The Written Word Podcast

Spotify has over 600 million users, and most of them don't yet know they have access to audiobooks. In this episode, Ferol sits down with Will Dages, Head of Product at Spotify, to break down everything indie authors need to know about getting their audiobook discovered, promoted, and created on Spotify's platform.

In this episode, you’ll learn:
  • How Spotify's audiobook model works: the 15-hour monthly listening allotment, the pro-rata payout pool, and how a la carte sales compare
  • How Spotify uses taste signals from music and podcast listening to surface audiobooks to readers who've never tried the format
  • Why do short books and children's content now have a competitive advantage on Spotify that they don't have on credit-based models
  • The metadata practices that actually improve discoverability, and the keyword-stuffing mistake that actively hurts you
  • The free tools inside Spotify for Authors: promo cards, 100 redemption codes per book, and weekly demographic listening reports
  • Spotify's new AI narration tool (in partnership with ElevenLabs): free for up to five books, ten curated voices, custom pronunciations
  • How human narrators vs. AI narration differ, and why Will believes AI opens the door rather than closes it
  • Page Match: the feature that syncs your physical book with the Spotify audiobook, and the 55% reading uplift and 2x completion rate it's already driving
  • The Bookshop.org integration: how Spotify is now linking physical book purchases directly from audiobook pages
  • Follow Along: the new feature that displays visual content (images, text threads) synced to the audio

Will's closing advice for every author: it's never too late to get into audiobooks. The market is still in massive growth mode.

Want to learn more ways to reach readers? Visit writtenwordmedia.com for author resources, book promotion tools, and more.

The Written Word Podcast is produced by Heart Centered Podcasting.

© 2026 Written Word Media, Inc. All rights reserved.

Creators and Guests

Host
Ferol Vernon
Founder and COO of Written Word Media
Host
Ricci Wolman
Founder & CEO at Written Word Media

What is The Written Word Podcast?

A podcast for authors who want to build successful writing careers. Each episode explores the business and craft of being an author, with practical strategies for selling more books, growing your audience, and navigating the publishing world. Presented by Written Word Media.