Findaway Voices vs Authors Republic: Which Aggregator Fits Your Audiobook?

Introduction

This guide is for indie authors with a finished audiobook who want it on more shelves than Audible. One correction first: Findaway Voices stopped operating on August 1, 2025, and its wide distribution now runs as Voices by INaudio. So the Findaway Voices vs Authors Republic question in 2026 is really Voices by INaudio vs Author's Republic.

The choice matters because the market keeps growing. US audiobook sales revenue reached $2.43 billion in 2025, up 9% over the previous year, according to the Audio Publishers Association survey. The APA also reports that 58% of US adults 18+ have listened to an audiobook.

Below, we compare fees and reach, then Spotify and AI narration, file specs, and running both. We publish wide for authors, and the honest answer is short: the split is the same, so the channels decide.

What Are Findaway Voices and Authors Republic?

Findaway Voices (now Voices by INaudio) and Authors Republic are wide audiobook aggregators. Each delivers your finished files to retail and library stores and keeps a cut of net royalties. Both keep the same 20%, so what differs is channel reach and production help.

An aggregator is one account that delivers your audiobook to many stores and collects their payments. Net royalties are what a store pays out after taking its own share of the sale. The aggregator's percentage applies to that net, never to the list price.

Plenty of pages still call Findaway Voices Spotify's distributor, yet the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi) covered the Findaway Voices shutdown announcement in May 2025. Operations ceased August 1, 2025, and rights to stores other than Spotify went to INaudio. ALLi also reported that existing users' terms would carry over unchanged.

Authors Republic launched in November 2015, created by Audiobooks.com, according to the Authors Republic launch announcement on PR Newswire. RBmedia announced in December 2021 that it had bought the service, in its RBmedia acquisition release.

	Voices by INaudio	Authors Republic
Background	Formerly Findaway Voices, separate from Spotify since August 2025	Launched 2015; acquired by RBmedia 2021
Business model	Commission on net royalties	Commission on earned royalties
Stated split	80% to the author, 20% kept (reported October 2025)	80% to the author, 20% kept (stated February 2025)
Spotify path	Upload direct through Spotify for Authors	Upload direct through Spotify for Authors
Narrator marketplace	None; distribution only, production relaunch planned (Reedsy, September 2025)	Yes; narrators paid per finished hour (Reedsy, September 2025)
Interface and reach	Interface and flexibility more convenient for finished audiobooks (Reedsy's view)	Better choice for maximum reach (Reedsy's view)

How Do Royalties, Reach, Spotify, and AI Narration Compare?

Four questions decide this choice for most authors: what each service takes, where it delivers, how you reach Spotify, and whether AI narration is allowed. The first one turns out to be a tie.

What Does Each Service Take From Your Royalties?

Both take 20%, and both take it from net. Reedsy reports INaudio's 20% net commission across retailers and libraries, in a guide updated October 15, 2025. Its worked example: a $20 audiobook pays $10 after the retailer's cut, and the author gets $8.

Authors Republic's numbers match. On a February 2025 ALLi podcast, its head of marketing gave Authors Republic's stated split: 80% of earned royalties to authors, 20% retained. Reedsy's audiobook production services roundup, posted December 2025, reports the same 80/20 split.

Older guides cite 70/30, and that number traces back to launch. In the ALLi partner announcement from December 2015, an Authors Republic representative wrote, "We pass on 70% of our earnings to the rights holder." That covered most channels, so check the current rate at signup.

So how much does an author make per audiobook? The retailer's share comes off first, then the 80% applies to what's left. Lex's estimate, from our store payout rates, is about 42% of list on Google Play and about 36% on Apple Books and Kobo.

Lex takes no royalties. On Audible and Spotify, the upload is direct with no partner fee, so you keep the full author share. On other stores, the distribution partner keeps 20% of net, and you receive 80% of net.

Commission is a tie, so run the math on channels instead of the split. If you're still weighing Audible exclusivity, start with our exclusive vs. wide royalty math.

Which Stores and Libraries Does Each One Reach?

Both send to retail, subscription, and library stores, and the channel lists overlap, so compare each dashboard's current list before choosing. Audiobooks.com was one of Authors Republic's launch channels in 2015, but we found no current source confirming it still delivers there.

Listed is not the same as listened to. OverDrive's 2025 lending records show 315.9 million audiobooks borrowed across its global Libby and Sora network, up 13%. Skip libraries and you skip that demand.

Our done-for-you wide distribution reaches Audible plus wide retail and library stores. One submission covers all of them, so you never map channels yourself.

Does Either One Get You on Spotify?

Plan on Spotify directly, whichever aggregator you pick. Since August 1, 2025, Spotify has offered direct audiobook publishing on Spotify through Spotify for Authors. Sources disagree on which aggregator, if either, routes there.

Spotify often needs its own author account even when you're wide everywhere else. We ship the same way: Spotify direct, everything else wide. For the rest of your shelf, see our guide to picking the stores to sell on.

Can You Distribute AI-Narrated Audiobooks Through Them?

Yes, where the retailer allows it, with disclosure every time. Policies are set store by store, so the shelf matters more than the aggregator.

