Nail in Audible’s coffin

Summary

The video critiques Audible's evolving audiobook royalty system, particularly its AI narration model, which threatens to undermine authors' income and ownership of their works. The speaker highlights how Audible's new strategy, involving AI-generated audiobooks and a streaming model, could negatively impact both authors and publishers. The system allows rapid, low-quality book production and could lead to monopolistic behavior, as Audible aims to dominate the audiobook market. The speaker warns of long-term consequences for creators and consumers, urging industry stakeholders to take action against these misleading practices.

Takeaways

• 📚 Audible is introducing a new royalty model that could disadvantage authors who do not participate in their streaming service.
• 🤖 Audible plans to integrate AI-narrated audiobooks through KDP, potentially flooding the Audible Plus catalog with automated content.
• 💰 Authors using Virtual Voice for AI narration can quickly create audiobooks from their KDP ebooks, with royalties of 40% on sales.
• 🔓 KDP Select audiobooks created via AI are automatically included in Audible's Plus catalog and eligible for the KDP Select Global Fund.
• ⚠️ This system could allow anyone to quickly generate and publish AI-narrated books, affecting payouts to traditional authors.
• 📊 Kindle Unlimited has around 4 million titles, many of which could become part of this AI-driven streaming pool, impacting authors' earnings.
• 🏛️ Audible's implementation appears convoluted, with potentially misleading communications to authors, publishers, narrators, and consumers.
• 🎭 Audible’s promises of a controlled, small pool of AI audiobooks seem inconsistent with their public KDP statements.
• 📉 This shift from purchase-based audiobooks to a streaming-based system could diminish authors’ and consumers’ ownership rights over content.
• 🚨 The rollout of AI narration and the streaming system could have long-term negative consequences for authors, publishers, narrators, and the audiobook industry at large.
• 🕵️ The speaker urges booktubers, publishers, and consumers to raise awareness and scrutinize Audible’s messaging and public documentation.
• 🎯 Overall, the system benefits Audible and select participants while potentially exploiting other authors, publishers, and industry professionals.

Q & A

What is the main concern expressed in the transcript regarding Audible's new royalty model?

The main concern is that Audible's new royalty model and AI-generated audiobook initiative could reduce income for authors who do not participate in their streaming service, effectively subsidizing it at the expense of non-participating authors.

How does Audible's 'Virtual Voice' system work for authors on KDP?

Virtual Voice allows authors to create AI-narrated audiobooks in minutes by selecting an eligible ebook, choosing from 80 AI voices, setting a price, and previewing the narration. Authors receive a 40% royalty on sales, and titles are included in the Audible Plus catalog if part of KDP Select.

What is the relationship between KDP Select and Kindle Unlimited?

KDP Select is an author program requiring exclusivity to Kindle, while Kindle Unlimited is a reader-facing subscription service. Titles in KDP Select are included in Kindle Unlimited and eligible for a share of the KDP Select Global Fund.

Why does the speaker believe Audible's AI audiobook system could be problematic for the market?

The speaker believes mass inclusion of AI-generated audiobooks could dilute royalties, devalue human narration, and shift the audiobook industry toward a streaming-first model where ownership is limited, hurting authors, publishers, narrators, and potentially consumers.

What proof is cited in the transcript that Audible intends to use AI-generated audiobooks widely?

The proof comes from Audible's own KDP website, where instructions for creating AI-narrated audiobooks clearly show that these titles can be included in KDP Select and Audible Plus, making them eligible for royalties and inclusion in the streaming service.

What does the transcript suggest about Audible's communication with publishers and authors?

The transcript suggests Audible has been misleading, providing conflicting or vague information to authors and publishers about pool size, exclusivity, and royalty impacts, while relying on the lack of communication within the publishing industry to implement the system quietly.

How could AI-generated audiobooks be exploited by individuals or companies?

Individuals could generate ebooks quickly with AI tools, upload them to KDP, and convert them into AI-narrated audiobooks. This allows them to profit without human involvement, potentially reducing earnings for other authors and overwhelming the system with low-quality content.

What are the potential long-term consequences for authors and consumers?

Authors may experience reduced royalties and loss of control over their works. Consumers may lose ownership of audiobooks, as titles are tied to a streaming service rather than outright purchases, and publishers may struggle to protect their rights and revenues.

Why does the speaker compare Audible's model to Spotify's streaming system?

The comparison is made to illustrate how streaming platforms can obscure earnings and pay creators minimal amounts per use, implying that Audible's model could similarly underpay authors and concentrate power in the platform's favor.

What actions does the speaker encourage viewers to take?

The speaker encourages BookTubers, authors, publishers, and the public to raise awareness by sharing information about Audible's AI audiobook program, tagging publishers on social media, and highlighting the evidence publicly available on KDP's website.

How does the transcript describe Audible's internal organization in relation to implementing this system?

The transcript suggests that different departments within Audible and Amazon may be misaligned, with some staff enforcing the new system while others attempt to maintain a facade, creating confusion and allowing potentially harmful policies to be rolled out unintentionally or deliberately.

Why does the speaker believe that publishers are particularly vulnerable to this change?

Publishers are seen as vulnerable due to historically poor communication and limited digital marketing savviness, making them less likely to catch or respond effectively to the changes, leaving authors and the publishing industry exposed to reduced revenues and control.