I’ve had some questions about the events of earlier today, so I’m going to do my best to explain the problem in layman’s terms, what will happen from here, and how you can get audiobooks without worrying about them being yanked out of your collection. (Something that ALL of the vendors tend to do.)
I’ll begin with what happened and why I had to remove my audiobooks from distribution most everywhere.
I’ll break this down a bit:
“Accordingly, you hereby grant Spotify a non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free, fully paid, irrevocable, worldwide license”
Translation: You technically still “own” the content, but so do we, and we can do literally whatever we want with it WITHOUT paying you anything into eternity.
“worldwide license to reproduce, make available, perform and display, translate, modify, create derivative works from (such as transcripts of User Content), distribute, and otherwise use any such User Content through any medium”
Translation: we meant it. we will do WHATEVER we want with it WITHOUT paying you for it. Ever.
Oh, and you can’t complain if they use your material however they want. That’s what the last bit means.
So, for example, they could take Susie’s Christian themed romance and turn it into a rape-themed erotica, and Susie would not be able to do anything about it. That is an extreme example, but that is what that last line in the big paragraph essentially means.
They can LITERALLY do anything they want.
Am I bitter? Oh yes, I’m bitter.
Here’s the list of vendors that I can no longer distribute to due to these terms:
- 24symbols
- Anyplay
- Audiobooks.com
- AudiobooksNow
- Beek
- Bokus Play
- Bookmate
- Books-A-Million
- Chirp
- Cliq
- Downpour
- Everand (Scribd)
- Google Play
- Instaread
- Kobo, Walmart
- Libro.FM
- Milkbox
- My Audiobook Library
- Nextory
- NOOK Audiobooks
- Radish
- Spotify
- Storytel
- TuneIn
- Ubook
- Axiell
- Baker & Taylor
- Bibliotheca
- Follett
- hoopla
- MLOL
- Odilo
- Overdrive
- Ulverscroft
- Wheelers
- 3Leaf Group
Kobo distribution is in process of being restored. I am reaching out to some of the more popular vendors to see if I can gain access to them directly.
For now, I really recommend that you purchase directly from my Patreon store. Why?
You get to download the mp3s. Vendors can’t yank them away from you. Yes, you will have to use some form of mp3 manager to manage your files, but… the files are yours. When you buy from Patreon, you buy a one copy license; you can have that one copy, and that’s that. If you want to buy a copy as a gift, just do what I do… and open a second Patreon account to buy the second license. (Yes, you can have more than one Patreon account.) Each Patreon account can have one copy/one license, so if you need extra licenses, that’s the easiest way to do it.
You can access the Patreon store here.
I am almost done uploading the Royal States series. (I need to finish preparing Runaway and the Vampire of Montana for upload, but otherwise, the rest of the series is already available in the Patreon store.)
Over the course of the next week or so, you’ll see the 53 audiobooks that have already been produced be added to the Patreon store.
Audible is safe to purchase from. Audible has its problems, but while they don’t pay well and try to get as much money out of authors as possible, they honor intellectual property, unlike Findaway Voices / Spotify.
I am truly sorry about this, but with those terms, I cannot leave my books up on those vendors.
I can’t afford to lose the eternal rights and ultimately compete against a huge corporation with my books.
Yes, these terms would let them rip the books, convert to ebook format, and sell them on Amazon without paying me or my consent.
So, I hope each and every one of you accepts my apologies for the inconveniences this absolutely is causing. I just can’t afford the consequences of these terms changes. I’m sorry.
That’s the trouble when so many businesses are owned by 1. You do what you have to do. I hope you can organise something but you have to do it. I support you.
It’s not owned by one, it’s a distribution outlet, so they distribute to all those vendors, most of which don’t allow/have authors submitting direct options, unfortunately. it’s a huge problem. 🙁
You shouldn’t apologize for wanting to protect your life’s work. You aren’t the problem, a greedy, nasty corporation that is overreaching is the problem.
It sounds like they are covering their behinds if they want to use AI to train a model so they can sell books similar to yours. Very suspicious.
Yeaaaah, and I don’t want them training off my books anyway, so… there’s that, too.
Patreon and Smart Audiobook Player (google play store) for me in the future. That worked quite well for 101 Ways. And that route removes the requirement of being locked into a specific app, like chirp, to play your files or being in the corner crying when you find your files gone from said app. I’ll find out in the near future if chirp totally removes the files or if, like audible, they leave the purchased files in your account.
I’m so sorry that this has occurred immediately following the release of Trickster but I’m glad you have the time to proactively protect your assets. I feel for the less attentive authors who are going to be blindsided by this.
I feel for the authors who are sticking their head in the sand. SURELY this CORPORATION means well, and it’s JUST for AI… riiigghht?
Yeah, corporations cannot be trusted. Especially not with rights.
Sigh. This has been such a horrible week.
You are doing the only possible thing.
Two items:
(1) “irrevocable”. I question whether that is legal. In any case, I would not permit that in any contract I had my hands on. It might be dificult or impractical but there MUST be terms that would allow terminating the contract.
(2) “by any means, method or technology, whether now known or hereafter created”.
I have always found that objectionable.
If I were King, contracts regarding copyrightable content would be strictly limited to distribution media in use at the time of the contract.
If new distribution media were created, use of that medium would require new negotiation with creator of the content.
The value of the distribution rights with a new distribution technology could be very different than it was using prior technology.
Yes, it’s legal, at least as written. But it’s fightable. There’s a difference between illegal and fightable.
But that legal battle would be VERY expensive.
This is why I don’t buy audible books. I have a tendency to fall asleep while listening. I have heard of this before, but in reference to e-books. I borrow my audio books from the library. I don’t have to worry about them being ‘stolen’ away from me. I only buy e-books from Kobo.
So the audiobooks I have bought from Chirp what happens with them? Also I use Kobo plus to listen to and read your books I don’t own, not many as I usually buy the as soon as published.
According to the contract (that’s active) I have, Chirp should continue to deliver/keep your book in your library; you have a permanent license for that. However… vendors don’t always go by the contract.
Kobo Plus should be restored to full 53 book library within a week.
I’m debating how to handle if vendors yank bought books. Like… it’s not my fault, but… ugh.
I am so sorry this happened all in the name of greed. Just one more reason that I adore your worlds, the greedy and immoral get their due.
I really hope Chirp works with you as I buy your audio books there exclusively since they pay you better than audible. I’d buy from your Patreon store, but they end up about 10 dollars more per title than on Chirp. I’m Canadian (exchange rates suck), and on disability, therefore a fixed income and need to cut costs where I can. I absolutely refuse to go without your books and audio books.
I highly recommend Kobo Plus/Kobo. $9.99 a month, and once the transfer is done, unlimited access to the audiobooks, and I get paid per each minute you listen basically.
So I am new to audiobooks and have only purchased a few from Audible so far. I would much rather purchase them from your shop directly. Is there an app that you would recommend for listening to your files?
I’m going to look into it, but there seem to be a lot of different apps that you can use for this purpose! <3
I love your work ! Sometimes it’s the only humor I have all day 😂do what you have to to protect yourself . It’s a complicated greedy world….. makes a good plot …