Thread by @wdfpodcast

Hello Audible subscribers and audiobook listeners out there!

Audiobooks [AB] are a really handy way to absorb a book without sitting down to read. I, for one, would be lost without them.

But... there is an unfortunate truth about Audible which is virtually unknown.

THREAD

Presenting: Audible-gate.

This controversy revolves around Audible's shady practices, which had included a bizarre returns policy, where the consumer could return their AB whenever they pleased, and the PRODUCER shouldered the cost.

But that's not even the worst of it...

Though their returns policy have since been improved - but not fixed - when you dig down into the nitty-gritty of how royalties are calculated for your AB, things become even more depressing.

As AB producers, we're supposed to get 40% if we host our AB exclusively in Audible, or 25% if we go 'wide' and use other retailers.

These payment terms are very low, considering the costs involved for us.

Still we sign the contract, so what can you do?

Well, in the last year or so it's been discovered that Audible IS NOT paying these rates.

Not even close.

Despite the fact that yes, it's in our contract.

So, what royalty rate DOES Audible pay its producers?

Well, I hope you're sitting down...

❗️ That 40% for exclusivity is more like 21%.

❗️ That 25% for non-exclusivity is more like 13%.

How?

WHY?

Because Audible is owned by Amazon, and the Zon have established practices aimed at shafting the creators and publishers on its platforms.

It does this by relying on shady income reporting for producers - most of whom aren't even aware of Audible-gate, and just want to power through.

It also uses vague terms like "Net Sales", which it manipulates at will, leaving creators shafted.

In her investigation of these practices, forensic accountant Colleen Cross noted that "these 'Net Sales' adjustments amount to a 50% deduction from the retail selling price."

Her calculations are all here:
audiblegate.com/post/audible-r…

Yes, it took a FORENSIC ACCOUNTANT to investigate this controversy, and get to the bottom of what Audible/Amazon is doing.

In short, when you buy an Audiobook on Audible, up to 87% of the money could be going to Audible.

If you've used the Audible store, you may not be aware that Audible don't produce or publish any of the ABs there.

Audible basically holds them in a public storefront.

This is useful, for sure, but does it warrant Audible taking between 79-87% of the royalty for itself?

Us creators say NO.

We put in the work, we invest the money, we do the promotion.

And yet, it is Audible that makes the money - more money than they should be making, according to the contract we sign.

"Complain and contact Audible support" you might be saying.

There's virtually no point. Audible's support is mostly run by bots, who tell you different things depending on how you word the question.

Like I said, shady.

I genuinely believe that if more people knew about this, Audible/Amazon would be put under more pressure to do what is right, and pay creators what is owed to them in their contract.

That's the bare minimum of what they're obliged to do.

Audible backed down before, over the returns controversy, so these campaigns do work!

Learn more about the return practices here:
theguardian.com/books/2020/nov….

It may be tempting to see Audible as merely a stylish, accessible Audiobook player, but it is so much more than that.

Through ACX, its creator content and payment platform, Audible has been fleecing creators for years.

But then again, should we really be surprised?

After all, if you publish an e-book in Amazon's Kindle store, authors are charged 15 cent for every megabyte in file size.

Unaware authors could lose as much as 60 cent, before the royalties are even applied.

Amazon is the only e-book distributor that does this.

Amazon fleeces authors just like Audible fleeces audiobook producers.

It's two sides of the same greedy coin.

And Amazon get away with it, because for the sake of exposure, authors will swallow these rubbish rates. Most probably don't even know about them.

As I said, shady.

So, this is my plea.

First of all, retweet this thread and use #Audiblegate

What Amazon loathes above all is bad publicity, but it also loathes an informed consumer and producer base even more.

Let's make sure everyone knows how shady this all is.

Second, pledge to aid the Audiblegate Legal Fund, which is actively taking Amazon to court over these nefarious, dishonest practices.

Of course, they're the little guy facing a billionaire's lawyers, so the fight will be tough - but Amazon have backed down before!

Third, think carefully about how you consume Audiobooks.

Would you be open to using another app, or buying directly from authors? Try to think outside the box a bit, and do your part to help reduce Amazon's monopoly.

You don't need to delete Audible or change your whole life, but you should be aware that Audible is floating on monies it should never have received in the first place.

You should also be aware how damaging and demoralising this is for the people that make audiobooks possible.

Jeff Bezos can afford to send a rocket dick into space, but he can't abide by the contracts signed with producers?

Come on.

So please Retweet this, join in the discussion on #Audiblegate and let's make sure Audible can't deny the problem any longer!

Thanks for reading 🤓