14 Best Audiobook Subscription Services [Options for Readers, Authors & Publishers]

Audiobook memberships are a great tool for avid listeners. This is a great opportunity for authors and publishers to distribute their titles to places that offer subscriptions and reach wider audiences.

How to do it? You can go through an aggregator or directly with each platform. An aggregator offers distribution to multiple platforms simultaneously, which makes it easier for you to publish wide.

Game-Changing by Publishing Wide

Wide publishing means authors distribute their books across multiple platforms rather than exclusively on one. This broadens their reach to different audiences across various marketplaces and regions.

By avoiding exclusivity with a single retailer, authors ensure they do not miss readers who prefer alternative platforms or formats. According to our 2023 book sales report, 40% of sales happen outside Amazon.

Publishing wide leads to increased sales and protects authors from the volatility of depending solely on the sales policies and algorithms of one distributor.

Here is PublishDrive’s partner network to help unlock the benefits of going wide.

For Authors & Publishers: 14 Best Audiobook Memberships [via PublishDrive]

PublishDrive is among the top book aggregators you could choose for your book distribution, whether you’re an author or a publisher looking for international audiences. It simplifies publishing, distribution, and book promotion, offering a one-stop resource hub.

PublishDrive works based on a flat-fee subscription model, allowing authors and publishers full control over their revenue.

With a wide selection of stores, collaborations, tools, and features, you access the largest book network designed to grow your business and open new markets, reaching hard-to-get audiences.

Here is a walk-through of its digital audiobook subscription partner network.

1. Audible

Audible is among the best audiobook streaming services, with a collection of over 220,000 audiobooks. Subscribers can access content via the Audible app, which is available for Android, iOS, Windows, or Mac.

It also offers additional features, such as bookmarking, speed control, and night mode. Subscribers can also customize their listening experience with features like volume control and sleep timer.

Audible offers a range of pricing plans to suit various listening habits. Given Amazon’s market share, Audible is a great place for authors and publishers to distribute audiobooks.

The author’s royalty rate is 25%.

2. Kobo Plus

Kobo Plus, one of the best audiobook subscriptions, has continued to expand its territorial availability.

With a database of over 1.3 million ebooks and approximately 100,000 audiobooks, it requires no cap on the number of audiobooks subscribers can listen to. Content can be accessed via the Kobo e-reader or the Kobo app, available for Android, iOS, Windows, or Mac.

The author’s royalty rate is 45%.

3. Scribd

Scribd offers one of the best audiobook memberships, allowing subscribers access to over 40,000 audiobooks. The service has continuously evolved, adding features like personalized recommendations, offline reading capabilities, and a user-friendly mobile app.

Scribd’s service costs $11.99 monthly and includes unlimited reading across various formats and platforms, such as the web, Android, iOS, Kindle Fire, and Nook devices.

The author’s royalty rate is 80%.

4. Storytel

With features like offline listening and reading, personalized recommendations, and the ability to switch seamlessly between reading the ebook version and listening to the audiobook, Storytel is one of the best book subscription apps. It offers access to an audiobook selection of over 400,000 audiobooks.

Pricing starts at $9.99 per month for unlimited access. Storytel also provides a 7-day free trial; the app is available worldwide, although the availability of specific titles may vary by region.

The author’s royalty rate is 50%.

5. Overdrive Listen

With OverDrive Listen, OverDrive’s audio membership platform, you can access free services that require only a library card from a participating library.

The app allows you to adjust your playback speed, insert bookmarks, activate a sleep timer, and create notes and highlights. Your position, bookmarks, notes, and highlights will be preserved any time you revisit an OverDrive Listen audiobook, whether within the same borrowing period or if you check out the audiobook again later.

While the service is free, users may experience wait times similar to physical library borrowing due to the limited number of digital copies available.

The author’s royalty rate is 45%.

6. 24symbols [via Findaway]

24symbols is an audiobook membership that allows users to access a personal library and profile to feature their readings. Users consider this the best audiobook subscription app feature since it allows others to explore personalized option lists.

