Amazon announced in a blog post it has come up with a new royalty model that will enable creators to monetize more varied content types. Amazon said it devised the new royalty model after engaging extensively with the authors and publishers and taking into account their feedback on this. The company also said the new model will mean better business opportunities for the authors and publishers as more titles qualify for generating royalty than ever before. This applies to even those titles that are part of Amazon’s all-you-can-listen plan, Audible Plus.
That is not all as the new business model aims to offer enhanced insights to publishers and creators. Participants opting into this model will receive monthly statements and royalty payments that are aimed to facilitate prompt decision-making. Additionally, they will gain further insights into how listener engagement affects their earnings.
As for the way the new royalty model is calculated, Audible said it takes into consideration a member’s plan value, which can be Plus or Premium Plus and adds to it any additional credits that might have been used. This total is then divided among the titles that the member listened to during the month. The resulting amount, multiplied by the agreed-upon royalty rate, constitutes the creator’s royalty payment.
“Audible is a home for creators, and we are focused on both existing and emerging voices—working hand in hand with them to make sure their content is reaching the right audiences,” said Rachel Ghiazza, Chief Content Officer, at the London Book Fair in March.
To participate in the updated royalty model, audiobook publishers can contact their Audible representatives or get in touch with Audible via email – uspublisherpartnerships@audible.com for further details. Audible will provide further guidance on the next steps for ACX authors in the upcoming months. Meanwhile, it is going to be interesting to see how authors react to the new business model.