Auto-narrated audiobooks
Creating a high-quality audiobook is simple and affordable with Google Play Books
Expanding the global audiobook catalog
Convert your existing ebooks to audiobooks in just a few steps
Auto-narrated audiobooks are a low-cost solution for ebooks without an accompanying audiobook. You can create auto-narrated audiobooks for English, Spanish, French, German, Hindi or Brazilian Portuguese titles.
Best-in-class voice quality powered by Google
Explore a selection of our narrator voices
Archie
Mary
Marcus
Santiago
Anya
Padma
What our publishers are saying
More benefits of auto-narrated audiobooks
Wide audiobook distribution
Publish your audiobook to Google Play Books’ global audience. Download your audiobook file to distribute on additional platforms.
Narrator diversity
Select from 50+ narrator options, including a variety of language, accent, and gender combinations.
Advanced editing technology
Fine-tune the narration with the audio file editor. Choose from multiple word pronunciations or suggest your own.
Getting started
Here’s a step-by-step guide to creating an auto-narrated audiobook
Auto-narrated Audiobook FAQ
What are “auto-narrated audiobooks”?
Instead of being read by a person in a recording studio, auto-narrated audiobooks are read using Google technology. This high-quality narration offers a variety of gender and accent combinations. Publishers can convert their existing ebooks in under 2 hours, at a fraction of the cost of conventionally produced audiobooks.
What do publishers need to create auto-narrated audiobooks?
Publishers must provide an English, Spanish, German, French, Hindi or Brazilian Portuguese EPUB ebook file and must offer that ebook on Google Play.
How much does it cost to create an auto-narrated audiobook?
For a limited time, there's no charge to create, publish, and download these audiobooks.
Can publishers sell these audiobooks on other retail platforms?
Yes, publishers can sell auto-narrated audiobooks on any retail platform that allows them. After publishing the auto-narrated audiobook on Google Play Books, the publisher will be able to download the audio files. However, if the auto-narrated audiobook is for sale elsewhere, it must also be for sale on Google Play Books.
What genres work best for auto-narrated audiobooks?
Non-fiction titles, particularly self-help, business, history, biography, health, and religion, are great candidates for auto-narration. Currently, auto-narration performs best on titles with limited dialogue and emotional content. Cookbooks, textbooks, and other titles that rely heavily on images, tables, or data graphics are also not ideal targets.
What technological knowledge will I need to create an auto-narrated audiobook?
The tools for creating auto-narrated audiobooks are intuitive and easy to use. The platform does not require specialized knowledge of audio production or editing. Users with experience editing text documents will be able to create an auto-narrated audiobook. You can also view a step-by-step guide to creating these audiobooks.
Will Google Play Books get publisher consent before creating these auto-narrated audiobooks?
Publishers will select and create these auto-narrated audiobooks. Once publishers assert that they own the audio rights to the title in the selected language and countries, Google will help these publishers process the files to create the auto-narrated audiobooks.
What revenue share will publishers earn for sales of auto-narrated audiobooks on Google Play?
Publishers will receive a 52% revenue share on auto-narrated audiobooks.