Do You Own the Audio Rights to Your Book? A Checklist Before You Make an Audiobook

Before you pay for narration, confirm you are allowed to publish the audio. Stores ask you to confirm it, and a title pulled after launch costs more than the check would have.

This is general information, not legal advice. If a contract is unclear, ask the publisher or a publishing lawyer.

Quick answer: if you self-published and never signed audio rights to anyone, you hold them. If a publisher released your print or ebook edition, check the rights clause before you do anything. Audio rights are listed separately from print and ebook rights, and publishers often keep them.

What are audiobook rights?

Audio rights are the legal permission to turn a book into an audio edition and sell it. They are separate from the rights to print or ebook editions. A contract can grant one without the other.

Territory matters too. A right can be worldwide or limited to certain countries. Spotify for Authors makes you choose WORLD or list the countries where you hold audio rights, and a title limited to North America will not appear in other markets.

If you self-published

You usually hold your audio rights, because nobody else has been granted them. Three things can still change that:

• A previous deal. An earlier small press or a past edition may have included audio. Re-read any agreement you signed for this title.
• An exclusive audio program. ACX exclusive distribution gives Audible the right to distribute the title for seven years, per ACX's distribution terms. You still own the book, but you cannot sell that audio elsewhere. Our post on royalty share versus paying upfront covers the trade.
• Amazon Virtual Voice. It is a free, invite-only KDP feature, and the audio stays inside Amazon and cannot be downloaded. If you used it, see how to remove a Virtual Voice audiobook before you distribute elsewhere.

If a publisher released the book

Do not assume you hold audio. The Authors Guild notes in its contract guide that publishers increasingly demand audio rights. Here is how to check:

1. Find the clause that lists the rights granted, often titled "Grant of rights" or "Subsidiary rights". Look for the words audio, audiobook, or "sound recording".
2. Note the territory and term. Some grants are for a number of years, or "for the term of copyright".
3. Look for a reversion clause. It may say rights return if the book goes out of print or if the publisher does not exploit the audio within a stated time.
4. If the publisher holds audio, ask in writing whether they plan to produce it and whether they would release or license the rights to you. Keep the answer.

Many authors find the publisher has held the rights for years without making an audiobook. Asking is free, and a clear written answer settles it.

Hybrid, co-authored, and other special cases

• Co-authors. Each co-author's agreement and any joint-venture terms apply. Get the other author's written approval.
• Anthologies and contributed pieces. Your story may be covered by the anthology's contract, not yours.
• Translations. The translator and the translating publisher may hold their own rights.
• Illustrations, photos, and quoted material. If the book contains licensed text or images, check that the licence covers audio. Tables and images that cannot be read aloud usually matter less here, but quoted passages do.
• Public domain. You can narrate a public-domain book, but some stores restrict it. Apple's program excludes public-domain titles.

What stores ask you to confirm

Each store has its own wording, and most of them make you confirm rights when you upload:

Store or program	What it expects
Apple Books digital narration	Audio rights held by you, and an ebook already on sale on Apple Books
Google Play Books auto-narration	Audio rights, per its auto-narration requirements
Spotify for Authors	The territory where you hold audio rights, or WORLD
Libraries via a wide distributor	Non-exclusive audio rights, with no exclusive deal covering libraries

See each program's current terms before you submit. The full list is in our guide to where AI-narrated audiobooks can sell.

How Lex handles rights

Lex does not buy your audio rights. You keep them, distribution is non-exclusive, and Lex takes no royalties. The Voiceover and Scored packs also leave you the finished masters and commercial rights, so you can sell the audiobook wherever your own rights allow. Your manuscript is not used to train models.

A pre-production checklist

1. Locate every contract for the title and read the rights clause.
2. Confirm audio is yours, for every territory you plan to sell in.
3. Confirm no exclusive audio deal (ACX exclusive, Amazon Virtual Voice) is active.
4. Get written permission from any co-author or contributor.
5. Check that any quoted material is cleared for audio.
6. Then hear it. Get a free sample of your first chapter before you commit.

Frequently asked questions

Do I own the audio rights if I self-published on KDP?

Usually yes, unless you signed them to someone else. KDP Select applies to ebooks, but check any exclusive audio deal separately.

Does my publisher own the audio rights?

Check the rights clause in your contract. Publishers often take audio, and the Authors Guild notes the demand is growing. If the clause is unclear, ask the publisher in writing.

Can I make an audiobook if my publisher holds the rights?

Not without their written permission. Ask whether they plan to produce it or will license or revert the rights to you.

Do I need audio rights for an AI-narrated audiobook?

Yes. Stores such as Apple and Google ask you to confirm audio rights whether the voice is human or AI.

Does Lex take my audio rights?

No. You keep them, Lex takes no royalties, and distribution is non-exclusive. See how distribution works.