ACX’s rates were re-read on ACX’s own announcement (posted 28 April 2026, updated 26 May 2026) on 8 September 2026: 50% exclusive, 30% non-exclusive, the legacy 40%/25% model discontinued by the end of the year. Reviewed by Robert Prime, 8 September 2026.
Verdict: For most UK indie authors in 2026, wide via Voices by INaudio is the stronger long-term play. You keep 80% of net royalties, pay no upfront fees, and reach Spotify, Apple Books, Kobo, libraries, and dozens of other stores. ACX exclusive earns a higher per-sale percentage on Audible (50% under the new pooled model), but locks you out of every other platform. The exception is authors whose audience is heavily Audible-native, if 80%+ of your audio sales come from Audible, exclusivity still makes financial sense.
What happened to Findaway Voices?
If you’re searching for “Findaway Voices,” here’s what changed:
- 1 August 2025: Findaway Voices was rebranded as Voices by INaudio and spun out of Spotify as an independent company. INaudio is not a Spotify subsidiary, it’s a separate entity.
- Spotify for Authors is now a separate portal where authors can upload audiobooks directly to Spotify. It is not the same thing as Voices by INaudio.
- Any article still calling it “Findaway Voices by Spotify” is outdated.
The core service is the same: wide audiobook distribution to Spotify, Apple Books, Google Play, Kobo, libraries (OverDrive, Hoopla, BorrowBox), and dozens of other stores. Your rights, your pricing, no lock-in.
Royalty rates at a glance (July 2026)
| ACX Exclusive | ACX Non-Exclusive | Voices by INaudio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty rate | 50% (new pooled model) | 30% (new pooled model) | 80% of net royalties |
| Upfront fees | None | None | None |
| Stores reached | Audible + Amazon only | Audible + Amazon only | Spotify, Apple, Kobo, Google, libraries, 40+ stores |
| Lock-in | 7-year exclusive | No lock-in | No lock-in |
| Royalty model | Pooled “Member Value” | Pooled “Member Value” | Per-sale |
ACX royalty transition (important dates):
- The legacy ACX rates (40% exclusive / 25% non-exclusive) are being retired. ACX’s own announcement says only that the legacy model “will be discontinued” by the end of the year, without naming a date, so treat the deadline as end-2026 and watch your dashboard.
- The new model (50% exclusive / 30% non-exclusive) has been open to all ACX creators since 26 May 2026, ACX’s own date. It also lets you suggest a price and opt titles into Audible’s all-you-can-listen programme, where earnings follow listening rather than a fixed cut of the price.
- Authors on the old rates should switch before the deadline, the headline percentages are higher, though the pooled “Member Value” model means 50% does not mechanically equal 50% of the list price per sale.
Worked example: a 10-hour audiobook at £14.99
| ACX Exclusive (50%) | ACX Non-Exclusive (30%) | INaudio Wide (80% net) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| List price | £14.99 | £14.99 | £14.99 |
| Per-sale royalty | ~£7.50* | ~£4.50* | Varies by store, typically £5–£8 per sale after store cut |
| Stores | Audible only | Audible only | Spotify + Apple + Kobo + libraries + 40 more |
| Total reach | 1 store | 1 store | 40+ stores |
*ACX’s new pooled model calculates royalties based on “Member Value” rather than a straight percentage of the list price. The headline 50%/30% does not mechanically mean 50%/30% of each sale, actual per-listen payouts depend on the subscription pool. Treat these figures as approximate.
Which should you choose?
Go ACX exclusive if:
- Your audience is heavily Audible-native (romance, thriller, sci-fi readers who live on Audible)
- You want to use ACX’s promotional tools (US Marketplace visibility, Whispersync)
- You’re willing to accept a 7-year exclusive lock-in for higher per-Audible-sale royalties
- Your genre doesn’t sell well on Apple/Kobo/Spotify
Go wide via Voices by INaudio if:
- You want to reach Spotify’s large listener base (audiobook hours bundled into Premium subscriptions)
- You value library distribution, INaudio distributes to OverDrive, Hoopla, and BorrowBox; ACX exclusive does not
- You’re building a long-term backlist where cumulative wide sales outperform single-platform exclusivity
- You don’t want a 7-year lock-in on your audio rights
Use both (non-exclusive):
- Distribute via ACX non-exclusive (30%) for Audible, and via INaudio for everything else. You earn less per Audible sale than exclusive, but you reach every other platform too. For most backlist authors, total revenue across all stores exceeds what exclusivity earns on Audible alone.
Getting started with Voices by INaudio
- Produce a quality audiobook, hire a narrator or narrate it yourself.
- Create an account at Voices by INaudio (formerly findawayvoices.com).
- Upload your finished audio files, set pricing and territories.
- INaudio distributes to all selected stores. No upfront fees, they take their share from royalties.
Sources
- Spotify for Authors, the direct-upload route, no longer branded Findaway
- Audible ACX, royalties & terms
ACX’s figures were re-checked against its own announcement on 8 September 2026. I could not confirm the 80% figure for Voices by INaudio on INaudio’s own site that day: its pricing page returns a 404 and the main site does not state a split, so that number comes from the platform’s earlier public statements and should be confirmed with INaudio before you rely on it. Providers reprice; verify the live page.
Frequently asked questions
Is Findaway Voices still a thing?
No. Findaway Voices was rebranded as Voices by INaudio in August 2025 and is now an independent company, no longer part of Spotify. The service works the same way, wide audiobook distribution, under a new name and ownership.
What is Spotify for Authors?
A separate portal where authors can upload audiobooks directly to Spotify. It is not the same as Voices by INaudio. INaudio also distributes to Spotify, so you have two routes onto the platform.
What are the new ACX royalty rates?
From 26 May 2026: 50% exclusive, 30% non-exclusive for ACX’s new model. ACX’s own announcement says the legacy 40%/25% model will be discontinued by the end of the year, without naming a date. Earnings from Audible’s membership listening are paid from a pool rather than as a fixed cut of your price. The higher headline rates don’t mean a simple 50% of list price, it’s a pool-based calculation.
Do I keep my rights with INaudio?
Yes. You retain full rights and can remove your audiobook from any store at any time. There is no exclusivity requirement.
Does INaudio reach UK libraries?
Yes, it distributes to OverDrive (which feeds Libby), Hoopla, and BorrowBox, putting your audiobook into the UK library market that ACX exclusivity locks out.
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