Publishing glossary
KDP audiobook help
Virtual Voice: an audiobook from your ebook, with limits worth knowing first.
Virtual Voice opened audiobooks to authors who would never pay a narrator. The community's questions are about rights, cost, and audio quality.
Checked:
✓Built from the ebook through KDP✓No narrator cost, but rights and quality limits apply✓KDP Select exclusivity does not extend to the audio
What Virtual Voice is
Virtual Voice synthesizes narration from your ebook through KDP, producing an audiobook without a studio. It suits straightforward prose books and is weakest with dialogue-heavy fiction and unusual pronunciations.
- Available for eligible ebooks in supported languages
- No upfront narrator fee
- AI-narration disclosures apply in some marketplaces
Rights and exclusivity
Your ebook's KDP Select status does not lock the audiobook. Authors commonly ask about exclusivity conflicts with ACX; check each agreement separately before committing both.
Virtual Voice vs ACX
ACX gives you a human narrator and distribution through Audible; Virtual Voice is faster and free but sounds synthesized. For character-driven fiction, listeners still prefer humans.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
How much does Virtual Voice cost?
There is no narrator fee. KDP takes the standard audiobook royalty share on sales.
Can I use Virtual Voice if my ebook is in KDP Select?
KDP Select exclusivity covers the ebook. The audiobook rights are separate — check the Virtual Voice terms for your marketplace.
Does Virtual Voice sound good?
It handles clear expository prose well. Dialogue, accents, and unusual names show its limits. Listen to the full preview before publishing.
Do I need to disclose AI narration?
Yes in marketplaces that require AI-content disclosure. Mark the narration as synthesized where prompted.
Publish the ebook first, audio second.
The publishing checklist confirms the ebook is clean before you derive audio.