the production while you provide the narration.

Like AI full-cast audiobooks, this approach remains largely unexplored. I think there’s tremendous potential in combining a human narrator with an AI supporting cast. In some cases, high-production full-cast projects may even qualify for exceptions to Audible’s AI restrictions, since Audible has long embraced full-cast productions.

It also opens creative possibilities. If a story includes an AI or robot character, you don’t have to make a human voice sound artificial; you can simply let an AI voice sound like AI.

I encourage authors to experiment with this format. With a little technical know-how, you may be surprised by how immersive and affordable a full audio production can be.

Derek: This is a fascinating and largely unexplored area. At the same time, I have a bias that comes from working with a lot of authors who are tempted to jump straight to the most complex option when they really need to walk before they run.

An author sees something like this and thinks, “That’s what I need to do.” Then they start hunting for sound effects, learning audio software, and trying to mix everything together. Before long, the project feels overwhelming, and they end up doing nothing at all.

My advice is simply to do what you can do.

If you have the skills, the budget, the time, or someone who can help with production, a full-cast audio experience can be fantastic. As someone with an audio production background who enjoys this kind of work, I can definitely see the appeal. But I also know many authors are already intimidated by the process of creating an audiobook.

We’re discussing these options because they are options, not because you need to choose the most advanced one. Most audiobook listeners are still perfectly happy with a single human narrator making subtle voice changes for different characters. That’s a proven, reliable approach.

In fact, this is a lesson I’m constantly reminding myself of. I was setting up a sales funnel the other day, and my mind immediately jumped to all the different ads and hooks I could create. Instead, I had to tell myself, “Just get one ad running.” I can add more later. I can split-test later.

The key isn’t choosing the perfect strategy from the start. It’s getting started. Keep it simple, get something finished, and then improve it over time. As your skills, budget, and confidence grow, you can always bring in experts and take things to the next level.

Thomas: Each of these tiers costs more than the one before it, whether in time, money, or both. Uploading a book to ElevenLabs, choosing a voice, and generating an audiobook is inexpensive and fast. Every step beyond that requires additional investment.

It’s also important to remember that you’re setting expectations for future books. If your first audiobook features a full AI cast, sound effects, and cinematic production, readers may expect the same level of quality from every book that follows. If the next audiobook is a simple AI narration because the higher-production approach proved too time-consuming, some listeners may be disappointed.

My co-host on Author Update, Jonathan Shuerger, has been experimenting with this. He narrates his own audiobooks and excels at certain character types like angry demons and Marine sergeants. Those performances sound completely natural. But his British accents and female characters are not as strong.

One of his books is a LitRPG that feels a lot like Doom. He has a Christian Marine fighting demons in hell. He can easily handle the Marine and demon voices, but the story also includes a female fairy AI assistant. That’s where an AI voice becomes useful. It fills a gap in his performance while creating a more dynamic listening experience.

Just be aware of the slippery slope. Once you start adding sound effects, you’ll always find opportunities to add more. There’s no natural stopping point, and every addition increases production time.

Don’t let the pursuit of a perfect production keep you from finishing the audiobook.

Tier 5: Full Human Cast

Thomas: Speaking of complexity, let’s move to tier five, which is a full human cast.

There are two versions of the full human cast. The first is a full-cast audiobook, where different actors voice different characters while the book itself remains largely unchanged. The second is a full-cast radio drama, where the book is adapted into a script and performed more like a play. At that point, it’s no longer really an audiobook. It’s a different medium, in that it’s similar to turning your book into a movie, but at a much lower cost.

If people have ever told you, “Your book should be a movie,” these higher tiers may be worth exploring. Each one becomes a little more cinematic than the last. But like filmmaking, the more ambitious the production, the more expensive it becomes.

Full-cast productions used to require bringing all the actors into the same studio, much like a Hollywood table read. Today, it’s more common for actors to record their parts independently and send the files to a producer, who assembles everything into a finished production. That has reduced costs, but the process is still complex and relatively expensive.

