Amazon continues to upset the publishing industry, this time going around publishers to offer authors $20 million for going audio. If an author is willing to let Audible, the Amazon-owned audiobook powerhouse, sell their book then Amazon will give them $1 per book:
The Amazon-owned digital audiobooks site Audible.com is launching a new program, “Audible Author Services,” that pays audiobook authors $1 per sale through Audible.com, Audible.co.uk, and iTunes, out of a $20 million fund. The audiobook publishers do not receive any of the funds.
To sign up, authors must make their titles available as audiobooks through Audible.com. Once they enroll their books in the program, Audible says, they will:
- Receive an honorarium of $1 per unit sold.
- Obtain samples and links from Audible for use in social media, blogs, or on their websites.
- Gain direct interaction with Audible marketing and merchandising teams; and
- Obtain a free copy of their audiobook from Audible.
via Paid Content
All of this amidst a Department of Justice probe into e-book price-fixing that charged many major publishing houses and Apple, yet, conspicuously left Amazon out.
It certainly does appear that Amazon has a death wish for certain areas of the publishing industry and is largely succeeding at that.