The audiobook streaming service offers over 500,000 ebooks and audiobooks in 10 languages, available across multiple devices, including web, Android, iOS, and Kindle Fire.

The book service is priced at $8.99 a month.

The author’s royalty rate is 25%.

7. Audiobooks [via Findaway]

Audiobooks is a platform where you can subscribe to audiobooks and enjoy streaming from a vast library. With a subscription cost of $14.95 per month, members receive one credit for any title from their extensive library of over 450,000 audiobooks, plus an additional VIP credit for special selections.

This audiobook membership offers additional features to enhance the experience. One is the integration of podcasts within the app, allowing users to find, subscribe to, and listen to podcasts. Another is the sleep section, where subscribers can access meditations, visualizations, soothing sounds, bedtime stories, and relaxing tracks. The summaries section provides additional audio content, including book summaries, book club discussions, and interviews.

The author’s royalty rate is 32%.

8. Beek [via Findaway]

Beek is an audiobook subscription service with an extensive collection of Spanish-language content. Focusing on Latin American and Spanish authors, Beek provides users access to thousands of audiobooks and podcasts.

Its features include offline listening, personalized recommendations, and switching between devices. The platform is particularly popular among Spanish-speaking users.

The author’s royalty rate is 25%.

9. Downpour [via Findaway]

Downpour is an audiobook subscription service with a no-strings-attached approach to audiobook consumption. Users can become members of the Audiobook Club for $12.99 monthly, purchase audiobooks, or opt for a rental option, which allows for listening at a lower cost without permanent ownership.

The service offers many titles, including the latest releases and classic literature. All titles are DRM-free, meaning users can play them on any device. Downpour's mobile app features include bookmarking and adjustable playback speeds.

The author royalty rate is 25%.

10. eStories [via Findaway]

eStories is an audiobook subscription service with a collection of over 120,000 audiobooks in over 40 languages, including new releases and bestsellers. eStories offers a flexible pricing plan with options for credit rollover, connected devices, and cloud storage. The service also has additional features, such as bookmarking, speed control, and night mode, allowing users to customize their listening experience.

Subscription is $11.99 monthly, with a 30-day free trial period.

Author royalty rate is 25%.

11. Libro.fm [via Findaway]

For just 11.99 € EUR a month, Libro.fm members receive a credit to redeem against any title from their expansive selection of over 450,000 audiobooks. Subscribers also benefit from a 30% discount on extra purchases made à la carte.

The platform provides free iOS and Android apps for listening, and all downloads are DRM-free, allowing users to own their audiobooks. Subscribers are not locked into long-term commitments and can cancel anytime.

Author royalty rate is 25%.

12. Lazyjoy

Lazyjoy distributes ebook and audiobook content for mobile reading apps on major Chinese smartphones, including Huawei, Xiaomi, Transsion, Oppo, Vivo, and TCL.

It operates under a monthly subscription fee. Author royalty rate is 50%.

13. Voxa Audio

Voxa is Romania's first mobile reading app for ebooks and audiobooks. It offers a catalog of over 70,000 books and operates on a subscription basis.

Its primary objective is to serve the Romanian market by promoting Romanian literature and culture while offering international books in both English and translated into Romanian. Author royalty rate is 50%.

14. Empik

Empik, a retail chain based in Poland, sells cultural and entertainment products such as books, music, movies, games, and stationery. The company has also launched its subscription platform, Empik Go, dedicated to ebooks and audiobooks. Its database includes over 40,000 e-books and 4,500 audiobooks.

Empik Go focuses on enhancing user experience. Currently, 255,000 people read and listen to books on Empik Go monthly. Author royalty rate is 50%.

Listen & Prosper

Audiobook subscriptions have transformed access to literature, easily integrating into the busy lives of modern listeners.

These subscription platforms allow users to enjoy books while commuting, exercising, or performing other activities, ensuring productivity at all times.

For authors and publishers, these services create a new revenue stream, broadening their audience to include both avid readers and multitaskers. A win-win, and we are happy to help.