If you’re also adding sound effects and music, the investment grows even further. It’s certainly not the cheapest option, but for the right book, it can be worth it.

Derek: I’d recommend working with people who have experience producing multi-narrator projects. They understand how to maintain consistent audio quality across multiple performers, whether everyone is recording in a professional studio or from separate home setups.

With good microphones and proper mastering, recordings from different locations can usually be blended seamlessly. The challenge comes when that expertise is missing. For example, if one narrator records on a high-end microphone and another uses a different setup, the differences can be distracting.

Without a producer or team that knows how to match and master the audio, listeners may notice inconsistencies from one voice to the next.

I’m curious how they approach maintaining that consistency across multiple narrators and recording environments.

Thomas: Step one is not to use Audacity. Regardless of which tier you choose, I do not recommend using Audacity. I’m not a fan of it for serious audiobook production. EQ, mixing, and audio cleanup are much better handled in more advanced DAWs.

The main professional options include Pro Tools, Adobe Audition, and others like Hindenburg or Descript, which cover some but not all needs. Once you start working heavily with sound effects and music, you’ll usually outgrow tools like Hindenburg.

I don’t have a single “best” recommendation for a professional DAW because in practice, you use what your producer already knows. If you hire a professional, they’ll typically have a preferred DAW and workflow, and you want them working in their comfort zone.

The learning curve is real. Moving into a full DAW is like going from Canva to Photoshop. Canva is simple and effective, but limited. Photoshop can do everything, but it takes time to learn. Once you’ve used Photoshop, you outgrow Canva because you start running into its limits.

There’s also a simpler version of full-cast production of the dual narrator approach. This is often a husband-and-wife team recording in the same studio, which helps avoid issues with mismatched audio quality. Typically, the male narrator handles male POV sections and the female narrator handles female POV sections.

A well-known example is Michael Kramer and Kate Reading, who narrate many of Brandon Sanderson’s books using this split-POV style. It’s a simpler and more scalable approach than a full cast, though not as expansive. A true full-cast version of a Sanderson novel could require 40 or 50 actors, which quickly becomes prohibitively complicated.

The key question with full-cast productions is how many characters need distinct voices? In many cases, it may make sense to fully voice only your core cast of five or six characters and let others remain secondary.

Beyond that, you’ll likely need a skilled producer with a full DAW to blend everything and make the audio sound like it was recorded in the same space.

Derek: I can’t really see an author producing something like this on their own unless they already have a background in audio engineering. In most cases, you’d hire a producer, and I’d strongly recommend getting sample work upfront to confirm they can properly mix multi-source audio.

Anyone who’s followed me knows I’ve recommended Audacity for authors recording their own audiobooks. For basic, single-narrator audiobooks, Audacity is still a perfectly workable option. I don’t think there’s necessarily a disagreement there. It’s more about the level of production you’re aiming for.

How do you see Audacity fitting into that lower-tier, DIY audiobook workflow?

Thomas: The DAW I recommend for authors recording their own audiobooks is Hindenburg Narrator, because it’s built specifically for audiobook production. You can import your manuscript directly into the tool and record while reading from it, which makes editing much easier later. It also includes built-in audio settings for Audible and other platforms.

In fact, you can simply click “Export for Audible,” and it handles many of the platform’s technical requirements automatically.

If you choose Audacity, I’d strongly recommend pairing it with a course like Derek’s because while it can absolutely get the job done, it isn’t very intuitive out of the box. I wouldn’t send someone with no recording experience into Audacity without guidance.

Derek: I’m biased since it’s my course, but that’s part of why I made it. When I was in school studying music, we used GarageBand and Logic. In a recording studio, they’d use Pro Tools almost exclusively, and Cubase for composition. I’m a big fan of these more advanced digital audio workstations once you get into full-fledged audio engineering.

