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Chirp and Hoopla Now Take AI-Narrated Audiobooks From Voices by INaudio

INaudio told authors that Chirp and Hoopla now accept digital voice narration titles from Voices, bringing its DVN retailer count to 11. Existing DVN titles are opted in automatically.

The Publishing Times Staff · October 31, 2026 · 4 min read

Audiobooks narrated with AI voices can now reach Chirp and Hoopla through Voices by INaudio. INaudio told authors in an email on October 26 that, starting that day, both services were accepting Voices titles that use digital voice narration, or DVN. The addition brings the number of retailers that take DVN titles from Voices to 11, according to the email.

Existing titles are opted in automatically

Authors who already have DVN titles on Voices do not need to do anything to reach the two new outlets. INaudio told authors in the email that those titles "will be automatically opted into distribution to Chirp and Hoopla." Authors who would rather keep a title off either service can opt out at any time in their Voices dashboard, the email said, and INaudio's existing policies apply to DVN content sent to participating retailers.

INaudio framed the change as part of ongoing work with retailers. "We've been working with retailers to expand the ability for authors to experiment while also ensuring that high-quality content is reaching listeners," the email said. The email did not name the other nine retailers that accept DVN titles.

What counts as digital voice narration

INaudio's Digital Voice Narration FAQ defines DVN broadly. It covers AI narration, text-to-speech, synthetic or virtual voices, and cloned voices. A voice cloned from the author's own voice still counts as DVN, and such titles must not be submitted as human narrated.

The FAQ says Voices accepts DVN audiobooks only as an original, unmodified LPF package from one of three providers: Google Play Books, ElevenLabs or Spoken Press. MP3 files and standard audiobook masters cannot stand in for the package. Voices sets the narrator credit from the package and adds a disclosure to the book description telling listeners that the audiobook uses digital voice narration.

Titles misrepresented as human narrated may be rejected or removed, the FAQ says, and repeated or intentional misrepresentation can lead to account restrictions, suspension or closure.

Each retailer still sets its own rules

Acceptance at the retailer level is not automatic. INaudio's page on why a title may not appear at a selected retailer, updated October 21, says each partner decides which titles to carry based on its own content policies, technical requirements, territories and business models. Most titles become available within two to six weeks, the page says.

For Chirp, the page says titles priced at $0.00 are not supported, and promotional placement is chosen separately by Chirp's editorial team. For Hoopla, it lists four limits: no box sets, a runtime over 20 minutes, restrictions on certain non-traditional or heavily erotic content, and a curated catalog that may not include every title delivered. The same page says DVN titles from Voices are not currently eligible for Audiolibrix.

Checking Hoopla may take a library card. INaudio notes that library and subscription services may need a patron or subscriber account before an author can see whether a title is live.

BookBub's own Chirp support page says Chirp takes audiobooks only through publishers or distributors, and names INaudio and Author's Republic as the two it works with.

What authors can do now

Authors with DVN titles on Voices who do not want them in Chirp or Hoopla should check their dashboard opt-out settings. Authors planning new AI-narrated audiobooks should confirm their narration tool is one of the three providers on INaudio's approved list before they produce the audio.

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