Author Calculators and Policy Matrix

Use these tools when you have numbers to work out or a store rule to look up. Each takes your inputs and returns an estimate or a filtered list, and each links back to the page that explains the thinking behind it. They are estimates, not quotes: prices and rules come from published pages and change, so check the source linked beside any figure before you rely on it.

What each tool does

• AI audiobook cost calculator estimates what producing an AI-narrated audiobook may cost, from your word count and the plan or voice service you pick. For the decision between a human and a synthetic voice, read human vs AI narrator: what each costs.
• Audiobook royalty calculator estimates royalties from the revenue figure per sale you enter, using each store's published rate where one exists (Spotify's rate field is left for you to fill in), and compares ACX Royalty Share with paying per finished hour.
• Self-publishing software stack cost calculator adds up the tools you use to write, plan, format and publish, so you can see what a setup costs over 1 to 5 years.
• AI narration retailer policy matrix is a filterable table of what each store has published about AI-narrated audiobooks. The written version is which retailers accept AI-narrated audiobooks.

Which one to open first

If you are still deciding whether to use AI narration at all, open the policy matrix first, because a store that will not take the file makes the cost question moot. If you already know where you will sell, run the cost calculator, then the royalty calculator, to see whether the sums work.

If you are choosing software, the stack cost calculator is the quickest way to see what a combination of tools costs over a year, and the formatting and plotting hubs hold the reviews behind the prices.

How to treat the results

Plan prices, royalty rates and store rules come from published pages we read on 2026-11-08. Each tool shows the read date or, for royalty rates, the date on the source page. Where we could not confirm a figure, the tool says so or leaves it out of the total rather than guessing. Your own edit time, voice choice and sales volume will move the result more than any default, so change the inputs to match your book.

These tools sit alongside the AI narration rules by retailer hub and the AI audiobooks guides. Our method and its limits are described in how we research, and the NarratedIndie home page lists every topic hub.