What I’ve found after experimenting with Hindenburg is that, for the workflow I teach, most DAWs can get the job done about equally well. I don’t personally need step-by-step on-screen guidance, but you do need some training on whichever tool you choose. There are ways to make the process fast and efficient, but without the right settings—or built-in features like Hindenburg offers—you can run into avoidable problems.

I like Audacity because, in my testing, my workflow was just as fast, and it’s free and available on both Mac and PC, which makes it a very accessible option.

That said, GarageBand works fine if you prefer it, and tools like Adobe Audition or Cubase also work well if you already know them. The key isn’t the DAW itself—it’s knowing how to use it and configure it correctly.

For more advanced production work, the choice becomes more important. Either avoid doing it yourself if you don’t have the experience, or use a higher-end DAW that’s built for complex editing and mixing.

Thomas: Most DAWs are designed primarily for musicians, with Hindenburg being the main exception. From a technical standpoint, music production is far more complex than audiobook narration. Mixing a guitarist, drummer, and multiple singers is significantly more demanding than recording a single voice into a microphone.

That said, all of these tools can handle audiobooks. If you already use something like GarageBand, it’s usually best to stick with the tool you know—that alone can make the process much easier.

And that’s the five tiers of audiobooks. I’m not counting radio drama as part of that framework, since it’s really a different medium altogether. You could consider it a sixth tier if you wanted.

Should you still be exclusive to Audible?

Thomas: Next, let’s talk about distribution.

In the past, most audiobooks were effectively exclusive to Audible because there weren’t many viable alternatives. That’s no longer the case. Audible has been steadily losing market share, especially to Spotify. Spotify entered the audiobook space from a strong position in music streaming and began offering users a set number of free listening hours each month. Authors are still paid for those listens, since revenue is generated through Spotify subscriptions and their broader monetization model.

As a result, authors now have to think more carefully about exclusivity. Staying exclusive to Audible limits you to one ecosystem, while going “wide” opens access to platforms like Spotify, Chirp, and Google Play Audiobooks, which are becoming increasingly important distribution channels.

Going wide can also make some of the AI audiobook options we discussed more viable.

So the question is whether Audible is still the default recommendation? It remains the dominant platform, even as its market share has dropped from around 80% to roughly 55–60%. It still accounts for the majority of audiobook listening hours. It’s less dominant than it once was, but it’s still the primary player in the market.

Derek: Personally, I default to being as widely distributed as possible. For audiobooks, that means Amazon, Audible, and iTunes, plus platforms like Spotify, Chirp, and library services. I’m willing to accept a lower royalty rate in exchange for non-exclusive rights, because it lets me sell everywhere, including directly to consumers, which can also work well for ebooks and print through a sales page or checkout system on your own site.

That approach isn’t necessarily right for someone just starting out. Early on, it’s usually better not to overcomplicate things. A simpler strategy of focusing on Amazon and Audible and taking the higher exclusive royalty can be a smart way to begin, and I wouldn’t discourage it.

My preference, however, is to stay non-exclusive and keep as many doors open as possible. I distribute through ACX, Voices by InAudio (formerly Findaway Voices), and Author’s Republic to get into as many stores as possible. I also want access to discount platforms like Chirp and promotional opportunities like BookBub.

The main reason is flexibility. New platforms and promotional channels keep emerging, and services like Spotify are still growing in audiobook consumption. By staying wide, I can adapt as the market changes. Years ago, I decided I’d rather be everywhere than locked into one ecosystem.

Thomas: Before committing to seven years of exclusivity with Audible, you have to ask a key question—not just about their current market share, but where it will be in seven years. If their decline continues, you could end up locked into a platform that fewer readers are using, especially since listeners tend to stick with whatever app they already prefer.

If someone is already deep in Spotify, for example, it’s a high barrier to get them to switch. I’m a heavy Audible user myself with over 1,000 books in my library, and I’m effectively locked in. That makes it hard for me to use other platforms like BookFunnel or Spotify when a book isn’t available in Audible.

