Findaway Is Now INaudio! What Authors MUST Know About Spotify’s Big Audiobook Shake-Up

Audiobook distribution just went through its biggest shakeup in years. Spotify made a change to go it alone and find a way became In Audio. And now indie authors like you have more choices, but also more decisions to make. So if you're confused or curious about what's happened in audiobook distribution this year, well, this video is for you. Hi, I'm Julie the Book Broad, founder of Book Launchers and your host here at Book Launchers tv. Book Launchers is your first choice for all things related to writing, publishing, and promoting a nonfiction book. So first thing, you maybe don't know what happened. Well, in 2022, Spotify acquired Findaway Voices, one of the biggest audiobook distributors for indies. And it wasn't without its bumps. There was this one big issue with their terms of service. Big fiasco. But besides that, it was exciting to get access to Spotify with your audiobook, especially if you're a podcaster or you just have a lot of podcast listeners in your fan base. Now Fast forward to August 1, 2025. Findaway has been carved out and relaunched as Voices by In Audio, an independent distributor. Once again, Blake Squires and Ralph Lazzaro, both original Findaway founders, are at the helm. Voices by In Audio continues Findaway Voice's mission to offer wide audiobook distribution to indie authors. But Spotify did not leave the audiobook game. Spotify Launched Spotify for Authors Surprise Mother in late 2024, Spotify introduced Spotify for Authors, a brand new platform for audiobook authors and publishers. Modeled after its popular tools for musicians and creators, it provides features like audience insights, you know, age, gender, podcast preference, redemption codes for promotional giveaways, promo card creation for social marketing, and and early access to author profiles on Spotify. Now, if you're new to Spotify, you'll have to create an account, but it's pretty easy to do. As you can see right here, I'm showing you what you'll need. Not complicated at all. And you don't have to do this right now. If you already have a Findaway Voices account, you'll be prompted to do it inside. But it just makes the connection a little easier if you've already got your Spotify for Authors account. So using this platform, as of August 1, 2025, self published authors can upload audiobooks directly via Spotify for Authors, which simplifies workflows and maximizes control and revenue on that platform. It also includes, like I said, demographic and geographic data, listener insights, and analytics previously reserved for publishers. So hooray for data for indies Seamless integration with Inaudio for global reach as well is available. So when you upload via Spotify for Authors, you can automatically send your audiobook to Voices by Inaudio for wider distribution across Apple Books, Audible, Kobo Libraries and more. Now, me personally, that's not how I will do it, but we'll talk about that in a minute. My way is more complicated, but it optimizes control and proceeds and your data. But let's stick to what the changes are that you should know about and what you should be doing first. So with this change, gone are the narration and production services, which was already the case when Spotify owned Findaway. They stripped out things like audiobook production support, direct sales tools and giveaway codes. The In Audio team says they're working hard to bring those back and many authors keep asking for them. So I do expect we'll see those at some point in the future. But Inaudio continues to reach all the platforms. Audible, Apple Books, Libro fm, Kobo, Google, Chirp, Hoopla, Overdrive, Storyteller, Barnes and Noble. You get to choose where your book goes and even opt out of retailers you don't want. Now, Spotify for Authors is a direct gateway. You upload and manage your audiobook right inside Spotify for Authors and and it gives you access to specific tools for Spotify. As mentioned, it's much more direct relationship with Spotify listeners than we've ever had before. Now I think this is exciting. Now dollars and cents. Inaudio takes 20% off net sales, same as Authors Republic to give you a picture of this on A$20 a la carte audiobook. So not a subscription. After the retailer and distributor take their shares, you'll net about $8 on Spotify a la carte sales pay you 50% of the price you set, while subscription revenue is pooled, meaning your pay depends on your share of overall listening. That model fluctuates, especially if big publishers dominate listener hours. So this is probably one of the bigger concerns with Spotify. And it's also where Audible is kind of stinky too. But after all the fun with Spotify and their terms of service before, no matter where you stand, I would give their distribution terms a look. You're automatically included in new