KDP Takes a Bold Step Into Translation

What Authors Should Know Right Now, Plus Other News in Self-Publishing

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This week brought some of the biggest shifts we’ve seen in self-publishing in a while. Amazon rolled out a major new beta feature, Draft2Digital tightened their content guidelines, IngramSpark announced a new giveaway for authors, and a wave of new AI tools, audiobook updates, industry reports, and platform upgrades hit all at once.

All that and more in the Self-Publishing News for November 17, 2025.

Kindle Translate Beta + Amazon Scam Warning

KDP introduced a new tool called Kindle Translate, and it is rolling out in a closed beta for now. Amazon frames this as a free way for authors to translate ebooks between English and Spanish, along with German to English. They promise publication-ready files in a few days, strict quality checks, and the ability to preview the work before it goes live. I’m cautiously optimistic.

I spoke with members of the KDP team at Author Nation, and they assured me that strong safeguards exist to prevent low quality translations from flooding the marketplace. I still want to see how this unfolds, especially if the beta opens to everyone. You can check out the full post and the FAQ in the show notes for more details.

The FAQ clears up most of the basics. You can apply to the interest list, translations are free during beta, authors keep their normal royalty structure, and the finished editions can go into KDP Select. The one limitation worth noting is the inability to edit the translated text. You can only preview it and choose whether to publish. Anyone who wants more detail can head to the FAQ link in the show notes.

While we’re still talking about Amazon, they sent out a reminder about impersonation scams. The holiday rush tends to bring out fraudsters who pretend to represent trusted companies and try to steal personal or financial information.

Amazon stresses a few core safety steps. Stick to the Amazon app or website when you manage anything tied to your account. Remember that Amazon will never ask you to make a payment or provide payment information over the phone. They also recommend enabling two-step verification and using a passkey to keep your account secure.

Scammers often push urgency or use fake messages about deliveries, refunds, or account problems, so slow down and double check before you respond. You can learn more or report suspicious behavior at Amazon’s scam resource page.

Draft2Digital Holiday Reminder, Merge Tools, and New Content Guidelines

One of the biggest distribution platforms for wide authors, Draft2Digital sent out their annual reminder that the holiday season creates shipping bottlenecks, and this year will likely be no exception. They recommend ordering proofs and author copies well before the rush. Their cutoff suggestion is December 6^th for the best chance at on-time delivery. Most self-publishing companies send similar warnings each year, so expect delays and plan ahead. Order early and avoid the scramble.

They also announced a major housekeeping update with their new Merge Tools. These tools help you clean up duplicate publishers, contributor names, author bios, series, and even duplicate book entries. If you’ve been publishing for a while or migrated from Smashwords, now is the time to tidy things up. I recently merged my old Smashwords account into my Draft2Digital account and the whole process took less than five minutes. Anyone who wants to explore the tools can find them under Multi-Book Actions in their account.

The biggest update comes from their revised Content Guidelines. On October 27, Draft2Digital clarified what they no longer accept or distribute. The most significant change is the list of oversaturated nonfiction topics. This includes subjects like affirmations, guided meditation, gaslighting, dog training, narcissism, activity books, crossword and puzzle books, generic marketing advice, and a long list of diet and fitness topics.

I have mixed feelings about this update. On one hand, I understand that their team is much smaller than KDP and they cannot manage an endless flood of low-quality uploads. On the other hand, this makes it harder for me to recommend Draft2Digital as a distribution partner because so many nonfiction niches now come with a big asterisk.

My opinion is that mass AI book dumps created this situation. I’m pro-AI, but I support AI as part of a human editing workflow, not as a replacement for it.

IngramSpark Holiday Deadlines and Share & Sell Giveaway

The aggregate publishing platform IngramSpark announced their recommended order dates for the holiday season. For the US, hardcover orders should be placed by November 22, and paperback orders by December 6. The UK and Australia share the same recommendation for paperback orders on December 6, while hardcover orders in both regions should be placed by November 28. If you rely on IngramSpark for print distribution, plan ahead and place your orders soon.

