I've done a search, but can't find this mentioned yet, so apologies if it is covered elsewhere here!
I've been watching this unfold for a while (I've got 9 audios out with ACX themselves), but it came to breaking point on a FB group for authors/narrators with audios they have out with Audible-ACX.
Gist of the compliant:
Listeners can return audios for up to 364 days, read or unread, and the money is not only retracted for the author/narrator's sales up to that deadline, but evidence of returns are ghosting on royalty reports. Audible's sales policy is: return any audio, no questions asked, for up to 364 days.
It's being reported that some listeners have openly gone on social media exploiting the system, with some saying they've read a whole series on just one code. The open letter to ACX hit it right on the head with this statement:
At the moment, some changes have sneaked in, like you can't return an audio that came via a reviewing code (authors and narrators get 25 each for both US and UK markets, with another 25 for each allowed after 100 sales have been made on that audio (so 200 codes in total). Authors and narrators don't get paid for those codes in any way now (they used to). So it's there how these guys are protecting themselves and the free codes with being unable to return them.
Audible's response so far has been the return policy only applies to long-standing customers with a good reputation with them. But for any new listener signing up, the first thing they see is: "Return, no questions asked, for up to 365 days".
As of now, Writer Beware reports the following are involved:
I wish they'd mentioned authors and narrators, but hopefully it will at least shift their ear in the author/narrator's direction. Some authors looking at first-time contracts with Audible-ACX are being warned by their chosen narrators about all of this, and authors are rightly putting signing anything on hold.
If you'd like to support the Author's Guild letter, it can be found here: Sign Our Letter and Tell Audible to Stop Charging Authors for Returns.
I've been watching this unfold for a while (I've got 9 audios out with ACX themselves), but it came to breaking point on a FB group for authors/narrators with audios they have out with Audible-ACX.
Gist of the compliant:
Listeners can return audios for up to 364 days, read or unread, and the money is not only retracted for the author/narrator's sales up to that deadline, but evidence of returns are ghosting on royalty reports. Audible's sales policy is: return any audio, no questions asked, for up to 364 days.
It's being reported that some listeners have openly gone on social media exploiting the system, with some saying they've read a whole series on just one code. The open letter to ACX hit it right on the head with this statement:
At the moment, some changes have sneaked in, like you can't return an audio that came via a reviewing code (authors and narrators get 25 each for both US and UK markets, with another 25 for each allowed after 100 sales have been made on that audio (so 200 codes in total). Authors and narrators don't get paid for those codes in any way now (they used to). So it's there how these guys are protecting themselves and the free codes with being unable to return them.
Audible's response so far has been the return policy only applies to long-standing customers with a good reputation with them. But for any new listener signing up, the first thing they see is: "Return, no questions asked, for up to 365 days".
As of now, Writer Beware reports the following are involved:
I wish they'd mentioned authors and narrators, but hopefully it will at least shift their ear in the author/narrator's direction. Some authors looking at first-time contracts with Audible-ACX are being warned by their chosen narrators about all of this, and authors are rightly putting signing anything on hold.
If you'd like to support the Author's Guild letter, it can be found here: Sign Our Letter and Tell Audible to Stop Charging Authors for Returns.
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