Spotify accepts digital voice narration and adds a disclosure line to your description, per Spotify's digital voice narration guide. Kobo Writing Life's audiobook FAQ says Kobo accepts AI narration when the narrator is listed as "Synthesized Voice." Google's Play Books partner quickstart tells you to select Synthesised voice for an AI-generated audiobook.

Apple reviews third-party AI audio title by title and may decline.

ACX's standard submission rules require human narration unless authorized. Audible now runs its own AI voices, though. A May 2025 ALLi podcast on AI narration noted, "Last year, Audible did indeed roll out AI-generated narration to indie authors in the U.S."

On the Publisher pack, Audible goes under Lex's publisher agreement: a direct Lex upload, not a separate ACX project.

Listeners are cautious too. In the same Audio Publishers Association survey, willingness to try AI-narrated audiobooks fell from 70% in 2025 to 61% in 2026. Only 16% of listeners have heard an AI-voiced audiobook, so quality and honest disclosure shape first impressions.

We set the disclosure per store. Our guide to stores that accept AI narration lists each store's rules.

Which One Should You Use, and Can You Use Both?

Choose by your own channel data. Scenarios come first, then the setup for running both.

When Authors Republic Wins, and When Voices by INaudio Wins

Authors Republic suits authors who still need a narrator, or who rank reach first. Reedsy's Authors Republic review, from September 2025, says it runs a narrator marketplace where you pay narrators per finished hour. The same review rates Authors Republic the better choice when maximum reach is your top priority.

Voices by INaudio suits authors with a finished audiobook or an existing Findaway catalog. Terms were stated to carry over at the August 2025 transition. Reedsy's Authors Republic review also judged INaudio's interface and flexibility more convenient for finished audiobooks.

INaudio won't help you make the audiobook yet. Reedsy's Voices by INaudio review, from September 2025, found it focused purely on distribution, with production services planned for a relaunch. Reedsy also sells freelance publishing services, so read both verdicts as one editorial view.

Your situation	Better fit
You want the most convenient dashboard for a finished audiobook	Voices by INaudio (Reedsy's view)
Maximum reach is your top priority	Authors Republic (Reedsy's view)
You already have titles from Findaway Voices	Voices by INaudio
You may hire a narrator	Authors Republic (narrator marketplace, per Reedsy)
You want Spotify	Neither; upload direct through Spotify for Authors
You want Audible plus wide, done for you	Lex Publisher

How to Run Both Without Duplicate Listings

You can run both, as long as each channel gets exactly one aggregator. Two services sending the same title to the same store create duplicate listings that split your reviews.

1. List each service's channels and mark the overlaps.
2. Assign each overlapping store to one aggregator, based on where your genre sells.
3. Turn off unassigned channels in each dashboard before enabling distribution.
4. Publish to Spotify through Spotify for Authors, and disable any Spotify option in both aggregators.
5. Track income per store each month.

Most duplicate problems start in setup. Watch for these four mistakes:

• Enabling the same store in both dashboards
• Assuming either aggregator puts you on Spotify
• Signing up on a commission rate you haven't confirmed
• Reading combined totals instead of per-store income

Lex removes the deduplication work. One Publisher submission handles store review, and you get a monthly per-store statement. Here's how the Publisher package works.

What File Specs Do Both Services Expect?

The aggregator delivers, but each store checks your files. These are the specs we master to for wide release.

Spec	Target
Format	Chapterized MP3, 44.1 kHz, 320 kbps CBR
Mean loudness	−23 to −18 dB
Peaks	−3 dB or lower ACX-style; some wide portals allow about −1 dB
Cover	2400×2400 JPG, no borders
Retail sample	Strictly under 300.0 seconds
Head and tail silence	1–5 seconds, target about 2 seconds

Check every file against the audiobook file specs stores check before you upload.

Summary

Findaway Voices vs Authors Republic comes down to channels, since both report the same 80/20 split on net royalties. Spotify routing and your own workload decide the rest. Your next steps:

1. Confirm each service's current rate at signup.
2. Set up Spotify for Authors and publish there directly.
3. Pick one aggregator per channel if you use both.
4. Master to spec before you upload anything.

If you'd rather skip the setup, Lex publishes to Audible plus wide retail and library stores and takes no royalties.

Is Authors Republic Better Than Findaway Voices?

Neither wins on price, since both report keeping 20% of net royalties. Authors Republic fits authors who need a narrator or want maximum reach. Voices by INaudio fits finished audiobooks and existing Findaway catalogs.

Can I Use Authors Republic and Findaway Voices at the Same Time?

Yes, as long as each store gets only one aggregator. Turn off overlapping channels in one dashboard before publishing to avoid duplicate listings.

Does Authors Republic or Findaway Voices Distribute to Spotify?

Don't rely on either one for Spotify, because sources disagree on routing. Upload directly through Spotify for Authors, which has accepted direct audiobook uploads since August 1, 2025.

What Are Authors Republic's Royalty Rates?

Authors Republic stated in February 2025 that it pays authors 80% of earned royalties and keeps 20%. Older guides cite 70/30, its terms on most channels at its 2015 launch, so confirm the current rate at signup.