One of the publishers I narrate for, Hedon Press, has run afoul of Amazon / Audible. I just learned that 11 audiobooks I narrated are being taken down. (Yes, it's rotten.) I'm in talks with Audible, more on that as I know more.
The audiobooks are for the moment still for sale through Apple Books. If you want them, get them FAST before they're gone for good.
The books are already coming down from Apple Books. I don't know how long it will take. I am only paid in royalties on these so I'm going to take a loss on 11 books, which hurts.
If you have any interest in any of these books, please buy them now, while you can. It's my last chance to make any money back on producing them. It would really help.
My other audiobooks are all still available, it's just Hedon Press's books that are being taken down.
I am losing a significant portion of my audiobook catalogue thanks to this fiasco, so if you'd like to buy any of my other books, you can find them all here: https://adaraastin.ck.page/87de3a4c9f
I have email and calls into the production arm of Audible (ACX.com). It's the weekend, everything's closed, I don't have good answers yet. I'm also wiped out, busy with my other job, and the timing is not superb.
I should have a better idea what's up, and how it potentially affects other people in the erotica community, in the next few days or so. I'll keep you all posted as I learn more -- not as spectacle, but as solidarity.
I emailed and ultimately got on the phone last week with ACX.com and it turns out I can't speak directly to the department in charge of taking down the audiobooks, nor could anyone explain to me exactly what happened or why, but the customer service person I spoke to has submitted a request to review my case.
I don't think anything will come of it but I'm doing what I can.
Meanwhile, the Forbidden Hedon Press #audiobooks are still on Apple for now. Please buy them wile you can!
"The only information we can provide was the one added to the email sent in July 8, 2023. The titles were removed because they were been identified to be in violation; further details can't be provided for security purposes.
Please direct your concerns to the email address we sent in August 1, 2023.
I do not have any additional information to provide. This is the last word on the matter."
I signed contracts to narrate audiobooks to be paid in royalties for 7 years. I am now being paid nothing, with no termination fee.
ACX/Audible will not specifically tell me why.
ACX/Audible will not provide info on what steps I can take.
They have given me the book author's email address in the hopes I guess that I ask them for a termination fee and with no leverage they just fork out a huge amount of money.
I cannot in good faith recommend that anyone sign a contract through ACX to be paid in whole or in part in royalties because ACX/Audible is prepared to take down audiobooks without warning to narrators and leave us no recourse to be paid for our work.
I'm horrified that this is the outcome of my case. Please avoid this situation for yourselves.
@bookstodon@AudioFiction@audiobooks@AdaraAstin I am not a lawyer, but “in violation” sounds like audible commissioned you to record a book they didn’t have the rights to. A real lawyer might tell you if you have any right to sue audible, but my guess (without having seen the contract) is no.
That said, you may still have legal ownership of your recording, which is potentially useful if (and only if) you can get the approval of whoever actually owns the rights to the book/s (which is presumably not the person/people that audible original thought it was).
@BenAveling@bookstodon@AudioFiction@AdaraAstin Who actually commissioned you to do the audiobook? Was it audible or was it an author, or was it the publisher? If it was the publisher, then there is something really wrong happening here because publishers usually acquire these audiobook rights unless they were given to the author. If they were given to the author, and the publisher told you to record the audiobook anyway, that publisher is in serious Violation of so many contracts. I would strongly advise you not work with the publisher in the future if this is the case
If Amazon/Audible decides to pull your audio book because the erotica is now in violation for reasons known only to Amazon-- there is nothing the author/publisher can do either
Ask me how I know...
In the old ACX royalty share deals, the author/publisher & narrator split the royalties evenly-- if Amazon/Audible removes the book, there are no more royalties to split 1/2
In my case, the biggest sales of the audios were early in their release cycle, there was no way they were going to keep earning significant money for 7 years anyway so...
>but "in violation" sounds ... did not have the rights to.
"for security purposes" is usually used for internal reasons.
Were the audiobooks pulled for copyright or related reasons, the usual wording would be "for legal reasons".
@AdaraAstin I didn't know paying a narrator in royalties was even an option but regarding Amazon, they have taken down my books for some reason or other and I never found out why. Sometimes it's just the word "virgin" in the title or description. I doubt a real human ever looked at any of it, neither my books nor my appeals.
I'm so sorry for you! Please know that this is in no way unique. See if you can negotiate something with the author 😟
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