How to Get Your Audiobook on Storytel

Storytel is a subscription streaming service, so getting your audiobook onto it works differently from selling a single copy on a store. The short version: you make the finished audio file, then you submit it to Storytel through an audiobook distributor that already supplies the platform. AudioProducer handles the making part. It turns your manuscript into a narrated MP3 you download. Where that file goes next is up to you and the distributor you choose.

This post walks through what Storytel is, how it pays authors, and the realistic path an independent author takes to get a title listed.

What Storytel is and how it pays

Storytel is a subscription audiobook and ebook service with a large listener base across Europe, Asia, and Latin America. Subscribers pay a monthly fee and listen to as much as they want from the catalog. That model matters for you as an author, because you are not selling copies at a fixed price. You earn a share of subscription revenue based on how much of your book gets listened to.

Because payouts come from a shared subscription pool rather than a per-copy sale, the amount per listen changes month to month and by territory. We are not going to quote a rate here, because any number would be out of date quickly and depends on your distributor agreement. When you sign up with a distributor, check its current Storytel terms so you know how consumption is measured and paid.

Export your audiobook file from AudioProducer

Before any platform enters the picture, you need a finished file. In AudioProducer you paste or upload your text, pick a voice, generate the narration, and download the audio as an MP3. That MP3 is yours. You can send it to a distributor, keep it for private sharing, or list it wherever you already sell.

A few things to get right at this stage. Chapter by chapter narration keeps the file organized and makes later metadata easier. If you use a cloned voice, use your own voice or one you have clear permission to use. You can try the workflow before committing: the free tier gives you 1,200 words with no card, and paid plans start from $39.99 per month if you need a full-length book. For the wider picture of narration, editing, and file prep, the full guide to making an audiobook with AI covers the process end to end.

Getting your audiobook onto Storytel (usually through an aggregator)

Here is the part authors most often get wrong. Storytel does not run an open self-serve upload portal for individual indie authors the way some retail stores do. For most independent titles, the route in is an audiobook distributor, sometimes called an aggregator, that has a supply agreement with Storytel and passes your file and metadata along.

Common distributors that reach Storytel include Findaway Voices and PublishDrive, among others. You upload your MP3 and details to the distributor once, choose Storytel from its list of retail and subscription channels, and the distributor delivers it. Access and channel lists change, so verify that your chosen distributor currently supplies Storytel before you count on it. If you are weighing distributors, our notes on publishing through Findaway Voices and getting an audiobook onto Kobo show how the same file feeds multiple stores at once.

Files and metadata you will need

Distributors that feed Storytel tend to ask for the same core pieces:

• Your audio, usually as one file per chapter, at the bit rate the distributor specifies.
• A square cover image that meets the distributor's size rules.
• Title, author name, and a written description.
• Language, category, and keywords so the book can be found.
• Rights and territory information, since subscription rights are handled separately from retail in some agreements.

AudioProducer gives you the audio. The cover, description, and category choices are yours to prepare, and they are worth doing carefully because they drive whether a browsing listener stops on your title. If you plan to sell in more than one place, keeping your metadata consistent across channels saves confusion later.

What subscription payouts look like

On a store, a sale is simple: a listener buys, you get a cut of the price. On a subscription service like Storytel, earnings are pooled. A slice of subscription revenue is divided among the titles listened to, and your share depends on how much of your book people actually finish. A book that holds attention through its later chapters earns differently from one that gets sampled and set down.

Because of that, subscription platforms can be a strong discovery channel: listeners try books they would never buy outright, and a good one keeps them listening. Many authors run wide, putting the same file on both retail stores and subscription services so each audience finds them. Our post on publishing wide and non-exclusive lays out that strategy, and how audiobook royalties work explains the money side in plainer terms.

One honest caveat worth repeating: AudioProducer produces the audio file. We do not distribute, host, or list your book on Storytel or anywhere else. The distribution step is a separate service you arrange. What we give you is a clean, finished MP3 that meets the format those services expect.

Frequently asked questions

Can I upload directly to Storytel as an indie author? Usually not. For most independent titles the path is through a distributor that supplies Storytel, such as Findaway Voices or PublishDrive. Check your distributor's current channel list to confirm Storytel is included.

Does AudioProducer put my book on Storytel for me? No. AudioProducer creates the narrated MP3 you download. Getting it onto Storytel is handled by a distributor you choose. We make the file; you or your distributor list it.

How much does Storytel pay per listen? There is no fixed per-listen rate. Storytel pays a share of subscription revenue based on how much of your book is consumed, and the amount varies by month and territory. Your distributor agreement spells out the current terms.