distribution models unless you opt out. Removal of your audiobook isn't immediate or absolute. And of course royalties aren't paid on promo codes or refunded purchases. Plus, payments can be delayed if Spotify flags suspicious activities. This is not unusual for any of these platforms, and it's certainly not ringing alarm bells like their whole fiasco before, but still give them a read. Now you're an author with books already out. Okay, here's what you do. Check your dashboards. If you were already with Findaway, just log into Voices by In Audio. If you don't already have an account with Spotify, follow the steps, which is what we already did, and then you can connect them. So once you have the account and you use your Findaway Voices login to log into Inaudio, you'll see a super easy button to connect everything. Now I had some issues getting the two to connect at first, but what I realized was I had to click through the the distribution terms link and the terms and conditions. Once I did that, I was good to go and I got logged right into Spotify for authors. Now double check that your titles and the metadata and the pricing look right. And after you've read the distribution agreement, you'll need to accept it in order to have your books in the Spotify catalog. So now I have my catalog ready in Spotify. Inaudio is still distributing my book to the selected outlets from Findaway Voices. Now, if you want to check where you're being distributed, log into voicesby and Audio. Click on your book. As you can see, I'm doing here. Then you see the three little dots. Click on Distribution and you'll see where you're being distributed. Again, this all just ported over from Findaway, so it should be exactly how you had it set up in Findaway. And mine was. As you can see here, Apple and Audible are gray. I am not using Voices Via Audio to distribute to Apple and Audible. I use ACX to distribute to them. And that's just because I'm going to sell most of my books, my audiobooks over there. So why pay an extra cut to Voices by In Audio? In Voices by In Audio? It's hard. It's a big mouthful. So why pay an extra cut to Voices by In Audio when Audible is already taking more than I think they should? It's hard. By the way, I am a disgruntled audiobook author. I'm not thrilled with how little money Audible pays me when which is why I give it away for free. So yes, it means I have one more distribution tool, book funnel for my audiobook, making it four different dashboards for my book. But do you want to get your hands on Self Promote and Succeed in Audio version? Go to self promote and succeed.com audio enjoy. Of course you can also go and purchase it wherever books are sold. But I'm happy to give it to you for free. Okay, so if you haven't already got books, well, what should you do? Well, I would go direct to ACX for Audible and Apple. Then I would upload Spotify directly, and then I would use Voices by Inaudio for everything else. But if you want one simple dashboard, stick with Inaudio. They'll deliver your audiobooks to Spotify along with everywhere else. If you want more control and marketing tools, use Spotify for Authors directly for your Spotify listeners and Inaudio for the rest. And if you want to maximize your promotional tools and the money you make per copy, soldier it my complicated way of acx Spotify for Authors and Voices by In Audio and when you're uploading to Voices by In Audio, just unselect Audible and Apple. It's hard. So what do you think about all this? Yeah, I know it's a bit complicated, but I am celebrating. Independence is back. Okay, well, it never really left, but it's coming in hot right now. Many authors walked away from Findaway when Spotify took over. Now that it's spun back out, as in Audio, trust may return, especially with the original leadership back in charge. I said this when Spotify came onto the scene though, and I'm saying it again. Audible's monopoly is loosening. Their exclusivity program still pays more, but wide distribution is becoming increasingly smart business, especially with Spotify investing heavily in audiobooks and library sales, breaking records. Plus, this is just the start. More author tools are coming, Inaudio is rebuilding production and promo features, and Spotify is doubling down on direct uploads, analytics and even AI narration options. The bottom line. The split between Spotify for authors and Inaudio actually gives indie authors more power and flexibility than we've ever had. You've got options. Simple wide distribution through In Audio, more control and marketing power by layering in Spotify for authors, however you want to do it. The real question isn't should you go wide? It's how smartly you'll use these tools to reach more listeners and sell more books. I'm curious what you think. Let's chat about it in the comments below. 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