39 Top Audiobook Publishers, Producers, and Distributors

I have listened to hundreds of audiobooks and as soon as I finish one, there are many more waiting to be played. And I’m not alone in this.

Audiobooks are one of the fastest-growing formats in publishing, and listeners now find them everywhere, from Audible and Spotify to their local library’s app. If you’re here, you’re probably thinking about producing, publishing, and promoting your own audiobook. This guide sorts the companies that can help into three groups: traditional audiobook publishers, production companies and services you hire, and the platforms where listeners buy or borrow your book. For each one you’ll find what it does and how authors work with it.

Submission policies change without notice, so check the publisher’s own page before you send anything, and never pay a reading fee. Last verified: October 2, 2026.

Jump to section:

• Top audiobook publishing companies
• Top audiobook production companies
• Top audiobook distribution platforms

Audiobook publishers vs. production companies vs. distribution platforms

Audiobook publishers:

Traditional publishers acquire the audio rights to a book, usually paying an advance, and then control the production, distribution, and promotion. Most big audio publishers buy rights through literary agents or alongside the print deal, so a direct deal is unlikely for a little-known author. In return you get professional narration, wide distribution, and agreed-upon royalties.

Audiobook production companies:

If you’re like most independent authors, you’ll produce the audiobook yourself, either by hiring a production company or by finding a narrator through a marketplace. You pay for production, usually a flat fee or a rate per finished hour of audio, so get several quotes. In exchange you choose the narrator, approve the final edit, and keep your rights and royalties.

Audiobook distribution platforms:

Distribution platforms are the digital storefronts and library services where people buy, stream, or borrow audiobooks. They don’t usually get involved in production or rights. Once your audiobook is ready, you’ll want it on as many of them as possible, either directly or through an aggregator that delivers to many stores at once. With these distinctions out of the way, let’s look at the key players in each category.

Top audiobook publishing companies:

These are traditional publishers with a wide reach. Most work through literary agents, so getting signed is a long process.

1. Penguin Random House Audio

Penguin Random House Audio, part of Penguin Random House, is the largest of the traditional audio publishers, with nearly 20,000 titles in its catalog. Its list runs from Margaret Atwood and George R. R. Martin to presidential memoirs, and its productions have won Grammy and Audie Awards. Its audio rights usually come with Penguin Random House’s print deals, which are made through literary agents.

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2. Harper Audio

HarperAudio, based in New York, traces its history to 1952 and the Caedmon label’s famous recordings of Dylan Thomas. Today it publishes audiobooks across fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and romance for HarperCollins authors. HarperCollins does not accept unsolicited submissions, apart from named imprint programs, so you’ll need a literary agent. HarperCollins submission policy.

3. Macmillan Audio

Macmillan Audio publishes fiction, nonfiction, mystery, science fiction, and thrillers, with narrators who have included Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci, and President Jimmy Carter, and its titles have won Audie and Earphones Awards. Macmillan does not accept unsolicited manuscripts or submissions, so work through an agent, and be wary of anyone who asks you for money while claiming to represent it. Macmillan submission policy.

4. Simon & Schuster Audio

Simon & Schuster Audio, headquartered in New York, publishes audiobooks of Simon & Schuster’s fiction, nonfiction, memoir, and children’s literature, and it is also known for the Pimsleur language programs. Simon & Schuster acquires books mainly through literary agents, apart from occasional contests run by its imprints.

5. Hachette Audio

Hachette Audio produces the audiobooks of Hachette Book Group’s imprints, including award winners such as Tina Fey’s Bossypants and Stephen Colbert’s Grammy-winning America Again, plus full-cast editions. Hachette Audio does not accept unsolicited manuscripts or queries, as Hachette Book Group’s publishers consider only agented work, so you’ll need a literary agent. Hachette submission policy.

6. Blackstone Publishing

Blackstone Publishing started in a Southern Oregon garage in 1987, founded by Craig and Michelle Black, and grew from cassette tapes into one of the largest independent audiobook publishers. It now publishes audio, print, and ebooks, from Gabriel García Márquez to new thrillers, runs a film and TV division, and launched the WhoopInk imprint curated by Whoopi Goldberg.

7. Brilliance Publishing (an Amazon Company)

Brilliance Publishing is the audio arm of Amazon Publishing, producing audiobooks for Amazon’s imprints and other partners with in-house recording, sales, and marketing. Its list spans thrillers, romance, book-club fiction, and nonfiction. Brilliance Publishing does not accept unsolicited manuscripts or book submissions at this time. Contact page.

8. Recorded Books (RB Media)

RBmedia calls itself the largest audiobook publisher in the world, with more than 110,000 titles and over 9,000 new ones every year. Recorded Books, its flagship brand founded in 1979, publishes bestselling authors such as Brandon Sanderson and Sarah J. Maas. RBmedia doesn’t sell to listeners directly; its titles reach Audible, Apple, Spotify, Google Play, and library platforms. Authors and agents can contact it about audio rights through its site.

