What every storefront demands

One file per chapter, named in playing order, each with its own opening announcement. Retail systems build the player from your filenames, so a wrong order is a wrong book.

Mastered loudness inside the storefront's stated range, with peaks below the ceiling and a floor of room tone rather than digital silence. Files that fail the loudness check are returned without comment.

Opening credits and closing credits as separate files. A retail audiobook without them is incomplete by definition.

A square cover at 3000×3000 pixels, RGB, with the title legible at thumbnail size — and identical title, subtitle and author name to your other editions.

The order of filing

File the audio and metadata first, then set your release date behind the storefront's review window, never on top of it. Review and processing are a queue you do not control.

Claim your author profile on each storefront before release so the finished book attaches to it rather than orphaning itself.

Then, and only then, announce the date publicly.

Exclusivity, before you sign anything

Exclusive distribution raises your royalty rate and closes every other storefront for the length of the term. Weigh it once, with the term in front of you, and decide deliberately.

Own your masters and no such decision is ever permanent. The Retail Sheet here prints the whole specification and metadata block for you at no cost; the Ledger of Rights lays out what each arrangement takes.

The order of the work

1. 01Master to specificationOne file per chapter, mastered to the storefront's loudness range, with peaks under the ceiling and room tone rather than silence.
2. 02Cut the creditsProduce separate opening and closing credit files. A retail audiobook is incomplete without both.
3. 03Build the coverExport a square 3000×3000 RGB cover with the title legible at thumbnail size.
4. 04Match the metadataMake title, subtitle, author, series and description identical to your other editions, word for word.
5. 05File, then dateDeliver first, place the release date behind the review window, and announce only once the date is safe.

Asked and answered

Can I upload my own audiobook to Audible?

Yes, independently produced audiobooks can be distributed to Audible and to Spotify, provided the files meet the specification and you are not bound by an exclusive arrangement elsewhere.

What size does an audiobook cover need to be?

Square, 3000×3000 pixels, RGB, with the title readable at thumbnail size. Rectangular ebook covers are rejected.

How long does retail review take?

Plan for several weeks between delivery and release. It is a queue, not a service, and no release date should be announced without room behind it.