ACX Audio Books Platform Provides Multiple Earning Opportunities for Self Published Authors

There's no denying the enjoyment that can come from tuning into a good audio book. Nowadays, everywhere you go, you're subject to notices someone with an earbud in their ear, listening to a novel or some other type of audio book.

Perhaps that's why Amazon is going out of their way to encourage self published authors who use their KDP services. Amazon helps new and existing authors whose content is eligible, turn their publications into audio books.

Oddly enough, in spite of the great love that many readers have in 2026 for listening to the books they want to consume; there are still lots of self published authors who are failing to take advantage of the chance to have an audio book created for them, even if it means there's no upfront cost.

This is clearly a topic that deserves to be discussed among new and existing writers and authors.

In my personal opinion, in spite of the issue of visibility in a crowded online marketplace, Amazon's popular digital publishing services actually provide multiple earning opportunities for self published authors.

Amazon has a particular interest in audio books, as is evident by another one of their well known resources for authors and readers alike; Audible Books.

In fact, audio books created via the ACX website and sold via the Audible marketplace are effective ways that authors can gain more visibility for their titles and help increase book sales.

Here's how:

• Authors can have books narrated and earn from both digital and audio book sales
• Authors can become visible on the Amazon website, the Audible website, and the ACX website
• Authors (and others) can sign up to make money as narrators themselves

Another notable thing about ACX is their Bounty Program that enables participants to earn referral income. Notice the particulars outlined in the following screen shot:

For clarification: Don’t confuse Audible with audio. Audible is the brand name for the audio books created via ACX.

Self published authors who want to create audio books, actually have an ally when they decide to use ACX.

How Does ACX Benefit Self Published Authors?

ACX provides a way for authors to connect with narrators and collaborate on various projects.

Believe it or not, not all self published authors even know about this resource. There are also authors who have been around for years, but still may be missing out on the benefits of having an audio book.

In all honesty, I'm guilty of this myself, because I have several published titles that I could easily have turned into audio books. The bottom line is: I've been too lazy to go through the simple process of setting things up.

I know the process is simple, because I previously had two of my self published titles turned into audio books.

Allow me to share some thoughts, as they relate to my those audio books, narrated by someone I found on ACX - and I didn't have to pay any out-of-pocket expenses for her services.

1. I went to the ACX website a few years ago, and set up an account.
2. I completed all the necessary steps, and made one of my book titles available to people looking to narrate.

This ultimately resulted in my first non-fiction ebook being narrated.

The talented speaker that I obtained as a narrator was Wendy Almeida, and she was super easy to work with. After she successfully narrated one of my “how to” ebooks, I enlisted her help to do a second one.

My two audio books continue to earn me small royalties on a regular basis, but now I'm beginning to consider revisiting all my titles, and possibly creating many more audio books.

The content from the first two books was compiled from previously written articles, focusing on various related themes that I turned into a helpful resource guidebook.

Smart writers need to realize they can easily take their themed stories and articles and turn them into books, and later into audio books.

You can click here and check out my own vanity list of self published books and guides, that resulted from so many of my online stories (including the two audio books). Writer's Vanity List of Digital Products: Everything I Created and Sell Online to Benefit Readers Plus Help New Writers

Amazon's Newest Resource for Authors

One of the more recent gifts that Amazon has started providing to author's is Amazon's Virtual Voice (AI narration). Selecting this option when available to you, will enable authors to more easily convert their eligible eBooks into audio books.

The primarily requirement is having a US-based KDP account with a reflowable text eBook. Any books found to be eligible, can be converted in minutes, Authors can choose from 80+ AI voices, and take advantage of the dedicated studio for editing purposes.

Clearly, this is yet one additional way to encourage authors to step things up, and start using more than one format when self publishing books.

It doesn't matter whether you decide to locate a human narrator for your book, or you like the idea of using AI to get started, and tweaking AI results to your liking.

Whatever you decide, the main issue is making sure you start giving serious thought to the option of having your book or novel turned into an audio book.

Final Thoughts

With so many opportunities now available to get your writing out into the world, as well as the different ways you can earn from it, there is no reason for aspiring authors to continue holding back.

So whether you write on Medium, Substack, Vocal Media or some other content site, it’s time to look over the previous stories you’ve written.

Examine them and see if maybe there’s a theme you can focus on, where you already have several good stories that you’ve written on the topic.

By the proper grouping and organizational techniques applied, you can self publish a short work of fiction or non-fiction on Amazon in no time. Then, the next step is having your story narrated and turned into an audio book.

Feel free to visit Amazon and listen to samples of:

* How to Call It Quits and Move On: The Smart Self-Help Relationship Breakup Guide | Charm Baker (Author, Publisher), Wendy Almeida (Narrator)

* Several Simple Solutions (Solving Everyday Problems) | Charm Baker (Author, Publisher), Wendy Almeida (Narrator)

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