Dutch streaming platform pays author only 8.5 cents per audiobook listen

Dutch poet and author Lieke Marsman received just over 200 euros for her audiobook Op een andere planeet kunnen ze me redden after it was streamed for more than 500,000 minutes on the platform Fluister, amounting to about 8.5 eurocents per complete audiobook, NOS reported. The book had won Fluister’s 2025 Best Audiobook award. Marsman shared her earnings on social media last month.

Rianne Blaakmeer, commercial director at Uitgeverij Pluim, which published Marsman’s work, explained that producing an audiobook incurs significant costs. “We need to rent a studio, hire a voice actor, edit the recording, and there are other expenses as well,” Blaakmeer told NOS. “Streaming services pay per minute, and the return is extremely low.” Blaakmeer added that after covering all production costs, the publisher earned roughly the same amount as Marsman, around 200 euros.

Fluister, part of DPG Media, defended its payouts, saying the compensation to publishers is market-standard. The platform said it is a minor player in the audiobook market, which also includes Spotify, Podimo, Storytel, Bookbeat, and the online library. Fluister noted that publishers negotiate terms with streaming services, and authors, in turn, agree with publishers on their share.

Industry groups and streaming platforms have not disclosed exact rates, citing competition law. The Dutch authors’ union, Auteursbond, criticized the low payments, arguing that streaming services profit from subscriber engagement while paying authors minimally. “For 8.5 cents per book, you cannot make a living,” said Noor van der Heijden of Auteursbond.

The publishers’ association, Groep Algemene Uitgevers, argued that the audiobook market is distinct from the physical book market. Director Martijn David told NOS that some authors are popular in one format but not the other and that authors of physical books are paid regardless of whether a copy sits unread.

For context, authors typically earn around 10 percent of the cover price for the first 4,000 copies of a physical book, equating to roughly 2 euros per book, while e-books often provide a 25 percent share of net proceeds.

Marsman warned that the current streaming model could make it increasingly difficult for writers to sustain themselves. She called for publishers to collaborate on a dedicated platform for audiobooks, offering authors “a fair compensation.” Fluister acknowledged Marsman’s concerns and said it is working with her publisher to clarify payment structures.