Full guide
How to publish an audiobook on Kobo: the essentials
If you're working out how to publish an audiobook on Kobo, the route is Kobo Writing Life (KWL), Kobo's self-publishing dashboard. As of October 2026, its help centre says authors can upload audiobooks directly, that Kobo accepts AI-narrated audiobooks when the narrator is listed as a synthesized voice, and that you never have to be exclusive with Kobo.
This guide starts from finished chapter files, such as the MP3s exported from the FullCastBook AI audiobook generator, and follows Kobo's own help pages. We don't publish for you: you upload the files, and Kobo decides what goes on sale.
Can you publish audiobooks on Kobo?
Yes, with one caveat that shapes how to get an audiobook on Kobo. Kobo says its audiobook tool is being rolled out slowly and isn't active on every account. If you don't see an Audiobooks tab on your dashboard, email Kobo Writing Life to request access, and include the titles you want to upload with the author and a plot summary.
If the audiobook is already on Kobo through a distributor, Kobo asks you to remove it there before adding it to KWL, so the store doesn't show duplicates. According to its FAQ, uploading directly also lets you join the audio promotions Kobo runs.
Kobo Writing Life: audiobook setup
Log into Kobo Writing Life, select Audiobooks and click Create new Audiobook. Describe the book: title, subtitle, series name and number, contributors, synopsis, publisher, imprint, publication date, a required release date, language and whether it's abridged. Then pick categories; Kobo recommends three for each Kobo Writing Life audiobook.
The audio ISBN must belong to the audiobook alone, not your print edition, and can't contain dashes. If you don't have one, Kobo assigns a Kobo-specific ISBN. Next come the cover, the audio files and the table of contents, then the geographic rights and the price.
File specs and chapters
Kobo takes .mp3 only. Each file can be up to 200 MB and the whole book up to 2 GB, and Kobo compresses most audio to 64 kbps on ingestion, so extra fidelity isn't needed. For the Kobo audiobook upload itself, drop in the files, wait for the "Listen to confirm content" prompt, then order them and type each chapter title under Name of Content.
FullCastBook's ZIP export gives you one MP3 per chapter, numbered in reading order, at 192 kbps mono. By our arithmetic that's about 1.4 MB a minute, so a chapter can run a little over two hours before it reaches Kobo's 200 MB limit, and a whole book about 23 hours before 2 GB. Split any longer chapter in two. A single MP3 of a whole novel would be far too big, so upload the chapter files.
Kobo also asks for a retail sample before the content files: one MP3, up to 200 MB, with no explicit material or spoilers. An early chapter exported on its own makes a simple sample.
Cover and metadata
Covers can be .png, .jpg or .jpeg, at least 600 by 600 pixels, square (Kobo adjusts other shapes automatically) and no larger than 5 MB. Enter the title and subtitle exactly as they should appear in the store; Kobo says the subtitle should also be on the cover. If you're adapting an ebook cover, see audiobook cover size.
AI narration: disclosure and policy
Kobo's audiobook FAQ answers "Does Kobo accept AI-narrated audiobooks?" with "Yes, we do." Its AI narration article, updated in September 2026, asks for at least two contributors, an author and a narrator, and for AI narration a narrator listed as Synthesised voice: male, female or unspecified. The FAQ spells the labels slightly differently, so use whichever the dashboard offers. With a full cast, unspecified fits best.
Labelling isn't the whole story. Kobo's content policy reserves the right to remove content "generated primarily by automated tools that lacks genuine human effort, quality control", along with public-domain works, fanfiction and duplicate editions. Publish your own book, check the cast and listen through before you upload; Kobo still makes the final call.
Pricing, promotions and royalties
Enter a price in each currency; any you leave empty is converted from your default currency. Prices must be free or within limits such as 0.99 to 28.00 USD, 0.99 to 20.00 GBP or 0.99 to 25.00 EUR. There's no scheduled-price tool for audiobooks, so a sale means changing the price by hand and back again; Kobo says changes show within 24 hours.
Kobo pays 45% of the list price on single purchases priced at 2.99 USD (1.99 GBP, 1.99 EUR) or more, and 35% below that. All Kobo audiobooks are also offered through its token subscription, which pays 32% of list price for a paid token and nothing for a free-trial token. You can opt audiobooks into Kobo Plus, which pays authors 60% of a per-minute value. Kobo doesn't distribute KWL audiobooks to libraries at this time.
Going wide: other stores
KWL audiobooks reach Kobo.com and partner stores such as Booktopia, Bol, La Feltrinelli, Mondadori, Gandhi and Librería Porrúa, where you hold the rights. The same chapter MP3s work for Spotify for Authors and, if your account has access, Google Play. For the full list, see where to sell AI audiobooks; Audible's ACX still doesn't accept AI narration unless authorized.