IngramSpark is also running a Share and Sell giveaway. Share and Sell lets you create a direct purchase link so readers can buy your book straight from you, and you earn more per sale. Any author who creates a Share and Sell purchase link between now and December 15 will be entered to win a $500 marketing package. The package includes a metadata audit, curated list placement, featured visibility on e-commerce platforms, targeted email placement to more than 25,000 independent retailers, and promotional spotlights.

Bookvault File Proofing Improvements

The UK based print on demand company Bookvault announced a series of upgrades that make file proofing and project management faster and clearer for authors. They introduced virtual 3D proofing, which lets you preview your book in a realistic mockup before it goes to print, along with a new flat proof tool that overlays margins, bleed, and trim lines so layout issues are easier to spot. Foiling now displays on your portal thumbnails, and file uploads have been improved with checks for embedded fonts, barcode validation, and better tracking through a file log. You can also view sprayed edge files, and the new approval flow guides you through reviewing proofs before printing.

They also updated their publishing project tools and templates. Barcode placement is now more reliable, hardback templates show the full wraparound, and box set templates include dimensions. I’m a huge fan of Bookvault and have them slated to fulfill the print run for my Kickstarter campaign, so it’s great to see continued growth in their platform.

Side note: Use coupon code BVDALE to waive three uploads on Bookvault

Apple Books Currency Change in Bulgaria

Apple Books for Authors announced that Bulgaria will adopt the euro on January 1, 2026, which means all book purchases and author earnings in the region will shift from the lev to the euro. Accounts set to the lev will convert automatically on December 1 while all other banking currencies stay the same. Apple Books will update storefront pricing using the fixed conversion rate of 1.95583 lev to 1 euro, and reports, statements, and refunds will reflect the new currency starting in January.

Spotify Rolls Out Audiobook Recaps

Spotify for Authors introduced a new feature called Audiobook Recaps, now in beta for select English titles on iOS. Recaps let listeners return to an audiobook after a break by hearing a short summary of what they have already heard, without spoilers. Spotify built the tool with input from authors and publishers and states that audiobook content is not used for AI training or voice generation. Eligible self-published titles may gain access starting December 13, 2025, with an option to opt out. I think this is a cool feature for listeners and am curious to see how it works as a reader and listener.

AI Tools, Surveys, and the Future of Audiobooks

In a recent newsletter from Jane Friedman’s The Bottom Line, I learned about a new survey conducted by Gotham Ghostwriters and analyst Josh Bernoff that reveals a sharp divide between writers who use AI and those who avoid it. The survey collected nearly 1,500 responses, showing that more than 60 percent of writers use AI at least sometimes while 25% use it daily.

Advanced users tend to view AI as a positive force and report higher incomes, while nonusers feel threatened and overwhelmingly negative about the technology. Fiction writers who avoid AI are the most hostile group, but the broader trend is clear: AI adoption is rising and the skeptics are becoming the minority.

This stood out to me because I have had authors unsubscribe from my YouTube channels over my pro AI stance, yet data like this suggests they are the outliers. As more people explore AI with an open mind, they will see that it has a place in business and is not meant to replace human writers.

The AI assisted audiobook creation platform Spoken just rolled out a major update with Version 1.05. The release introduces their new Pay When Perfect pricing model and chapter by chapter publishing. Authors can now generate narration, refine it, and make unlimited adjustments before paying anything, with a fixed price based on word count replacing the old credit system.

Spoken Studio also now works at the chapter level for tighter control, allowing authors to narrate, perfect, and publish individual chapters as needed. The update adds a larger voice library, workflow improvements, and several fixes. I spent time with the Spoken team at Author Nation, and they were incredibly kind and enthusiastic. Founder Phil Marshall is fired up about making audiobook production more affordable and creator friendly, and this release shows they mean it.

Big shout-out to everyone at the Spoken team!

And Twin Flames Studios released a detailed report on the state of AI audiobooks in 2025, noting that listener interest might be leveling off as AI narrated titles grow. The data shows that only 19% of listeners have tried an AI audiobook, and willingness dropped slightly over the past two years, but the report focuses heavily on the shortcomings of AI voices without acknowledging the core reason authors use them: affordability.

