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Calculators

Royalty Share vs Flat Fee

Pay the narrator up front, or share royalties for seven years? Find the breakeven, and see what you and your narrator each come away with.

  • Free
  • No upload
  • No sign-up

Option 1 · pay per finished hour

A flat fee of $2,500, paid once. You keep every royalty.

Option 2 · royalty share

No fee. The narrator gets half of each royalty for 7 years (ACX’s term is 7).

Default rate: ACX exclusive, new model (50%), checked 22 October 2026. Cash sales at list price; Audible membership listens usually earn less.

For the author

Paying the fee wins

The fee pays for itself after 502 sales, about 2.2 years at 20 a month.

$0$5.0K$10.0KNow1y2y3y4y5y6y7ymonth 26
What you have earned by each month, after paying the narrator.
You keep, flat fee
$14,258
You keep, royalty share
$8,379
Narrator: flat fee
$2,500
Narrator: royalty share
$8,379

Over 7 years at 20 sales a month (1680 sales), before tax.

Where it runs

Works in any current browser, on a computer, phone or tablet. Nothing to install, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.

How to use it

4 simple steps.

  1. 01

    Enter the fee

    The finished length and the narrator’s rate per finished hour give the flat fee.

  2. 02

    Enter the royalty

    The list price, the royalty rate and how many copies you expect to sell a month.

  3. 03

    Find the breakeven

    The sales, and the months, after which paying the fee leaves you better off.

  4. 04

    See both sides

    What the author keeps and what the narrator earns under each deal.

The breakeven, in one line

Under royalty share, the narrator earns half the royalty on every sale. The flat fee is a one-off cost. They cost you the same after:

breakeven sales = (finished hours × rate per finished hour) ÷ (price × royalty rate × 50%)

Worked example

A 10-hour book at 250 per finished hour costs 2,500 up front. At $19.95 and 50% royalty, the narrator’s half of one sale is $4.99. The fee breaks even after 2,500 ÷ 4.99 = 502 sales. Sell 20 a month and that’s about 26 months; over seven years you’d sell 1,680.

Default rates from ACX, last checked 22 October 2026. Work out the fee itself with the narrator cost calculator, and compare exclusive with wide in the royalty calculator. Not affiliated with ACX or Audible.

FAQ

Questions, answered.

What is royalty share on ACX?

Instead of a fee, the narrator receives half of the audiobook’s royalty for 7 years. Under ACX’s new model the royalty is 50% exclusive, so each of you earns 25% of every cash sale.

When is a flat fee better for the author?

When the book sells enough that half the royalties would add up to more than the fee. The breakeven is the fee divided by the narrator’s share of one sale. Sell more than that over the royalty-share term and paying up front leaves you with more.

When is royalty share better?

When sales are uncertain or modest, or you can’t pay a fee up front. You risk nothing, and the narrator shares in the success if the book takes off.

Why might a narrator turn down royalty share?

A narrator spends many hours per finished hour recording and editing. Royalty share only pays if the book sells, so experienced narrators often ask for a fee, or for Royalty Share Plus, which adds a smaller upfront payment.

Does this count Audible membership listens?

No, it counts cash sales at the list price. Membership listens are paid from each member’s plan value and usually earn less, which pushes the breakeven later.

Read the guide

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