The Audiobook Contracts Bundle Is Here
Published April 2026 · Expanded May 2026 · Revised June 2026 · Updated September 2026
Here's something I wish existed when I started producing audiobooks: a set of contracts I could actually understand.
If you've ever negotiated an audiobook deal, whether you're the narrator, the publisher, or the author, you know the feeling. The deal is agreed in principle, everyone's excited to get started, and then someone says the words "we should probably get something in writing." And suddenly you're staring at a blank page, or worse, a template you found online that was clearly written for a different industry, a different country, or a different decade.
That's why I put together The Audiobook Contracts Bundle. And following the May 2026 expansion, it now covers a broader set of indie author and audiobook scenarios than the original release.
What's Inside
The bundle contains twelve contract templates: six contract types, each in a US and UK version:
The Licensing Agreement is for when an author or rightsholder is granting you the audio rights to their book. You'll produce the audiobook, distribute it, and pay them royalties. This is the contract you need for any Royalty Share or rights acquisition deal.
The Narration Contract is for when you're hiring a narrator. It covers the performance, payment terms, revision expectations, and rights. It includes three clearly labeled payment options (Per Finished Hour, Royalty Share, and Hybrid) so you pick the one that matches your deal and delete the other two.
The Narration Contract also now includes optional payment-conditioned rights-transfer language for PFH and Hybrid deals. Under this structure, delivery of the audio files gives the Publisher possession and a limited internal review licence, but commercial exploitation rights and copyright assignment become effective only once the Narrator has been paid in full. A disputed-amount escrow mechanism helps prevent a narrow billing dispute from freezing release. Unlike many standard audiobook production templates, including ACX-style terms, the Sleuthy Narration Contract can be configured so PFH or upfront narration rights do not transfer until payment is made.
The Production Contract is for when an author is hiring you as a producer. They pay a fee, you deliver a finished audiobook, they keep the rights. This one includes milestone-based payments so both sides have natural checkpoints throughout the project.
The Co-Author Collaboration Agreement (new) is for when two or more authors are creating a single book together. It formalizes credit order, royalty splits, decision-making (with three options to choose from: unanimous consent, majority vote, or designated managing co-author), derivative-rights handling, and what happens if a co-author wants to step away or isn't around anymore. It's the foundation contract for any collaboration, and it stacks cleanly with the Licensing Agreement when audio rights are later licensed out.
The Co-Narrator Agreement (new) is for when two or more narrators share performance on a single audiobook: dual-cast romance, ensemble cast, alternating chapters, character splits. It uses the same three-payment-options pattern as the Narration Contract, with an additional layer for splitting the narrator share between the co-performers. Voicing alignment and approval are handled through the industry-standard 15-minute pre-recording sample mechanism, so the producer signs off before main recording begins.
The Non-Audio Royalty Share Agreement (new) is for when an author grants ebook and/or print rights to a publisher in exchange for royalties. It explicitly excludes audio rights (those still go in the Licensing Agreement) and is the contract for indie author-publisher deals on novels. It has full out-of-print reversion mechanics, per-format royalty rates, and a checklist-style format scope so you can grant exactly the rights you mean to grant.
Every template is written in plain English. The legal language is there where it needs to be, but you won't need a law degree to understand what you're agreeing to.
The User Guide
The bundle also includes a comprehensive user guide that walks you through everything: which contract to use and when, how to fill in the placeholders, what each key section means and why it matters, common customizations, and practical advice for negotiation. It now also includes a Stacking Contracts section showing how the templates compose for real-world deals (a co-authored novel that later gets an audiobook deal needs three of the templates working together, for example).
It's the part that turns a stack of templates into something you can actually use with confidence.
Why US and UK?
The audiobook industry is transatlantic. Narrators in the UK work with authors in the US and vice versa. Indie authors increasingly publish across both markets. Legal frameworks differ: the US templates are governed by state law, the UK templates by English law, so having both means you're covered whichever side of the pond your deal sits on.
A Starting Point, Not a Finish Line
I want to be upfront about this: these templates are not a substitute for legal advice. They're designed to give you a strong, professional starting point, one that covers the clauses and protections that matter in audiobook and indie-publishing deals specifically. But every deal is different, and I'd always recommend having an attorney or solicitor review your contract before first use. The cost of a one-time legal review is a fraction of what a contract dispute could cost you.
Once you've had that initial review, you can reuse the same template for similar deals going forward. Just update the names, titles, and terms.
Available Now
The Audiobook Contracts Bundle is $49 in the Sleuthy Store. Like everything in the store, it's available to everyone: no Sleuthy membership required. One-time purchase, immediate download.
Questions about the contracts bundle? Get in touch. Happy to help.