About this episode

James Blatch and Cissy Mecca discuss the changes to Audible and ACX, focusing on the new royalty model and audiobook distribution strategies for indie authors.

This week on The Self-Publishing Show, James Blatch and Cissy Mecca discuss the major changes coming to Audible and ACX, including the new royalty model and updated enrolment requirements for audiobook authors. They explore what these changes could mean for indie publishers, the growing opportunities in wide audio distribution, and why authors may want to think beyond Audible. Alongside the industry discussion, there's plenty of SPS banter covering podcast microphones, pop filters, romance conferences, and the ever-changing publishing landscape. Key Talking Points Audible's new royalty model and ACX enrolment changes What indie authors need to know about audiobook distribution updates Exclusive versus wide audio strategies Direct audiobook sales using platforms like BookFunnel Spotify's increasing presence in the audiobook market Concerns around royalty transparency and reporting Why authors need to remain flexible as publishing evolves SPS banter about podcasting, microphones, and author life Links & Resources Mentioned ProWritingAid: https://prowritingaid.com Use code IWC15 for 15% off annual subscriptions. ACX: https://www.acx.com BookFunnel: https://bookfunnel.com…

People in this episode

Host: James Blatch

Guest: Cissy Mecca

Topics covered

• audiobook distribution
• royalty model changes
• indie publishing
• wide audio strategies
• royalty transparency
• podcasting equipment
• publishing landscape

Keywords

• audiobook
• royalty model
• ACX
• indie authors
• BookFunnel
• Spotify
• publishing changes
• podcasting
• microphones

Sponsors

ProWritingAid

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Audible, ACX, BookFunnel, Spotify, ProWritingAid

Books & works: The New Rules of Book Discovery PDF

More episodes of The Self Publishing Show

• SPS-456: The Robot Read My Backlist · July 16, 2026 · 43 min
• SPS-455: Lessons From Rock 'n' Roll · July 9, 2026 · 57 min
• SPS-454: Launching a New Series · July 2, 2026 · 49 min
• SPS-453: Three Questions Every Author Should Ask · June 25, 2026 · 51 min
• SPS-452: Lessons from London · June 18, 2026 · 39 min
• SPS-451: Live at The Self Publishing Show · June 12, 2026 · 27 min

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The Self Publishing Show podcast page.