9. Tantor Audio

Tantor Media, founded in 2000, is an RBmedia audio brand that works with both traditionally published and independent authors. It is known for discovering emerging authors in science fiction, fantasy, and romance, such as Drew Hayes and Dannika Dark. Its old address now forwards to Tantor’s page on the RBmedia site, which has a contact form if you’re looking to publish an audiobook.

10. Oasis Audio

Oasis Audio, based near Chicago, publishes inspirational and family-friendly audiobooks for adults and children, from Christian fiction and women’s fiction to history and self-help. It sets itself apart by insisting on human narrators and artistic, high-quality recordings, in contrast with publishers turning to AI voices.

11. Dreamscape Media

Dreamscape Media, founded in 2010, is an award-winning audiobook publisher with Audie Award wins and finalists, and it also makes children’s read-along videos. Through Dreamscape Select it offers audio publishing services to established independent authors and publishers, and its titles reach both retail and library channels. Dreamscape is now one of RBmedia’s audio brands.

12. Naxos Audiobooks

Naxos AudioBooks, established in 1994, specializes in classic literature, drama, poetry, and philosophy, often paired with classical music. Its award-winning recordings, read by actors such as Juliet Stevenson and Kenneth Branagh, include Joyce’s Ulysses and Austen’s Emma, and its Junior Classics bring the classics to young listeners.

13. Podium Publishing

Podium is one of the largest audiobook publishers in the world and a leader in fantasy, science fiction, and romance, including LitRPG favorites such as He Who Fights with Monsters. It famously produced the audiobook of Andy Weir’s The Martian when it was still self-published. Its old address now forwards to its new Podium Entertainment site.

14. W.F. Howes Ltd.

W. F. Howes is the UK’s leading audiobook publisher and RBmedia’s UK brand, with more than 25 years of experience working with bestselling authors. It distributes thousands of titles to retailers and library platforms, and its Quest imprint focuses on digital-first audiobooks of popular ebooks by traditional and independent authors.

15. Harlequin Audio

Harlequin, the romance division of HarperCollins, publishes more than 100 titles a month, and Harlequin Audio brings many of them to listeners, from Maisey Yates to Debbie Macomber. Romance authors usually reach Harlequin through its print imprints and their submission programs, and the audio editions follow the book deal.

16. University Press Audiobooks (Redwood Audiobooks)

University Press Audiobooks, an imprint of Redwood Audiobooks founded by Margy and Lawrence Bauman in 1990, turns scholarly nonfiction into audio. Its catalog includes titles from Open Court and the university presses of Nebraska and Washington, covering history, philosophy, science, and current affairs.

17. The Good Book Company

The Good Book Company, founded in 1991, publishes Bible-centered Christian resources for evangelism, Bible study, training, Christian living, and youth and children’s work, including audiobooks of its titles. It looks at every proposal it receives but can’t guarantee a reply, and it wants authors who help readers engage with the Bible directly. Information for authors.

Top audiobook production companies:

These companies and marketplaces help you produce, and sometimes distribute, the audiobook yourself. You cover the production costs, but you keep control and most of the income, which makes this a great option for new authors.

18. ACX (Audible’s Audiobook Creation Exchange)

ACX, run by Audible, has connected authors, narrators, and publishers for more than a decade. You claim your title, then either hire a narrator through auditions, pay a fee or share royalties, or upload audio you recorded yourself. After ACX’s quality check, your audiobook goes on sale on Audible, Amazon, and Apple Books, with dashboards for sales and promotion codes. ACX audio requirements.

19. MindStir Media

MindStir Media, a New Hampshire self-publishing company that has made the Inc. 5000 list three years running, sells audiobook production and distribution as part of its paid publishing packages: narration, editing, mastering, cover design, and distribution to retailers such as Audible and Apple. Ask for the full package price and royalty terms in writing. How the process works.

20. Author’s Republic

Author’s Republic helps independent authors create and distribute audiobooks. You can post an audition script to its narrator marketplace, compare narrators’ auditions and bids, or choose a managed production. Then it distributes your audiobook to a wide network of retail, library, and streaming channels, including Audible, Apple, Google Play, and Spotify, with unlimited free promo codes. FAQs.

21. Scribe Media

Scribe Media is a paid service that helps experts and business leaders write and publish nonfiction books, with audiobook recording guided by its team, either with a professional narrator or with you narrating. Scribe has been through a bankruptcy and a change of ownership, which it describes on its own site, so review its current terms carefully before you sign. FAQ.

22. Deyan Audio

Deyan Audio, founded in 1990 by Bob and Debra Deyan, describes itself as the world’s largest independent audiobook production company. Its productions have won five Grammys and 40 Audie Awards, and it works with publishers and authors from its own studio in Northridge, California, handling casting, direction, recording, editing, and mastering.

23. Mosaic Audio

Mosaic Audio is a California audiobook production company with studios in Los Angeles and San Francisco. It casts from a roster of award-winning union actors and records author and celebrity narrations in its VIP studios, with experienced directors and engineers, for publishers and independent authors alike.