So platform choice depends heavily on your audience. If you’re reaching new audiobook listeners, Spotify may be the easier entry point since it removes friction—they can just start listening without buying a book or managing another subscription. And in that case, Spotify is still paying you for the listening time.

Can you make money with your audiobook on YouTube?

Thomas: Another growing opportunity is YouTube. Some authors are earning thousands of dollars a month by posting “free” audiobooks there. YouTube monetizes based on watch time, so long-form content like audiobooks can perform surprisingly well. You don’t need viral numbers, just sustained listening.

Interestingly, sleep listening can become a strong revenue source, since you’re still getting paid while someone plays your audiobook for hours overnight. It’s a bit of an open secret in the space.

This also opens up strategic options. Depending on your contracts, you could offer different versions in different places. For example, you could offer a full-cast AI version on YouTube and a human-narrated version on Audible. If you’re wide, you generally have more flexibility.

That means readers can choose: a free AI full-cast version on YouTube, or a premium celebrity-narrated version on Audible. It becomes multiple revenue streams from the same intellectual property.

Of course, none of this is guaranteed. YouTube won’t make you popular if you aren’t already gaining traction, and monetization requires a threshold of views, watch hours, and subscribers. Early on, you may earn nothing. But it also costs nothing to be there, so there’s little downside to experimenting and building an audience over time.

Derek: I was aware of people doing this, but I hadn’t heard those kinds of results before. As you said, it tends to work best for creators who already have a following and are eligible for monetization. Even before that stage, though, there’s value in exposure and sharing content with your audience.

Many of us already give away free ebooks or short stories to introduce readers to our work, and YouTube can serve the same purpose for audiobooks. You can also share short clips—assuming you have the rights—like the first chapter or a few sample chapters to draw listeners in and encourage them to buy the full version.

It’s not a strategy I’ve personally used much in the audiobook space, but it’s a good reminder that I could be repurposing some of my audiobooks and excerpts for wider distribution.

Thomas: It also helps protect you from piracy on YouTube. You can play whack-a-mole trying to take down unauthorized uploads, or you can simply post the official version yourself and capture the revenue instead.

Being first matters. If a listener sees a low-view pirated upload next to your official channel with thousands of views, they’ll almost always choose the official one. That also makes it harder for the pirated version to gain traction.

In fact, some authors already have “their” audiobook on YouTube without ever uploading it. If there’s enough demand and no official version, someone else will often upload it first. At that point, you’re left dealing with a problem that might not have existed if you’d released your own audiobook in the first place.

How do you turn an audio file into something you can post on YouTube?

Derek: If Someone has the audio and needs to turn it into a video for YouTube (since you can’t just upload an audio file), what would you recommend for turning audio into a video clip that can go on YouTube?

Thomas: You could use the still book cover image or load that image into AI to slightly animate it on a loop. The ultimate version is paying for B-roll style footage of a video game thematically appropriate to your book.

If your book takes place in medieval times, you get I footage. If it’s the Wild West, you get Red Dead Redemption footage. The footage doesn’t need to be interesting. You can hire someone on Fiverr or a young person you know to record it. You’ll often need a slightly modified version that reduces violence, since random events or cut scenes would distract readers from the book they’re listening to.

There are videos of Red Dead Redemption with millions of views on YouTube right now that feature someone walking around the world in 4K. People play it as a screensaver. I went to a Western night with friends, and before it started, the host was playing Red Dead Redemption screensaver videos on the projector just to set the mood while everyone hung out before watching the actual Western.

It’s a fun combination, and you might wonder whether it creates copyright issues with video games. Technically it can, but in practice it’s rarely enforced. Most game publishers encourage gameplay footage on YouTube and even rely on it for marketing. The main exception is Nintendo, which is more restrictive than most.

For most other games, if you search on YouTube you’ll see countless creators posting footage. That’s usually a good sign that it’s safe and widely accepted. In fact, the gaming industry generally benefits from exposure. Even critical or humorous content helps people discover the game and reduces obscurity.

