Full guide
How to publish an audiobook on Google Play: the short version
To publish an audiobook on Google Play you use Play Books Partner Center, the same dashboard publishers use for ebooks. You add the book, mark it as an audiobook, upload finished audio and a cover, set a price and publish. Google says there's no cost to sell books on Google Play, and that you can sell a book both on Google Play and through other retailers.
The catch is access. As of October 2026, Google's help pages say audiobook selling is "currently limited to select publishers" in 12 countries: Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Mexico, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US. If your Partner Center account doesn't offer Sell audiobook on Google Play, the route isn't open to you yet, and no tool can open it for you. This guide starts from finished audio, such as chapter MP3s exported from the FullCastBook AI audiobook generator. You upload them yourself; we don't publish on your behalf.
Two ways onto Google Play: upload vs auto-narration
Can I add my own audiobooks to Google Play Books? If your account has audiobook access, yes. Add Book offers Sell audiobook on Google Play, where you upload audio you produced anywhere. The other option, Create an auto-narrated audiobook, turns an EPUB already in your catalog into audio with Google's own voices.
They come with different strings. Auto-narration is free during its beta, but if you sell that audio on other platforms, Google requires it to be on sale on Google Play in those countries too, at a price no higher than elsewhere. For audiobooks you upload yourself, the help pages we read state no such rule. The Google Play auto-narration alternative page compares the auto-narration route in detail.
Partner Center: set up the book and the audiobook
First accept the audiobook terms of service, then check your sales territories in the Payment Center. Google says you must be at least 18 and located in a supported country, and a payment profile is needed even for free books. If your audiobooks already sell on Google Play through a distributor, Google asks you to use its move form instead of removing them.
In Book Catalog, click Add Book, choose Sell audiobook on Google Play and give a Book ID: an ISBN or EAN if you have one, or a Google ID (GGKEY) if you don't. The Book info tab takes the title, description, language, duration, an abridged flag, genres (Google suggests up to three) and contributors. Narrator is required for audiobooks.
In the Content tab, select Upload audio file, add one file or several, drag them into reading order and, if you like, name each chapter. Naming one means naming them all; otherwise Google generates the names. Add the cover, set prices in the Pricing tab, and click Publish in the Review tab. That's the whole Google Play Books audiobook upload.
File specs: formats, chapters, cover
Google's book file guidelines accept .mp3, .aac, .flac, .wav, .zip and .lpf audio, from 5 minutes up to 100 hours. MP3 should be at least 128 kbps for mono or 256 kbps for stereo, constant bitrate preferred. Covers are PNG or JPG, 1,024 to 7,200 pixels, and square is recommended; the audiobook cover size guide covers resizing.
FullCastBook's chapter export fits these specs: a ZIP with one MP3 per chapter at 192 kbps constant bitrate, mono, 44.1 kHz, with the files numbered in reading order. Upload those chapter MP3s rather than the M4B, and keep the M4B for direct sales and listeners' own players; the M4B vs MP3 guide explains why. If you send files in bulk instead, Google recommends names like ID_1of12.mp3, and files without the XofY ending take an extra 24 hours.
AI-narrated audio: what Google asks you to declare
Google's Add a new book guide is explicit: select Human narrator or Synthesized voice based on the type of audiobook, and "if you upload an AI-generated audiobook, select Synthesized voice." The options are Synthesized voice: Unspecified, Male, Female or Based on real actor. With a cast of several voices, Unspecified fits best.
The label is a disclosure, not a promise of acceptance. Google's content policy prohibits "low-quality, unclear machine-read audio", and its audio quality checks flag skips, repeating patterns, silence and test tones. Listen through before you publish, and check the help pages again, since Google can change its rules. Audible's ACX still doesn't accept AI narration unless authorized, so compare the other stores in where to sell AI audiobooks.
Pricing and the price-parity rule
If you're working out how to sell audiobooks on Google Play, set a list price per currency and territory in the Pricing tab, or enter zero to make a book free. For audiobooks, Google calls the list price a recommended price that may not be the final sale price, and audiobooks with sexually suggestive content must be marked mature, have no preview and cost at least 1 USD. The parity rule belongs to auto-narration; Google's pages don't state one for audio you upload.
Royalties are less clear. Google's revenue split FAQ gives 70% on ebook sales for partners on its updated terms and 52% by default, but none of the pages we read states an audiobook rate. Check your agreement in Partner Center before you set a price.
Review times and going live
Google says a book is published within 24 hours of clicking Publish, and new books go live in the Play Store in 12 to 24 hours. The first book from a new account goes live seven days after the account is approved, and the account's policy review can take up to 30 business days. Audiobooks over 10 hours take longer to process. The status in Book Catalog shows anything that needs action, including audiobook quality.
Selling the same files elsewhere
Google doesn't ask for exclusivity. The same chapter MP3s suit Spotify for Authors and Kobo Writing Life, each with its own AI label, and the M4B suits direct sales. Make sure you hold the audio rights first: Google's content policy also says it no longer accepts books containing public domain material, except from select partners.
