Spotify has launched a new program aimed directly at indie authors. For a few months, I’ve been reporting on Spotify’s increasing appetite for courting indie authors. The Spotify for Authors platform has been adding tools. And recently, the streaming giant announced a deal with ElevenLabs to allow the firm’s AI-generated narration to be used for audiobooks, which indie authors could then upload through Spotify for Authors.
ALLi News Editor, Dan Holloway
Spotify’s New Focus on Short Audiobooks
At the end of last week, Spotify announced a new initiative that will put short audiobooks by indie authors in the spotlight. It’s a canny play to cash in on the shorter format listening that has become popular through sixty- to ninety-minute podcasts, ideal for the daily commute.
The initiative is open to all indie authors but will not include everyone. That is to say, there is a gatekeeping element involved. Spotify will select the titles it thinks are most suited to the initiative and then manage the audiobook production. This will include wider distribution than just on Spotify.
What Spotify Is Looking For
So what are they looking for? Indie authors are asked to submit 10,000- to 20,000-word novelettes for consideration. And these should fall into one of three categories. I am sure you can have a good guess which. They are romance, mystery/thriller, and sci-fi/fantasy.
Some interesting additional notes on the scheme (do go and read the FAQs in full for all the details). The press announcement states, “Spotify is also encouraging independent authors who prefer self-publication to upload existing short-form audiobooks via Findaway Voices.”
From what I understand in the FAQs, this doesn’t seem to mean that existing self-published audiobooks can be submitted to this scheme. It is a reminder that you can already distribute self-published titles of any length to Spotify through Findaway Voices.
The FAQs make clear that if your book is selected, you will not lose the right to distribute the ebook and paperback where and how you want.
Thoughts or further questions on this post or any self-publishing issue?
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