Audible is rolling out a new ACX royalty model, and indie authors need to understand what's changing. We'll cover the new audiobook royalty rates, concerns around pooled payouts, Spotify for Authors distribution terms, IngramSpark metadata research, AI audiobook tools, and author scams. Stay informed before you make your next publishing move.

• Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link)
• Audible's New Royalty Model Screws Authors - https://open.substack.com/pub/selfpub/p/audiblegate2?r=1nx44v&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true
• ACX: Audible's New Royalty Model - https://help.acx.com/s/article/audible-s-new-royalty-model
• Spotify for Authors Opt-In Audiobook Distribution Terms - https://www.spotify.com/us/legal/spotify-for-authors-opt-in-distribution-terms/
• IngramSpark: Study Finds Improved Metadata Could Boost Sales by Up to 9%* - https://www.ingramspark.com/blog/study-finds-improved-metadata-could-boost-sales-by-up-to-9-percent

Rapid-Fire Newsflash

• Apple Books for Authors - https://authors.apple.com
• Spoken - https://spoken.press
• Spoken: Become a Producer - https://www.spoken.press/producers
• GeniusLink - https://DaleLinks.com/Genius (affiliate link)
• StoryVox (beta) - https://storyvox.app/
• D2D's Self-Publishing Insiders: Scammers are Coming for You! - https://www.youtube.com/live/2EPOnKdNNDY?si=VLm5hPmpPA1httTl
• This Scam Could Cost Authors Real Money - https://youtu.be/pEbnC9PRGgw?si=RUNcHKkoekTMvgf-
• Electric Lit: Author AI Scams Bingo - https://electricliterature.com/author-ai-scams-bingo/

• Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp
• Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships
• Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord
• Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts
• My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks
• Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.

Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding!

- Dale L. Roberts

The FTC just hit Publishing.com and the Mikkelsen Twins with a $1.5 million settlement, and that is only part of this week's self-publishing news. I also cover impersonation scammers targeting authors, Spotify expanding deeper into audiobooks and print discovery with Bookshop.org, a helpful new KDP Select calculator from Kindlepreneur, and more rapid-fire updates authors need to know. If you care about self-publishing news, author scams, audiobook growth, and the latest publishing industry shifts, this one is worth your attention.

• Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link)
• Publishing.com to Pay $1.5 Million for Misleading Consumers about How Much Income They Could Earn Using the Company's Products and Services - https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/04/publishingcom-pay-15-million-misleading-consumers-about-how-much-income-they-could-earn-using
• Kindlepreneur: KENP Calculator: Know What a Kindle Unlimited Reader Is Actually Worth - https://kindlepreneur.com/kenp-calculator/?aff=18
• Spotify Expands Audiobook Features, and Printed Book Sales Go Live in the US and UK - https://newsroom.spotify.com/2026-04-15/audiobook-charts-recaps-page-match-bookshop-update/
• Spoken: What Did the "Your Story" Winner Webinar Reveal? - https://www.spoken.press/the-spoken-chronicle/your-story-grand-prize

Rapid-Fire Newsflash

• ProWritingAid: Plot Analysis - https://prowritingaid.com/features/plot-analysis?afid=6615
• Book Brush: Launch Smarter: Build Your Newsletter, Website, and ARC Team Before Your Book Hits - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/gr1FVJtBSzOwv4qYost18Q#/registration
• Twin Flames Studios: Great Books Aren't Written—They're Edited - https://twinflamesstudios.com/book-editing-authors/
• The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast: Marketing Your Books Using Video, with Dale L. Roberts and Matty Dalrymple - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-marketing-your-books-using-video/
• Indie Author Magazine: Email Marketing That Turns Readers Into Fans (and Buyers) - https://webinars.indieauthortraining.com/replays/

• Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp
• Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships
• Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord
• Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts
• My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks
• Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.

Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding!

- Dale L. Roberts