This article will guide you through the key considerations and steps to ensure you have the necessary rights to produce and distribute your audiobook.

In this article:

• Can I upload audio for a book that is public domain or out of copyright?
• What happens if my audiobook is already on sale and I lose or sell the rights to the audiobook?
• Who owns the rights to the finished audiobook?
• Does Audible use DRM or any other mechanisms to protect my work from unauthorized distribution and modification?

Can I upload audio for a book that is public domain or out of copyright?

Books that fall under public domain do not typically make good candidates for audiobooks and are not permitted to be posted as a project on ACX. However, an exception for public domain books exists if your title meets the following conditions. Once these conditions are met, you can publish the audiobook using our DIY (Do-It-Yourself) option.

The following conditions are required to publish a public domain work as an audiobook on ACX:

1. You can claim a public domain work as your own.
2. You must have created your own version of the title by adding your own original content to it (e.g., a historical introduction or fictionalized content).
3. Your original version must be available for sale on Amazon.com as an ebook. If you would like to put in a request to have your title published via Amazon.com, please contact Kindle Direct Publishing at www.kdp.com, Amazon's independent publishing service.
4. You must have hired a narrator outside of ACX or narrated the book yourself.

What happens if my audiobook is already on sale and I lose or sell the rights to the audiobook?

As outlined in the ACX Account Holder Agreement and ACX Book Posting Agreement, if you no longer hold the rights to a completed production that is on sale on Audible, Audible will remove the audiobook from distribution on Audible, Amazon, and Apple Books.

Please remember that you have agreed to indemnify and protect Audible, including if Audible receives a claim because you did not have, or it is claimed you did not have, all the requisite rights to your audiobook. Accordingly, it is important that you notify Audible of any sale of rights or loss of rights as soon as possible.

Who owns the rights to the finished audiobook?

Once the audiobook has been created and published via ACX, the rights holder retains the rights to the audio recording, but may be subject to certain terms and conditions depending on their production and distribution agreements. Please review the agreements that you entered into with ACX for details surrounding the rights to the content.

Does Audible use DRM or any other mechanisms to protect my work from unauthorized distribution and modification?

We know that authors, voice actors, and other creators worry about the impact piracy and abuse may have on sales of their titles. Audible understands these concerns and takes a number of different steps to help protect their content. This includes the use of a variety of technologies including digital rights management (DRM), secure streaming, and other encryption technologies when delivering content to customers, which also helps to protect against unauthorized modification or distribution of their content. We continually reassess and improve on our content protection mechanisms to maintain the trust creators place in us and help ensure protection of their work.