⚠️ Major Audiobook Update - Please Read

🔥

Audible is rolling out major royalty changes for Audiobook payouts, and authors are definitely talking about it right now.

Here’s the quick breakdown:

✅ PROS

Higher royalty rates are coming:

Audiobooks can now potentially earn from Audible’s “all-you-can-listen” subscription listening
More discovery opportunities for series authors and bingeable content
Authors can now suggest pricing for audiobooks

⚠️ CONS

Royalties are becoming more tied to listener engagement instead of straightforward purchases
Payments may become less predictable
Some authors are concerned about “pooled revenue” models similar to Kindle Unlimited
The legacy royalty system is being phased out by the end of 2026, so creators will eventually need to adopt the new model or leave Audible distribution

Personally, I think this is going to hurt smaller creators who only have a few hundred hours of listened time per month in their portfolio, while larger creators who are already making strong audiobook income will likely continue making even more money under this model.

One thing is clear: audiobooks are continuing to become a bigger part of the publishing industry. 🎧

Read more directly from ACX here:

https://www.acx.com/mp/blog/audible-new-royalty-model

17 comments