I’ve even suggested using gameplay footage on my patron channels, like Starfield for a sci-fi book or Skyrim for fantasy, often with mods that remove combat or random events so it’s just atmospheric exploration in the background.

It’s an interesting, low-cost way to create engaging promotional content that puts readers in the right mood for your audiobook.

I would avoid using in-game music. While gameplay footage is typically fine, music rights are often handled separately and are much more aggressively enforced. The music industry has a very different relationship with YouTube than the gaming industry does.

Derek: I’ve seen this used a lot in practice. Some videos are just voiceover content or instructional material with Minecraft running in the background. Others are “screensaver” videos, like a Star Wars game flying over Hoth in a snowspeeder for hours. People leave it on while they work or relax.

I also remember someone making good money early on by uploading an HD video of a fireplace, because there was demand for a “fake fireplace” people could play on their TVs. It’s a different context, but long-form content is often consumed passively. People may watch for a little bit, then just listen while doing other things like cleaning or working.

In that setup, you can pair audiobook audio with simple video, whether it’s game footage or a static image turned into a video stream.

This is very common in gaming. In fact, some games explicitly encourage it, essentially saying, “we want you to record and share content from this.” Some publishers even grant permission because they see it as promotion rather than infringement.

Thomas: This is, in some ways, a generational shift. The “Minecraft philosophy video” is a distinctly Gen Z format—someone talking about theology or philosophy for 40 minutes while playing Minecraft, and somehow it gets hundreds of thousands of views. A well-known example is Redeemed Zoomer, who built an audience talking about theology while constructing cathedrals in Minecraft and discussing God. He’s since moved beyond Minecraft, but that format helped launch his channel.

For many older audiences, that style can feel unusual. But the point isn’t whether it feels normal—it’s about understanding the map of where different audiences are.

Spotify, YouTube, and Audible are overlapping but distinct ecosystems. Some people are on all three, but each platform opens access to a different segment of listeners. Audible tends to skew older and higher-income, while Spotify and YouTube skew younger and more price-sensitive. A $15 Audible credit can be a barrier, but free or low-cost listening on Spotify or YouTube fits more easily into their habits.

If they already have YouTube Premium or Spotify, they’re still generating revenue for you through subscription payouts, and they get an ad-free experience using a service they already pay for.

Could a traditional publisher get you a better audiobook deal?

Thomas: Even highly independent authors sometimes choose traditional audiobook deals because Audible’s standard indie terms are relatively weak. In many cases, traditional audiobook publishers can secure better per-unit payouts for authors while still earning a margin themselves.

This is unusual in publishing, but audiobook rights are one area where traditional partners can still make sense, especially if they specialize only in audio and don’t take control of your underlying intellectual property. In those cases, you can sometimes get better Audible terms without being locked into exclusivity, while still distributing widely across Spotify, Chirp, and other platforms.

I can’t name specific companies, but authors who explore this space and already have some sales history are often surprised at how strong these audiobook-only deals can be.

Derek: Audible’s deal isn’t great for authors, whether exclusive or non-exclusive. That’s one reason I chose to go wide and sell through multiple platforms.

The key insight is that you have more options than many people realize, and you don’t need to be traditionally published across the board. You could be independently published for your ebook while working with a traditional publisher for your audiobook.

Thomas: I had a patron recently tell me she was approached by a publisher in Russia offering to publish her book there for a small advance and asking if it might be a scam. My advice was to take the deal—carefully. If the book is likely to be pirated in Russian anyway, there’s little practical recourse. You’re not going to pursue legal action in Russian courts, so if the rights are clearly limited to Russian distribution, it may be worth accepting whatever legitimate payment is offered.

The same broader principle applies to audiobook production: this is an unusually open and rapidly changing space. That complexity creates opportunity, especially for authors willing to do some research. There are now many ways to turn a book into a cinematic audio experience, and those tools are only improving.

