A Note to Indie Authors on the Recent Spotify Announcement
If professional scribes don’t value their content, no one else will.
Many indie authors use Findaway Voices to distribute their audiobooks to a wide array of outlets. I have for three of my last four titles.
Spotify's recent announcement to let premium members access 15 hours of free audiobook listening every month is, in a word, concerning. I spent way too much money using proper narrators to just give my content away for free—or pennies on the dollar. Consider disabling that option for your titles. I have. Not coincidentally, Spotify now owns Findaway.
There is no sense in giving your content away for free.
I wish that I could have done the same for copyrighted books that Meta illegally used to train its newfangled AI tools. I suspect that lawsuits are coming no later than next year, but I digress.
Phil Simon
What You Need to Know
An 8-hour audiobook for $15 is a freakin' bargain. Go bowling or to a TopGolf for half that time, and your bill will be much higher. There is no sense in giving your content away for free.
