Guide · Audible & ACX · checked 11 Nov 2026

Audible's new royalty model: what to decide before year-end

ASTRALX Studio · AI-assisted research, human-checked

If you sell audiobooks through ACX, every title still on the old terms needs a decision before the end of 2026. Audible says that by year-end the legacy royalty model will be discontinued, and titles must be enrolled in the new model to stay on sale.

What changes

• New rates: 50% for exclusive distribution (Audible, Amazon and Apple Books), 30% for non-exclusive.
• A new base: royalties are a share of each listener's monthly Member Value (their plan price minus taxes and fees, plus extra credits), split among the titles they engaged with by à la carte price. A higher percentage on a different base isn't automatically a raise.
• Pricing: you can suggest a price, but Audible sets it and can change it.
• All You Can Listen: enrolled titles can opt into the Premium plan's AYCL catalog; Audible chooses which opted-in titles appear.

The decision, title by title

1. Enrol, exclusive (50%) if the audiobook only sells through Audible, Amazon and Apple Books.
2. Enrol, non-exclusive (30%) if you also sell it elsewhere, such as Spotify, Kobo or libraries.
3. Withdraw if you'd rather move the title off Audible entirely.

According to Audible's statement to the Alliance of Independent Authors, there's no option to stay on the old terms: from 1 January 2027 ACX will begin withdrawing titles that haven't been enrolled. They can be reinstated later, with reviews and rankings intact, but only on the new terms. The same statement puts the minimum exclusivity term at 90 days.

Timing: why late November is safer than late December

ACX says an enrolment takes effect on the 1st of the following month. Enrol in November and it applies from 1 December, before the old model ends. Enrol in late December and it only applies from 1 January, the day withdrawals begin. ALLi likewise recommends treating the end of November as your own deadline, in case the portal has problems.

How to enrol

1. Sign in at acx.com and open My Projects.
2. Use Enroll titles in the blue banner, for all titles or selected ones.
3. Confirm, then watch your ACX message centre for the confirmation.

Audiobooks you claimed on ACX after 26 May 2026 are enrolled automatically.

Your checklist

• List every ACX title and where else each one is sold.
• Choose exclusive or non-exclusive for each, using that list.
• Decide on All You Can Listen per title, not for the whole catalog.
• Enrol by 30 November and keep the confirmation message.
• Check your first monthly statement under the new model for qualified listens and member value.

Want a title-by-title plan? The KDP series audit (up to 5 books, $130) includes an Audible plan alongside Kindle+, Virtual Voice and Translate decisions. One question only? Email us.

Sources

• ACX Blog: Audible's new royalty model (updated 16 Oct 2026)
• Audible: the new royalty model
• ALLi: what you need to decide before 31 December (14 Oct 2026)

Not affiliated with Audible, ACX or Amazon. Not legal or financial advice. Rules change; check ACX before acting.