2 for 1 Audible Sale: A Blessing or a Curse for Authors?

Audible's recent decision to allow customers to return audiobooks and exchange them for new titles has sparked controversy among authors. On November 20, a group of writers sent a letter to the company expressing their concerns about the policy, which they believe is not just a return or exchange program, but a rental or subscription arrangement that robs them of their rightful royalties.

According to the letter, Audible's system allows customers to use one subscription credit to listen to an entire series of books, rather than just one audiobook. This has led to some authors losing tens of thousands of dollars in revenue due to the high rates of return. The letter states that thousands of authors have seen losses to their income as a result of this policy, with rates of return ranging from 15% to as much as 50% or more over time.

Audible's response to these concerns was that the system is designed to help listeners discover new content and take a chance on audiobooks. However, authors argue that this is not what they signed up for when they agreed to Audible's terms of service. They claim that Audible has put books into a de facto subscription program without notifying or asking them, and that this is in breach of their non-negotiable agreement.

The situation has raised questions about the fairness of Audible's policies and whether authors are being fairly compensated for their work. With the audiobook market booming and sales up 42% to £56m in the first half of this year, it is clear that there is a lot at stake. As one author put it, 'If Audible wishes to continue to permit the returns and exchanges of audiobooks after more than a reasonable time, say 48 hours, then Audible must do so at its own expense and pay authors the royalties due for the sales.

2 for 1 audible sale