ACX Royalty Changes Are Here, Authors Beware
Self-Publishing News (May 8, 2026)
Full Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Dibbly Create. Some outbound links are part of affiliate programs where I’m compensated for any sales made through them. This never impacts what you pay and greatly supports my platform.
It’s been a little over a week since our last news update, but I’ve got some breaking news that all authors need to know. ACX is finally rolling out its controversial new royalty model and all account holders will be effected by this change. Also, Spotify for Authors is updating its distribution terms, IngramSpark released some eye-opening metadata research, and scammers are STILL finding new ways to target authors.
All that and more in the Self-Publishing News for May 8, 2026.
A Quick, Relevant Interruption
Most design tools really are not built for books. You’re sitting there trying to figure out trim sizes, bleed specs, spine width, resizing A+ Content modules, bouncing between different apps and subscriptions just to get one project ready for publishing. Before long, your whole publishing setup starts feeling scattered.
That’s one reason I keep coming back to my preferred cloud-based writing software, Dibbly Create. Their Design Studio keeps getting better and better for indie authors. I can build full paperback wraps with the spine width already mapped out, create A+ Content sized correctly for Amazon, make social media graphics, ad images, and more, all inside the same project as my manuscript.
And frankly, that matters more than people realize. Every time you jump between tools, export files, resize things manually, or try to patch together another platform into your workflow, it eats up time and pulls you away from the actual writing and publishing side of the business.
Dibbly Create brings a lot of that together under one roof. Writing, AI tools, design, formatting, exports, all connected through one subscription and one login.
If your publishing stack feels all over the place right now, this is definitely worth checking out. Get a seven-day free trial of the Pro Plan when you visit DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate.
Audible Is Forcing Authors Into Its New Royalty Model
The Amazon-owned Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) is implementing a new royalty model that raises the rate for exclusive titles from 40% to 50%, and non-exclusive titles from 25% to 30%. By the end of 2026, the old royalty model goes away, which means authors will either move into the new model or remove their audiobooks from Audible distribution.
I covered this back in August 2025, when the new model was still in beta. At the time, Robin Sullivan, wife and business manager of bestselling author Michael J. Sullivan, was already sounding the alarm. She dug into the model, brought attention to the issues, and helped pull more eyes onto the problem, including YouTubers Daniel Greene. Famous author and YouTuber Brandon Sanderson had already pushed Audible publicly over royalties and transparency before this, but even that pressure didn’t create any real change.
The real concern is how Audible calculates those royalties under this new model. Audible is moving toward a pooled system based on member value, listening behavior, subscription activity, credit usage, and engagement. In plain English, audiobook earnings start looking less like a clear sale and more like a streaming payout.
A credit purchase and a subscription pool should not get blended together in a way authors can’t clearly track. If a listener uses a credit to buy your audiobook, the value of that credit should follow your audiobook. Period. All-you-can-listen money should come from all-you-can-listen revenue, not from a system where authors are left wondering if their credit-based sales are helping subsidize the streaming pool.
Audible may frame this as more opportunity, better discovery, and higher royalties. But higher royalties don’t mean much if authors can’t clearly understand what those royalties are being calculated from.
That’s why I’m reluctant to recommend ACX now.
I’m not saying every author should yank their audiobooks tomorrow. Heck, I’m not doing that quite yet, but I’m definitely looking at my own catalog and seriously considering whether ACX still makes sense for me long term. The lack of transparency makes that decision a whole lot harder than it should be.
Authors should read the new terms, study their numbers, and do NOT blindly opt into the all-you-can-listen program just because Audible makes it sound like free discovery. That may work for some authors, especially if you have a series, strong backlist, or a book that works well as a funnel, but it’s NOT automatically good for everyone.
If you want alternatives, look at options like Voices by INAudio, Authors Republic, Spotify for Authors, or direct sales through tools like BookFunnel and Payhip.
Spotify for Authors Updates Distribution Terms
Speaking of Spotify for Authors, they’re updating their Distribution Terms on June 4, 2026. The update appears tied to a new Spotify-provided payouts platform for existing Spotify for Authors users.
