How to Distribute Audiobooks on Author's Republic

Most wide audio discussions in the indie author community cover two aggregators: ACX for Audible distribution and Findaway Voices for broad wide distribution. Author's Republic is the third — a smaller but established audiobook aggregator with a distinct channel mix that, in specific circumstances, complements or outperforms Findaway Voices.

This guide covers Author's Republic's setup, file requirements, distribution channels, and the decision framework for when to use it alongside or instead of Findaway.

What Author's Republic Is

Author's Republic (authorsrepublic.com) is an audiobook distribution aggregator founded in 2015. It distributes audiobooks to retail, subscription, and library platforms — including Audiobooks.com (one of its strongest relationships), Chirp (BookBub's audiobook deals platform), Hoopla, OverDrive, Scribd/Everand, and others. Its commission-based model charges a percentage of royalties rather than a subscription fee, making it a no-upfront-cost entry point similar to Draft2Digital in the ebook aggregator world.

Author's Republic vs. Findaway Voices: The Key Differences

The most important practical difference: Findaway Voices (owned by Spotify) has the strongest native Spotify audiobook integration available to indie authors. If Spotify audiobook reach is a priority, Findaway is the stronger choice. Author's Republic has historically had a stronger Audiobooks.com relationship, which may be meaningful for authors whose audience skews toward Audiobooks.com subscribers.

Step 1: Create Your Author's Republic Account

Go to authorsrepublic.com and click Get Started or Sign Up. Create your account with your email address and complete your publisher profile. Author's Republic may require brief human review of new accounts before granting full publishing access — this is typically a 24–48 hour process.

Payment Setup

Author's Republic pays royalties on a monthly or quarterly schedule depending on account type and balance threshold. Connect your PayPal account or bank details for payouts from your account settings. Complete any required tax documentation — US authors provide W-9 equivalent; non-US authors provide applicable documentation.

Commission Structure

Author's Republic takes a commission on royalties earned through its distribution. Review current commission rates on their website — these can change and should be verified at the time of account creation. The commission is taken from the royalty received from each distribution partner, similar to D2D's model.

Step 2: Upload Your Audiobook

From your Author's Republic dashboard, click Upload a Title or Add New Audiobook. The upload workflow covers metadata, file upload, and distribution configuration.

Metadata

Enter your audiobook's title, series information (if applicable), author name, narrator name, description, BISAC category, language, and ISBN (optional but recommended). Use the same metadata consistency across all aggregators — identical series names, identical narrator credits. Narrator name is a significant discovery signal in the audiobook market.

Cover Image

Upload your square audiobook cover image. Author's Republic requires the same 1:1 square format as Findaway Voices — your ebook portrait cover will not meet this requirement. Minimum dimensions: 2,400 × 2,400 px, JPEG format.

Step 3: Audio File Requirements

Author's Republic's audio file specifications are similar to Findaway Voices and ACX — these are industry-standard requirements for professional audiobook production.

These specifications match ACX and Findaway Voices — if your audio files passed QC on either of those platforms, they will meet Author's Republic's requirements. If you are producing audio specifically for Author's Republic as your first distribution platform, see HT30 (Audiobook Technical Specifications) for full detail on recording, mastering, and achieving these specs.

Step 4: Configure Distribution Channels

After uploading your files, select which distribution channels to enable. Apply the same deselection discipline used with Findaway Voices and D2D: disable any platform where you already have a direct relationship or where Findaway is already distributing your title.

Author's Republic's Distribution Partners

Step 5: Pricing

Set your audiobook retail price. Author's Republic distributes this price to retail partners. Library platforms use their own institutional pricing models. Standard audiobook retail pricing applies: $14.99–$29.99 depending on length. See HT17 (Findaway Voices) for audiobook pricing guidance.

Step 6: Author's Republic Storefront

Author's Republic operates a modest direct storefront where listeners can discover and purchase audiobooks. This storefront is not a significant traffic driver, but it provides a direct purchase option for listeners who find their way to your Author's Republic page. It is the audiobook equivalent of Lulu's own bookstore — a small additional retail presence that comes automatically with distribution setup.

When to Use Author's Republic

Scenario 1: Audiobooks.com as a Primary Channel

If your genre and audience have meaningful Audiobooks.com subscriber concentration, Author's Republic's stronger relationship with that platform makes it a compelling choice for that specific channel. Monitor your Audiobooks.com income through whichever aggregator delivers it and evaluate whether the relationship is performing.

Scenario 2: Redundancy for Critical Titles

Some wide audio authors use Author's Republic as a redundancy distribution layer — uploading their most important titles to both Findaway and Author's Republic (with careful channel deduplication) to ensure presence through two independent aggregator relationships. If Findaway experiences a technical issue or policy change affecting a title, Author's Republic provides a backup distribution path. This is a more sophisticated strategy that requires diligent channel management.

Scenario 3: Authors Who Prefer Commission to Subscription Models

If you are just starting with audiobook distribution and are uncertain about the investment in a platform that charges subscription fees, Author's Republic's commission-based model — paying only when you earn — reduces upfront financial commitment. As your audiobook catalog and income grow, you can evaluate whether Findaway's broader channel mix (particularly Spotify) justifies adding it.

Scenario 4: Filling Gaps in Findaway's Channel Mix

Verify the current distribution networks of both Findaway and Author's Republic. Channel relationships change. If Author's Republic distributes to a meaningful platform that Findaway does not currently cover, Author's Republic fills that specific gap — with careful channel-level deduplication for everything Findaway already covers.

Common Author's Republic Mistakes

• Enabling channels already covered by Findaway — creating duplicate listings on Hoopla, OverDrive, or Libro.fm

• Not creating a square audiobook cover before uploading — same requirement as Findaway

• Not verifying audio file specs before upload — the same CBR/RMS/noise floor requirements apply as for ACX and Findaway

• Using Author's Republic and Findaway without carefully mapping channel coverage to avoid duplicates

• Not connecting Author's Republic to ScribeCount — losing visibility into how its distribution contributes to total audiobook income

Author's Republic is not a replacement for Findaway Voices — Findaway's Spotify integration alone makes it the primary wide audio aggregator for most indie authors in 2026. Author's Republic is a complement: a commission-based alternative with a strong Audiobooks.com relationship and a channel mix worth evaluating for specific gaps. Used with careful channel deduplication, it can extend your wide audio distribution reach without creating the duplicate listing problems that make aggregator coordination complicated.

-Randall Wood