KDP and ACX Are in Trouble (UPDATE)

Amazon KDP finally has some competition by way of IngramSpark with their latest updates. Spotify is stepping up BIG time by offering an unheard of royalty for audiobooks that is double the royalty ACX (Audible) offer. If you're currently getting little to no sales in your self publishing business, then, it's time to consider distribution with Findaway Voices over Audiobook Creation Exchange, and IngramSpark with Kindle Direct Publishing.

Get answers to what would be the best choice when I weigh-in on the KDP and ACX vs IngramSpark and Findaway Voices.

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- Dale L. Roberts

[DaleLRoberts]

🔥😎 What are your thoughts about the latest updates and news? Is there any piece you like best? Or, do you think things are quite as positive as I make them out to be?

[ryanwriter]

Spotify hasn't done well by artists on the music side—it feels like this is an effort to gain market share, lock in customers and suppliers. Not sure that it's going to remain a favorable situation for authors and publishers.

[traveltipsvideos]

Dale, I am an ardent follower of your channel. I am a newbie. I had been educating myself on self publishing using KDP by following your videos as well as from other authors for the past 2 months. I even purchased tools like Publisher Rocket. I am now at the stage where I am ready to create my first book on KDP. This video of yours unsettles me somewhat. What do you advise - to carry on with KDP, or to start learning other publication platforms like Kobo? Will there be tools that are Kobo-specific, just like a Publisher Rocket which is KDP specific?

[abiodunsoboyejo]

Fantastic information Dale! Thank you so much. Better Options for authors has been long overdue and a breath of fresh air!

[vegasrenie]

All of this is really valuable information, especially as I save up my $$$$ to be able to afford the narrators I want for my book and while I'm working on the rest of my series. You always have so much great information, Dale. Thank you so much!

[onsmashofficial]

Appreciate the information.. answered all my questions perfectly

[PublishWithAndy]

Spot on as usual! KDP, ACX, they know they got the majority of market share and they behave like a monopoly - aka they do whatever they want, when they want, because they can. Same with other channels that shall not be named. Who loses out? The people who aren't able to defend themselves, like small time writers, authors, indie publishers :(
I hope there will be some positive changes to come in the future, but don't hold your breath!

[authortommcauliffe]

Very well said….. and that’s why I, you and many others have been pushing ALLi and KDP to establish an Authors Ombusdsman program or vehicle so that Authors can get the answers they need to run their businesses. As I have said… with KDP It’s not the answer is no… It’s that there’s no answer.

[ondatabletstore]

often acx asks for proof of chain of the title, you send them the documents and they close your account. I asked them what documents they want but they answer that they can't tell you. ACX is the craziest platform ever

[ButterflyLullabyLtd]

Is Barnes and Noble a place that recognised self-published books? Your videos are very helpful. I wish Borders was still around in the UK. They were a very kind USA book and music shop. Borders sold my fairy tale books and even let me promote them with the fairy peg doll kits. Waterstones advertises my book, but claims it's not available. They have turned away sales. So cruel. There are so many Elite British Brick rules in the UK that prevent the little person from moving up the ladder.

I believe in teamwork. And appreciate all your videos because they take time, effort and a lot of research and self experience. Thank you Dale for sharing your expert advice. 🦋👍

[SamanthaTegg]

I am working on a series of printable activity books, would Etsy be a good place to look at for distribution?

[guillaumemaurice]

I found this video by accident...so glad I did! On Amazon KDP I only sell my main genre (Erotic-Comedy) there (non-erotica on D2D). At this present time I have one of my e-books on Amazon that is also an audio-book (ACX); when I get more money I am planning to have other Erotic-Comedies as audio-books. Listening to this really did give me an eye-opener; I did a little while ago have my audio-book as a non-exclusive and I am planning to have that particular audio-book on Authors Republic. At the moment I am a little confused on what to do to have other audio-books made as I am on a very tight budget. Thank you for the video Dale, that was great information.

[zeelowsguys]

Hi I’m from New Zealand and looking at options sounds like findaway voices could be the go. Especially with the royalty percentages. But do they make you sign into a fixed term contract with them ? Regards Matt

[kcyung]

Hi Dale, I have been watching your videos, one after another. I am in my late 60 and getting ready to publish my first nonfiction.
Can I publish with KDP and IngramSpark at the same time and audio with Shoptify? If you was me, how would you start? Thank you in advance.

[adrianmihail]

I submitted my first audiobook on ACX done by Speechelo - it got rejected (I didn't know you need a human narrator) What do you advise? I can't do it myself because I have an accent and narrators are asking $$$. Thanks.

[PattyWrites]

Excellent information, Dale. I appreciate all your hard work keeping us informed. Thank you. 🙂

[robertplantwrites]

You are a wealth of knowledge. This is why I have notifications turned on for your videos 🛎️

[t.k.bounds]

Goes to show how the old business axiom holds true. You need at least three businesses offering the same service(s) for prices to drop.

[highergroundbooksmedia]

Thank you for this information. As an independent publisher, I'm especially interested in finding better ways to distribute books and audio. This is the information I've been looking for.

[GeekyDadReviews]

Hi does your monthly program show how or where to upload children's short story books other than KDP?

I upload them to KDP but then not sure what or where to upload them next. Or even how to.

Also do you show how to convert our books to different formats such as pdf to ipub?

Thanks