The audiobook boom continues to be a bright spot in publishing, as recent reporting by Dan Holloway highlights a resurgence in listener numbers, the rise of new awards, and ongoing shifts in production tools.
Holloway, who tracks self-publishing trends for the Alliance of Independent Authors, points to data showing renewed double-digit audiobook growth and the emergence of the Speakies—an award aiming to recognize the full range of audio storytelling.
Meanwhile, platforms like Spotify continue to expand their reach in the audiobook space, positioning themselves as a major player alongside Audible.
At the same time, more authors are experimenting with Amazon’s Virtual Voice, a free AI narration tool that lowers the barrier to entry for audiobook production. The landscape is shifting quickly, creating new opportunities and challenges—especially around quality, pricing, and the ethics of automation.
Spotify's Influence on the Audiobook Market
Spotify is making its presence felt in the audiobook market, reporting a 30 percent year-over-year increase in listeners across the U.S., U.K., and Australia. Listening time is up even more—36 percent—indicating that not only are more people listening, but they’re listening longer. This data comes from Spotify’s own release, highlighted in Dan Holloway’s recent Self-Publishing News Podcast for ALLi.
Spotify credits some of this growth to partnerships with major publishers like Bloomsbury and HarperCollins, who in turn report significant gains. But the platform hasn’t forgotten independent authors. Holloway notes that Spotify continues “to provide the best experience for authors, publishers, and listeners,” adding that “authors are still there as sort of number one on their list.”
For indie authors, that could mean growing visibility and new income streams—but there are caveats. Spotify is still building its author-facing infrastructure, and discoverability remains a challenge without dedicated marketing tools. Still, the message is clear: Spotify is betting big on audiobooks, and independent authors are part of the plan.
The Speakies Audiobook Awards
A new player has entered the audiobook awards landscape: the Speakies. Announced earlier this year, the Speakies aim to “celebrate all who bring stories to life through sound,” and, unlike many legacy awards, they are explicitly open to indie authors. As Holloway explains in his Self-Publishing News post, this marks a notable shift in the way audio storytelling is being recognized and rewarded.
Until now, the primary English-language awards for audiobooks have been the Audies, run by the Audio Publishers Association. While some indie authors have succeeded there, the Audies remain dominated by major publishers. The Speakies, by contrast, are inclusive by design, allowing authors from organizations with ten or fewer employees to enter without the substantial fees applied to larger publishers. Holloway describes this as a “non-exclusionary” approach that could offer independent authors more equitable access to recognition.
Still, there are some caveats. If shortlisted, authors must purchase tickets to attend the awards ceremony, and winners published by larger companies are required to contribute financially—nearly $2,000 in some cases—to help cover event costs. Even so, the launch of a new, indie-accessible award points to a broader cultural validation of audiobooks as a storytelling medium. The Speakies are not just a new venue for celebration; they’re a sign of how seriously audio is being taken in the literary world.
KDP’s Virtual Voice
“I can’t afford a narrator, and I’d like the option of having my books on audio.” — Randy Noble
For some indie authors, AI narration tools like Amazon’s KDP Virtual Voice offer a way into audiobooks that would otherwise be financially out of reach. One ALLi member, Randy Noble, has begun experimenting with the tool and shared his mixed feelings about it.
“I started into the whole KDP AI Virtual Voice thing on one of my books,” Noble wrote on the ALLi forum. “And I’m torn. I even asked my subscriber list, and a majority had no problem with it, but I’m still not sure.”
While the technology isn’t perfect—“It’s definitely not as good as a real person”—he sees it as a viable option given the high cost of hiring a professional narrator. “I can’t afford a narrator, and I’d like the option of having my books on audio.”
Noble has tried royalty share agreements through ACX before, but with limited success. “I didn’t want to try another royalty share with anyone, as my sales are generally not very good,” he said. KDP’s AI tool lets him maintain control over pricing and distribution. “I like the option of it, because I can set my own price—which you cannot do through ACX. The pricing option is between $3.99 and $14.99.”
Still, using AI narration requires hands-on effort. “The AI narration doesn’t always pronounce a word the way you want,” he noted. “You can phonetically edit a word so it does, and you have the option of slowing or speeding up the narration on a word or phrase—but I find that when you do this, it can sound electronic and warbled.”
He also discovered that adding punctuation like a comma or ellipsis could create more natural pauses.
Even with those quirks, Noble appreciates having a more affordable way to offer his books in audio form—without charging the same price as a human-narrated edition. “I would never charge the same price as a real person narrating,” he added.
Pricing and Perception
As audiobook production becomes more accessible, questions about pricing and listener expectations are coming to the forefront. Spotify’s recent entry into the market—allowing authors to set their own audiobook pricing between $3.99 and $14.99—introduces new flexibility, especially compared to ACX, where pricing is automatically determined based on length.
For authors like Randy Noble, that flexibility matters. “I appreciate I can set a lower price because it is AI,” he said. “I would never charge the same price as a real person narrating.” This reflects a broader tension indie authors face: how to balance fair pricing with reader expectations for quality.
There’s also a growing awareness among consumers that not all audiobooks are created equally. AI-generated voices may be improving, but they still carry tonal limitations. Some authors are experimenting with clear labeling—“Narrated by AI” versus “Narrated by Author” or “Professional Narrator”—to manage listener expectations and preserve trust.
At the same time, lower prices can open up audiobooks to a wider readership. For indie authors, this means thinking strategically: is the goal to break even, expand reach, or build a brand through audio? As more platforms enter the market and pricing options expand, authors must weigh quality, cost, and discoverability when deciding how to present their audiobooks to the world.
Thoughts or further questions on this post or any self-publishing issue?
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