Spotify to Publish First Independent Author Releases Through Audiobook Selects, With More Planned Ahead

Earlier this year, our in-house publishing imprint, Spotify Audiobooks, put out an open call for independent authors to submit their short-form stories. Today, we’re formalizing that initiative as Spotify Audiobook Selects and preparing to publish the program’s first cohort of 16 audiobooks on November 4.

This program is a key part of our overall mission to uplift new voices, giving more creators the opportunity to live off their art. By producing and distributing these titles, we’re connecting talented independent authors with listeners around the world.

“With Spotify Audiobook Selects, we get to champion a hugely diverse range of authors and narrators, take chances on bold ideas, and bring these stories to millions of listeners who might never have discovered them otherwise,” said Colleen Prendergast, Spotify’s Associate Director of Licensing and Publishing, “all in a short, bingeable format we think Spotify listeners will love exploring.”

Meet the first Spotify Audiobook Selects cohort

From comedic space adventures to romantic small-town meet-cutes, the first collection features a variety of short audiobooks across the romance, mystery/thriller, and sci-fi/fantasy genres. Here’s what a couple of the authors from this first cohort had to say about the experience.

“It’s very cool to be a part of something new. I’ve never published an audiobook before, so having this team really championing it has been absolutely amazing,” said Stephanie Y. Yang, author of Strak’s Bad Day. “I feel really fortunate that I’ve had the chance to work with such an amazing team that is making my audiobook the best version that it could possibly be.”

“Let’s just say I screamed [when I got the offer],” added JC Savoy, author of Radio Romance. “I’ve been an indie author for over 30 books, but getting accepted into Spotify’s program was validation that my writing still connects with people. I’m still smiling, I have to be honest!”

Full list of titles (alphabetical by author last name):

• • Falling for Finley by Sophie Beckett
  • No Time for Doubt by Regan Black
  • Final Descent by Audrey J. Cole
  • A Wild English Rose by Sasha Cottman
  • People, Too, Are Wild by Carla E. Dash
  • The Cafe of Inescapable Human Destiny by Elizabeth Hrib
  • Less Than Perfect by S.M. Levine
  • Those Lights at Night by Adrianna Nine
  • On the Job Training by Andrew C. Piazza
  • Forget Me Not by Tina Radcliffe
  • Murder at the Magic Academy by Alicia Rades
  • Radio Romance by JC Savoy
  • Shadow Dance by Spencer Sekulin
  • A Short Future History of Whales by Jenny Williams
  • Strak’s Bad Day by Stephanie Y. Yang
  • Ye Xian and the Celestial Feast by Kelsea Yu

You can pre-save these titles on Spotify now.

The next chapter is yours to write

Our next submission window opens November 4, and this time, the theme is “swoon-worthy tropes.” Authors are encouraged to submit novelette-length stories (10,000–40,000 words) that creatively explore romance tropes like “friends to lovers,” “grumpy/sunshine,” and “only one bed.”

This is a global program, and any author with an English-language short-form story who controls their own audio rights can submit. If your story is selected, Spotify will publish your audiobook— paying an advance and royalties, managing all aspects of production, and distributing to major audiobook retailers.

The Spotify Audiobook Selects program is just one of the ways we’re working to write the next chapter for audio storytelling, and we can’t wait to hear what you create. Full details and the submission link will be announced on November 4.