How to Make Money on Audible: 6 Effective Ways to Earn

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Tricks to earn income on Amazon's audiobook platform

Co-authored by Pete Canalichio and Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: July 23, 2025 Fact Checked

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Audible Creator Program

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Affiliate Marketing

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Publishing

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Narrating

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ACX Bounty Program

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Podcast Development

Whether you're a writer, blogger, influencer, or just developing your brand, there are great money-making opportunities on Audible. As an author, you can publish your audiobook on Audible and earn commissions on each purchase. If you're not a writer, you can make money on Audible advertising your favorite audiobooks, as well as subscriptions, on your website, blog, podcast, or social media platform. You can even earn money when your viewers, visitors, or listeners sign up for free Audible trials using your affiliate link or code! This wikiHow article will show you the best and most effective ways to earn money on Audible.

Things You Should Know

Get paid each time somebody signs up for a free Audible trial with your affiliate code through the Audible Creator Program and Amazon Associates.
If you have an engaging voice, you can make money as an Audible book narrator through the ACX platform.
If you publish your own audiobook on Audible, you'll earn money on sales. You'll also have the option of earning more by converting your listeners to Audible subscribers.

Section 1 of 6:

Audible Creator Program

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Offer free Audible trials on your podcast, channel, or website. If you're a blogger, social media influencer, podcaster, or content creator, join the Audible Creator Program to earn money each time one of your viewers or visitors signs up for a free trial subscription. All you'll need to do is promote Audible by offering listeners and visitors a free audiobook, along with a free trial membership to Audible. Each time somebody signs up for a free trial using your affiliate code or link, you'll get $15! This is a really easy way to earn money on Audible if you're already podcasting, creating video content, or have a social media following.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Pete Canalichio
Brand Strategist & Licensing Expert

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- To sign up for the Audible Creator Program, go to https://www.audible.com/ep/podcast-intro and click Click here to sign up.
- Even though the sign-up page only mentions podcasts, the program is also available to anyone with an active website, including social media influencers.

Section 2 of 6:

Affiliate Marketing on Your Website

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Earn money promoting Audible on your website or blog. When you join the Amazon Associate Program, an affiliate marketing program exclusively for website owners and bloggers, you can make money advertising Audible books, free trials, and subscriptions on your website or blog. You'll also earn commissions when your visitors purchase other Amazon products you recommend or review.
- To sign up, go to https://affiliate-program.amazon.com and click the Sign up link at the top of the page. Or, if you're a social media influencer and don't have a website, go to https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/influencers to sign up.
- Once you're signed up, go to https://affiliate-program.amazon.com/microsite/offers (only available to affiliates) to find all of the affiliate links and images you'll need to start advertising Audible books and plans.^{[2]
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- Each time a visitor signs up for a free 30-day Audible trial subscription, you'll earn $5.
- When a visitor subscribes to a paid Audible Premium or Premium Plus membership using your affiliate link, you'll earn $10.
- You'll also earn a $.50 commission each time a visitor purchases an Audible audiobook using your link.^{[3]
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- Also check out the Bounty Program page (only visible to affiliates) for additional ways to make money as an Amazon Associate.^{[4]
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Section 3 of 6:

Publish an Audiobook

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Write and narrate your own audiobook on Audible. If you've published a book on Amazon, even if there's only a Kindle version available, you can easily release an audiobook version on Audible. When you publish your own audiobook through Audible's ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange) platform, you'll earn money each time somebody purchases your audiobook on Audible, as well as through Amazon.com and iTunes.^{[5]
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- You can hire a narrator with no up-front costs by opting to split the royalties 50/50. If you prefer to pay a narrator for their time up front, you can enjoy all of the royalties from your audiobook without having to share. Alternatively, you can narrate your own audiobook, or hire a narrator privately.
- Haven't written a book? Now's your chance to put those ideas to work! Whether you want to handle the writing yourself or hire a ghostwriter, writing and publishing a book on Amazon and Audible is a great way to make extra cash.
- To make even more money as an audiobook author, you can join the ACX Bounty Referral Program once you've published your Audible book.

Section 4 of 6:

Become a Narrator

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You don't have to write a book to be an Audible narrator. If you love audiobooks, have an engaging speaking voice, and can read aloud clearly, you can make money as a narrator on Audible. This gig is best for people who are very comfortable reading aloud—if you've ever done voice acting, have general acting experience, or have narrated books in the past, narrating audiobooks on Audible can be a solid source of income. You can decide whether to share 50% of royalties on Audible sales with the author, set a per-finished-hour rate, or both.
- To make money as an Audible narrator, you'll need a quiet environment to record in, a non-squeaky chair, a good microphone (preferably a large-diaphragm condenser mic), a reasonably fast computer, and basic recording/editing software like Audacity, GarageBand, or Pro Tools.
- You'll need to create an account at ACX, which you can do by visiting https://www.acx.com/login. This Amazon-owned platform is the best way to find Amazon authors looking for narrators if you're just getting started, though experienced narrators can also check out BunnyStudio and Voices.com.^{[6]
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- Upload samples of your voice that show off your vocal talents, including any convincing accents you can do! You can upload an unlimited number of samples to your profile.^{[7]
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- Once your profile is ready, check out https://www.acx.com/ts to find titles accepting auditions, record, and submit your sample. If an author wants you to narrate their book, they'll send you an offer. If not, keep auditioning for other books.

Section 5 of 6:

ACX Bounty Program

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Audible publishers can earn even more by converting subscribers. The ACX Bounty Referral Program is an affiliate marketing tool that can be very lucrative for audiobook authors, especially if you market your self-created audiobooks on your blog or website. When you sign up, you'll get a unique affiliate link that you can place on your website. Each time a new listener buys your Audible book through your affiliate link and then becomes an Audible Premium or Premium Plus subscriber, you'll make $75 on the 61st day of their membership.^{[8]
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- If you hired a narrator through ACX and set up royalty sharing, you'll earn $50, and the narrator will earn $25. That makes the ACX Bounty Referral program a great revenue option for narrators, too!

Section 6 of 6:

Audible Podcast Development Program

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If you have a great idea for an original narrative podcast, pitch your idea to Audible. If Audible believes in your podcast idea, they'll offer you a $10,000 award to develop, produce, and publish your podcast on the platform.^{[9]
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