Audible makes improvement to transparency of audiobook returns

Audible subsidiary Audiobook Creation Exchange (ACX) is offering greater transparency on audiobook returns, following pressure from the Society of Authors and the Authors Guild.

From March 2021, authors will be able to see details of returns on their dashboard, which will be reflected in their financial statements.

In a blog update, ACX said: "We’re committed to making Audible and ACX the best experience it can be for our creative community, and we’ve heard your feedback. We have been hard at work building a new reporting system to reflect details on returns, including returned units by title. Starting in March 2021, you’ll be able to see this data on your ACX Sales Dashboard. This data will also be included in your monthly financial statements for March 2021 and the following months. We appreciate your patience as we invest the time and resources to make these updates to the dashboard and our backend systems, so that we can expand reporting details for our thousands of creators. As of January 1, 2021, we are paying royalties on any return made more than seven days after purchase."

The Audible subsidiary added: "We are also making other changes to our ACX policies to provide more flexibility, which we know is important to you. Effective February 1, ACX Rights Holders of DIY or Pay-for-Production titles that have been on sale for 90 or more days can convert their distribution type from exclusive to non-exclusive. In addition, all ACX Rights Holders will have the option to terminate after 90 days of distribution, but Rights Holders with Royalty Share or Royalty Share Plus deals must provide producer consent when making their request. More details about this update will come in the payments letter that will be sent next week."

In November, the Authors Guild has sent an open letter to Audible, demanding the company make changes to its policy on returns. Bowing to pressure, the company later announced it was changing its policy to pay royalties on any return made more than seven days after purchase. Speaking to The Bookseller in November, Nicola Solomon, chief executive of the Society of Authors, said the organisation was pleased to see Audible intended to reduce the returns period, but added that "concerns remain".