AI in particular is moving quickly toward full “audio movie” production. It’s not hard to imagine a near future where you upload a manuscript, spend a modest budget, and generate a full-length AI film. Some of those will be low quality, but some will likely be surprisingly good. And we are already much closer to that reality in audio.

As someone who grew up listening to Adventures in Odyssey and other audio dramas, I find this exciting. More authors will be able to bring their stories to life in audio, across more platforms, with fewer barriers. I’m also glad to see Audible losing some of its dominance, because whenever one company controls an entire market, creativity and opportunity tend to suffer.

I’ve heard people say Audible’s new deal is better. I think it’s simply different. The fact that authors are being pushed to sign by a deadline suggests it’s not universally beneficial. It helps some authors and hurts others, which is why there’s so much debate around it.

We’ve been covering these changes and the broader market shifts on my podcast Author Update, in an ongoing segment we call the “Audiobook Wars,” where we track how platforms like Audible and Spotify trade features and market share.

It’s a great time to be an audiobook reader and a creator.

Do you have any final tips or words of encouragement?

Derek: We’re in a good moment right now where more opportunities are opening up, and audiobook production is easier and more affordable than ever. In many cases, there’s little excuse not to have an audiobook in some form.

When something still requires effort, I try to see that as an opportunity. If some authors are pushing out AI-generated books but skipping audiobooks entirely, that creates an opening. If you’re willing to do what the path-of-least-resistance author won’t, you can stand out.

If you’re listening to this, you’re already ahead of most—you’re investing in learning and taking action. That alone gives you an edge in a market where many authors won’t take even relatively simple steps like producing an audiobook or repurposing content for platforms like YouTube.

It doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. You don’t need a $10,000 production to compete. Simply having an audiobook can set you apart, and you can always move up to more advanced tiers later.

I tend to think of it this way: if most people won’t do it and I will, that’s often where the real competitive advantage is.

Thomas: An AI audiobook today doesn’t lock you into that format forever. You can start with AI, move to a human narration later, and eventually even upgrade to a full-cast, sound-effect-driven production when time and budget allow. The key is to produce the best audiobook you can with the resources you have now, then improve it over time.

It’s common for books to be re-released in upgraded audio versions. For example, The Dresden Files has been reissued as a full audio drama, and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card also has a highly produced dramatized version based on the screenplay Card originally wrote. It includes multiple voices and sound design and feels much more like a film than a traditional audiobook. It’s available on Audible for a single credit and may also be accessible through Spotify depending on the subscription.

These kinds of productions show what’s possible at the top end of audiobook storytelling. They really do feel like listening to a movie, and more books will reach that level as production costs continue to fall. DAWs are getting easier to use, microphones are getting cheaper and better, and the creator ecosystem is becoming more skilled. We’re moving into a kind of golden age for audiobooks.

If you want to narrate your own book, Derek Doep is the go-to resource. You’ve been hearing him throughout this episode. His course, Audiobooks Made Easy, walks you through everything from performance, recording, editing, and uploading.

I did a webinar with Derek last year, and many listeners who went through his course gave strong feedback. Once they learned the process, they felt confident because they now had a skill they could use long-term. You already have the gear; it’s valuable just to know how to use it, even if you still choose to hire professionals.

That said, once you narrate your own nonfiction, readers often expect you to continue. If you’re half good, they tend to prefer hearing the book in your voice. With Derek’s training, you can get well past “half good.”

Connect with Derek Doepker

• Website: DerekDoepker.com
• Course: Audiobooks Made Easy (affiliate link)
• Reader resources: BestsellerSecrets.com

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Kathy Brasby, author of Beyond the Last Breath. In the toxic ruins of Ridgehaven, where chemical warfare has poisoned the air, survival seems like victory enough for sixteen-year-old Raven Ashcroft, who meets a man who promises a protected paradise. The ultimate question remains: what are you willing to sacrifice to protect your soul?

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