No action is required, but if you keep using Spotify for Authors distribution after June 4, the new terms apply. So if you have audiobooks on Spotify through their author platform, take a few minutes to review the updated terms and make sure everything still works for your business.
If there’s one thing we learned about Spotify in February 2024: they can be rather sneaky with changing terms. Just a quick reminder of when they owned Findaway Voices and tried to change their terms in a way that was viewed as a massive rights grab. When the public outcry was too much, they walked back those terms.
So, again, review the updated distribution terms with Spotify for Authors. You’ve been warned.
Better Metadata Can Actually Boost Book Sales
IngramSpark recently shared a study that backs up something I’ve been saying for years: don’t guess your way through your book metadata.
Just as a quick refresher: Metadata is the information attached to your book, including your title, subtitle, author name, description, keywords, BISAC categories, Thema subjects, format, trim size, and other details retailers use to understand how to shelf your book.
IngramSpark looked at 2,000 print books and compared titles with basic metadata against titles with more specific, optimized metadata. The improved books had three specific BISAC subjects, Thema subjects and qualifiers, at least ten keywords, and regional subjects when applicable.
In the U.S., improved metadata led to an average sales increase of 9%. Those improved titles outperformed the unimproved titles forty-one out of fifty-two weeks, and eleven out of twelve months.
The UK results were even stronger. Titles with improved metadata saw an average sales lift of 22%, which IngramSpark says points to how much Thema subjects can matter for international discoverability.
Also, IngramSpark found that older titles with improved metadata declined 8% less year over year compared to the unimproved group. So if your older books aren’t selling like they used to, your metadata might need an audit before you start blaming the market, the algorithm, or the lunar cycle.
As a minimum, audit your book’s metadata at least once per year. Better metadata won’t magically save a bad book, but it can make a good book easier to find.
Rapid-Fire Newsflash
Time for the rapid-fire newsflash, a quick roundup of headlines hitting the self-publishing world this week.
Apple Books for Authors has scheduled iTunes Connect maintenance on May 16 starting at 9:00am EDT, and it could be unavailable for up to two hours. This only affects authors publishing directly through Apple Books, so if you use an aggregator to reach Apple, you’ve got nothing to worry about.
The AI Audiobook Company Spoken is building out its Certified Spoken Producers network, giving authors access to trained creative partners who can help with AI audiobook production. If you’d like to learn more about managing casting, narration, editing, and publishing inside Spoken, join their next training on May 13.
The affiliate link management service Geniuslink says Amazon Prime Day is moving to June this year, instead of the usual July window. If you promote books, run ads, or use affiliate links, now’s the time to start prepping because Amazon usually puts a ton of marketing behind Prime Day, and smart authors can use that extra traffic to their advantage.
There’s a new AI audiobook production platform in open beta called StoryVox, and right now they’re actively looking for indie authors willing to test it out and give feedback. The platform focuses on affordable digital narration that’s meant to help authors produce audiobooks for books that may not justify the cost of a full professional narrator, and new users get a free 10-credit trial, which is roughly enough for about 10 chapters or 10,000 words.
I recently joined Jim Azevedo and Nick Thacker over on Draft2Digital’s Self-Publishing Insiders for a pop-up episode called Scammers Are Coming for You, where we talked about author scams, impersonation, and the red flags authors need to watch for.
Last week, I also posted a video called This Scam Could Cost Authors Real Money, so here’s the reminder: I will never cold prospect you, and I no longer offer coaching, consultations, or promotional services. Always check where the email is coming from and NEVER click on any links or download any attachments.
And for a more fun way to stay alert, Electric Lit shared Author AI Scams Bingo, which turns the red flags into a bingo card that might actually help more authors spot this junk before they get burned.
Final Thoughts
Special thanks to Dibbly Create for sponsoring this podcast. If your publishing stack feels scattered, Dibbly Create brings writing, AI tools, design, formatting, and exports into one place. Get a seven-day free trial of the Pro Plan when you visit DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate.
That’s all I have for this week’s Self-Publishing News. What do you think about some of the latest updates? Did I miss anything? Hit me up on Discord or in the comments below. Till later, catch up on the previous Self-Publishing News posts 👇