Human narration costs real money, and for many authors, AI is the only viable path to getting an audiobook made. AI narration is not perfect right now, but the technology is improving fast, and I believe it’ll reach human narration quality in due time. I still believe in full transparency and that authors should label their audiobooks as AI narrated. And I agree with the post that multilingual narration still needs native oversight.

But despite skepticism, it’s far too early to judge the long term potential of AI audio. When authors must choose between draining their budget or using AI, many will continue embracing AI. Is that a bad thing? We’ll see in the coming years.

Dibbly Create Launches Book Layout Studio

My preferred writing software, Dibbly Create rolled out Book Layout Studio (BLS), the next evolution of their formatting system. It gives authors more control over their interiors with smart templates, custom elements, and a new section-based workflow for front matter, chapters, and back matter. You can tweak fonts, ornaments, spacing, and dividers, then save everything for future projects.

The update adds real time visual previews so every change appears instantly across print and digital formats. It also brings a smoother editing workflow, letting you jump between text and layout views with a single click.

Side note: BLS produces high quality PDFs and EPUBs that meet both KDP and IngramSpark standards.

Dibbly is hosting a free webinar on November 19 at 11:00am EST to walk through the new features and show how to go from plain manuscript to polished layout. Ten attendees will win either one month of Create Pro or one million tokens. I will be posting a video on my main YouTube channel in the coming weeks showing all the new features, and from what I have seen so far, it looks freakin’ great.

ProWritingAid’s Novel November and Black Friday Sale

ProWritingAid kicked off their first annual Novel November challenge, a free 30 day event that helps writers hit 50,000 words with daily sprints, progress tracking, and live sessions led by bestselling authors. The program integrates with Word, Scrivener, Google Docs, and other writing apps so you can track your word count wherever you work. It includes workshops, and community accountability, plus editing and publishing resources in December.

They’re also running their big Black Friday sale. You can get 50% off yearly and lifetime plans, plus 25% off Story Credits through December 3. I recommend the lifetime plan because I bought it years ago and love never paying a subscription again.

Rapid Fire News Flash

And, here’s a quick snapshot of other noteworthy news items:

• Book Award Pro—the service that helps you find awards, reviews, and editorial reviews—released a new feature that shows the benefits of each award before you enter. You can now see prizes, promotion, and other perks up front. I have earned more than 44 awards through their platform and this update is a solid step up.

• Get Authentic Book Reviews—a compliant review exchange service—announced a return promo with 10 bonus points for past members. Their biggest offer right now is the $65 annual plan, which is a limited time promotion and one of the lowest yearly rates available. They also offer a 10 day free trial and a $5.90 monthly plan. It remains one of the simplest and safest ways to secure verified reviews.

• DropCap Marketplace—a foreign rights platform that helps indie authors reach vetted international publishers—introduced a $25 Agent Evaluation to help authors understand whether their book is ready for foreign rights licensing. It’s an inexpensive way to get realistic feedback before committing to anything bigger. I, for one, will be testing this out next year.

• The Wish I’d Known Then for Writers Podcast released their Author Nation 2025 recap, which includes vendor interviews, conference highlights, and takeaways from the event. They interviewed me during the conference and the episode offers a strong behind the scenes look at what Author Nation provides for authors.

• Kristin McTiernan, the Nonsense Free Editor, posted her honest review of Author Nation 2025 on YouTube. I’m a HUGE fan of her work on YouTube and Substack. We talked briefly a couple of times during the event and she gave me a quick shout out in the video. Her review is candid, fair, and worth watching if you want a straightforward take on the conference.

• This past week, Booklinker hosted a live Amazon Ads webinar featuring Kerrie Flanagan and me. The discussion moved fast and covered practical insights for improving ad visibility and understanding performance. Replays are available for anyone who missed it.

• Michelle Buck released the long form YouTube version of our Substack interview where we talked about YouTube strategy, building book funnels, confidence on camera, and the 114-day challenge that changed my business. It’s a detailed conversation about how I built two channels and a successful self-publishing career.

Final Thoughts

That’s all I have for the news. Did I miss anything from over the past month? Let me know in the comments. Though I took the last few weeks off, I’m officially back in the saddle. So subscribe and tune in every Tuesday for the Self-Publishing News. Till later, this has been Self-Publishing with Dale and I’ll catch you next week.