24. John Marshall Media

John Marshall Media is a Grammy-winning New York production house with more than 30 years in audiobooks. It handles casting, directing, recording, editing, proofing, sound design, and delivery to Audible, Apple Books, and other distributors, and its PubDirect platform lets authors sell their own audiobooks and ebooks directly at higher royalty rates.

25. Audio Factory

Audio Factory, an Audible Approved and Earphones Award-winning UK producer, has made audiobooks since 2009 for clients such as Audible Studios, HarperCollins, Hachette, and Macmillan Audio. It casts narrators from its own roster, prepares the script, directs and records the sessions, and handles editing, mastering, and proofing before delivery to rights holders.

26. Voices.com

Voices.com is a large online marketplace for voice-over talent. You post a job, receive custom auditions from professional voice actors, and hire one through its secure payment system, which makes it useful if you want to find and pay a narrator yourself and handle the rest of production separately.

27. Findaway Voices

Findaway Voices, now part of Spotify, lets independent authors distribute audiobooks to a wide network of retailers and libraries while keeping their rights and setting their own prices. Its success stories include bestselling indie authors such as Brianna Wiest and Carrie Ann Ryan, and it has a help center to walk you through each step.

28. Lantern Audio

Lantern Audio has produced audio for more than two decades, from audiobooks to podcasts, sound design, and music. Much of its work today is museum audio tours, for institutions such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Peabody Essex Museum, which makes it a good fit for nonfiction, art, and multilingual projects.

Top audiobook distribution platforms:

These are the stores, subscription apps, and library services where listeners find audiobooks. You want your work on as many of them as possible to increase your reach and sales.

29. Audible

Audible, owned by Amazon, is the audiobook service most listeners use, with a huge catalog and members around the world. Independent authors reach it through ACX or through distributors, and Audible also commissions its own Audible Originals.

30. iTunes and Apple Books

Apple Books sells audiobooks to iPhone, iPad, and Mac users around the world. Publishers and authors with an Apple Books agreement can deliver books through Apple’s publishing tools, and audiobooks typically arrive through Apple’s approved audiobook distribution partners. Apple Books publishing guide.

31. Kobo Writing Life

Kobo Writing Life is Rakuten Kobo’s free self-publishing platform for ebooks and audiobooks. You own your rights, set your prices, and run your own promotions, and your audiobook reaches Kobo’s listeners worldwide.

32. PublishDrive

PublishDrive is a self-publishing platform for independent authors and publishers that distributes ebooks, print books, and audiobooks to a large network of stores and libraries from one dashboard. It adds sales analytics, royalty management, and marketing tools, so you can track how your audiobook performs across markets.

33. OverDrive

OverDrive is the leading platform for library and school digital lending, and its Libby app lets readers borrow ebooks and audiobooks for free with a library card. Libraries buy titles through OverDrive’s catalog, which is why getting your audiobook into library distribution can open a steady new audience.

34. Gardners Books

Gardners, established 40 years ago in the UK, is a leading wholesaler of books and ebooks to retailers around the world, and its digital services supply ebooks and audiobooks to retailers, libraries, and schools. It also supplies Bookshop.org, and its site explains how publishers can get their titles listed.

35. Audiobooks.com

Audiobooks.com is a subscription audiobook service with apps for iOS and Android and a free trial for new members. Its catalog includes bestsellers and classics from the major audio publishers, which it receives through publishers and distributors.

36. Scribd

Scribd is a subscription digital library of documents, ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines, and its books and audiobooks now sit in its sister service, Everand. Like most subscription services, it licenses audiobooks from publishers and distributors.

37. Google Play

Google Play Books sells ebooks and audiobooks in more than 75 countries to readers on Android and other devices. Publishers and authors can sign up for the free Google Play Books Partner Center to sell their titles directly, and many audiobook distributors deliver there too.

38. Spotify

Spotify isn’t just for music; it’s now home to a large audiobook catalog, and many Premium plans include hours of audiobook listening each month. Independent authors reach Spotify through distributors such as Findaway Voices, which Spotify owns.

39. Chirp Audiobooks

Chirp offers daily deals on audiobooks, starting at $1, with no subscription or credits. Listeners buy only the titles they want and keep them forever in the Chirp app, which makes a Chirp deal a popular way for authors to reach new listeners.

Names you may be looking for

Novel Audio

Novel Audio, the independent audiobook publisher founded in 2012, no longer has its own site; its old address now opens RBmedia’s list of audio brands.

Upfront Books

Upfront Books, the New York audiobook producer, no longer has its own site; its old address now leads to RBmedia’s homepage.

Storytec

Storytec, the UK audiobook production company built on a network of home studios, no longer has a working website.

Are you ready to produce and publish your audiobook?

If you want to go through a traditional publisher, you’ll usually need a literary agent, since the big audio publishers buy rights alongside print deals. If you’d rather keep control, you can self-publish your audiobook with ACX, Author’s Republic, Findaway Voices, or a production company from the list above. Afterward, make sure your work is available on all the major platforms. Best of luck! Next up, you may want to explore a guide on photography and art book publishers, or my full list of publishing companies.