The FTC just hit Publishing.com and the Mikkelsen Twins with a $1.5 million settlement, and that is only part of this week's self-publishing news. I also cover impersonation scammers targeting authors, Spotify expanding deeper into audiobooks and print discovery with Bookshop.org, a helpful new KDP Select calculator from Kindlepreneur, and more rapid-fire updates authors need to know. If you care about self-publishing news, author scams, audiobook growth, and the latest publishing industry shifts, this one is worth your attention.

• Dibbly Create - https://DaleLinks.com/DibblyCreate (affiliate link)
• Publishing.com to Pay $1.5 Million for Misleading Consumers about How Much Income They Could Earn Using the Company's Products and Services - https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2026/04/publishingcom-pay-15-million-misleading-consumers-about-how-much-income-they-could-earn-using
• Kindlepreneur: KENP Calculator: Know What a Kindle Unlimited Reader Is Actually Worth - https://kindlepreneur.com/kenp-calculator/?aff=18
• Spotify Expands Audiobook Features, and Printed Book Sales Go Live in the US and UK - https://newsroom.spotify.com/2026-04-15/audiobook-charts-recaps-page-match-bookshop-update/
• Spoken: What Did the "Your Story" Winner Webinar Reveal? - https://www.spoken.press/the-spoken-chronicle/your-story-grand-prize

Rapid-Fire Newsflash

• ProWritingAid: Plot Analysis - https://prowritingaid.com/features/plot-analysis?afid=6615
• Book Brush: Launch Smarter: Build Your Newsletter, Website, and ARC Team Before Your Book Hits - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/gr1FVJtBSzOwv4qYost18Q#/registration
• Twin Flames Studios: Great Books Aren't Written—They're Edited - https://twinflamesstudios.com/book-editing-authors/
• The Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast: Marketing Your Books Using Video, with Dale L. Roberts and Matty Dalrymple - https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-marketing-your-books-using-video/
• Indie Author Magazine: Email Marketing That Turns Readers Into Fans (and Buyers) - https://webinars.indieauthortraining.com/replays/

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• My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks
• Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.

Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding!

- Dale L. Roberts

Amazon KDP quietly rolled out a few new updates, and authors should take notice. I cover the new dashboard changes, the updated Rights and Pricing page, and the new ability to download your latest manuscript or cover file. Plus, I break down The New York Times expanding audio best-seller lists, a scam warning from Writer Beware, cautionary notes from Book Bounty, and a rapid-fire newsflash featuring ProWritingAid, Miblart, and Book Brush.

• My Discord Community - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord
• KDP - https://kdp.amazon.com
• New York Times: Announcing Updates to Our Best-Seller Lists - https://www.nytco.com/press/announcing-updates-to-our-best-seller-lists/
• Writer Beware: Watch Out For This Scam Impersonating Editors at Major Publishing Houses - https://writerbeware.blog/2026/03/27/watch-out-for-this-scam-impersonating-editors-at-major-publishing-houses/
• Book Bounty - https://DaleLinks.com/BookBounty (affiliate link)

Rapid-Fire News Flash

• ProWritingAid - https://DaleLinks.com/PWADeal (affiliate link) - 25% off annual plans; offer good through April 13, 2026
• ProWritingAid Story Credits - https://dalelinks.com/storycredits (affiliate link) - Up to 73% off; offer good through April 13, 2026
• Miblart Cover Design - https://DaleLinks.com/Miblart (affiliate link) - 20% off with EASTER20; offer good through April 9
  • Did you miss the deal? Then take 10% off with DALE10.
• Book Brush: Automate the Boring: A Beginner's Guide to Author Automations with Chelle Honiker - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/ct5GIzSoTmqMcLZ7U6Bh2w#/registration

• Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp
• Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships
• Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord
• Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts
• My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks
• Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.

Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding!

- Dale L. Roberts

Amazon's latest algorithm changes are giving authors more proof that they need to bring their own traffic, while KDP print quality concerns keep pushing some authors to look at other options. In this self-publishing news update, I cover new insights from Written Word Media, a trust-shaking Grammarly lawsuit, LaterPress AI tools, Voices by INaudio, Draft2Digital features, and more. You'll also hear quick updates on Spoken, Booklinker, Twin Flames Studios, and rising self-publishing stats. All that and more in the Self-Publishing News for March 27, 2026.

• PRF Law: Class Action Alleges That Grammarly Misappropriated the Names of Journalists and Authors Through its "Expert Review" That Lets Users Get Feedback on Writing From Experts - https://prf-law.com/current-cases/class-action-alleges-that-grammarly-misappropriated-the-names-of-journalists-and-authors-through-its-expert-review
• Written Word Podcast: The Amazon A10 Update: 3 Things Every Indie Author Needs to Know - https://www.writtenwordmedia.com/the-amazon-a10-update-3-things-every-indie-author-needs-to-know/
• Vervanté - https://vervante.com/
• Laterpress - https://Laterpress.com
• Laterpress: An Introduction to Laterpress AI | Special 2-hour Launch Stream https://www.youtube.com/live/E-h-WZR4mx8?si=4DUeL18jZiokE92t
• Voices by INAudio: Welcome to the Voices Newsletter - https://voicesbyinaudio-newsletter.beehiiv.com/p/welcome-to-the-voices-newsletter-8bc7af69628f447c
• Draft2Digital - https://DaleLinks.com/D2D (referral link)

Rapid-Fire News Flash

• Spoken x Author Nation: Choose the Winner in "Your Story" Audiobook Contest - https://www.spoken.press/yourstory
• Spoken: Spring Sprint - https://www.spoken.press/sprint
• Twin Flames Studios: Launch Strategies That Fit You (webinar) - https://twinflamesstudios.com/launchstrategies/?partnerid=r1397
• BookLinker: Getting Started with BookBub Ads (webinar) - https://booklinker.mykajabi.com/Bookbub-Ads-Authors

• Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp
• Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships
• Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord
• Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts
• My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks
• Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.

Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding!

- Dale L. Roberts

Amazon's latest updates are raising concerns for self-published authors, as hundreds of new KDP categories may actually be hurting book discoverability instead of helping it. In this Self-Publishing News update, we break down the growing issue of ghost categories, along with what authors can do to stay visible. We also cover Amazon's push into AI-powered ads, new metadata guidance from Barnes & Noble Press, and a cover design case study from CraveBooks with surprising results.

• Publisher Rocket - https://DaleLinks.com/Rocket (affiliate link)
• Novel Report - https://DaleLinks.com/NovelReport (affiliate link)
  • Use code GETMYREPORT for $20 off - Amazon Advertising - https://advertising.amazon.com
• Barnes & Noble Press: 7 Steps to Spring Clean Your Book Metadata! - https://press.barnesandnoble.com/bnpress-blog/spring-clean-your-book-metadata/
• CraveBooks - https://DaleLinks.com/CraveBooks (affiliate link)
• CraveBooks Marketing Hub (on Discord) - https://discord.gg/AYYbKKWGDJ
• The Alliance of Independent Authors - https://DaleLinks.com/ALLi (affiliate link)
• ALLi: The Indie Author Bookstore - https://bookstore.allianceindependentauthors.org/
• My ALLi Author Page - https://bookstore.allianceindependentauthors.org/author/dale-l-roberts

Rapid Fire News Flash

• Writer Beware: Deadline Approaching to File a Claim in the Anthropic Settlement - https://writerbeware.blog/2026/03/13/deadline-approaching-to-file-a-claim-in-the-anthropic-settlement/
• Authors Guild: From Manuscript to Marketplace: WE DESERVE TO HEAL - https://authorsguild.org/event/from-manuscript-to-marketplace-we-deserve-to-heal/
• Book Brush - https://BookBrush.com
  • Platinum members: Contact Book Brush about the Level Up Your Author Business webinar with Seth Norris & Mel Jolly
• Reader Views Book Awards - https://readerviews.com/literaryawards/winners/sponsored/
• Outstanding Creator Awards 2025 Clash of Champions - https://www.outstandingcreator.com/winners--2025-clash-of-champions.html
• Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp
• Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships
• Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord
• Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts
• My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks
• Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.

Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding!

- Dale L. Roberts

Draft2Digital is finally explaining why dozens of nonfiction categories were blocked last year, and the answer points to a growing issue with AI flooding parts of the nonfiction marketplace. We also look at fresh market insights from PublishDrive, issues surfacing around the BookBounty review exchange platform, and several updates authors should keep on their radar across distribution, tools, and publishing platforms.

• Author Nation After Party (digital replay) - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNationReplay (affiliate link)
• PublishDrive's Market Intelligence Report 2026 - https://publishdrive.com/publishdrives-market-intelligence-report-2026
• PublishDrive - https://DaleLinks.com/PublishDrive (affiliate link)
• Bookshop.org and Draft2Digital Partner - https://www.draft2digital.com/blog/bookshop-org-and-draft2digital-partner-enabling-independent-bookstores-to-profit-from-self-published-ebooks/
• D2D and Bookshop Team Up: Your Ebooks Reach 4 Million New Readers (video) - https://youtu.be/DR5ixdGItWE?si=KqZgeuEoSgolvL5p
• Draft2Digital - https://DaleLinks.com/D2D (affiliate link)
• Indie Author Magazine: Draft2Digital CEO Details How AI Is Actually Affecting the Industry - https://indieauthormagazine.com/draft2digital-ceo-kris-austin-details-how-ai-is-actually-affecting-the-industry/
• Book Bounty - https://DaleLinks.com/BookBounty (affiliate link)

Rapid Fire News Flash

• Amazon Ads - https://ads.amazon.com
• Voices by INAudio - https://www.voicesbyinaudio.com/
• Novel Report - https://DaleLinks.com/NovelReport (affiliate link)
• IngramSpark: Book Marketing for the Self-Published Author - https://ingramspark.learnworlds.com/course/book-marketing
• Barnes & Noble Press: Bank Beneficiary Address - https://help-press.barnesandnoble.com/hc/en-us/articles/45981327203483-Bank-Beneficiary-Address
• ProWritingAid presents: Novel Beginnings - https://prowritingaid.com/novel-beginnings?afid=6615 (affiliate link)

• Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp
• Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships
• Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord
• Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts
• My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks
• Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.

Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding!

- Dale L. Roberts

Draft2Digital and Bookshop just opened a new path for indie authors to reach bookstore-first readers, with Bookshop serving around four million customers. We talk through what this partnership changes, how ebooks show up on Bookshop, how local bookstores benefit, what authors earn through the normal retail split, and how Bookshop affiliates can add extra upside. We also cover expectations, discoverability signals that reward recent sales, and why clean metadata plus DRM-free choices can help readers shop and read on the devices they prefer. (Feb. 4, 2026)

• Draft2Digital x Bookshop Press Release - https://www.draft2digital.com/blog/bookshop-org-and-draft2digital-partner-enabling-independent-bookstores-to-profit-from-self-published-ebooks/
• Draft2Digital - https://DaleLinks.com/D2D (referral link)
• Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp
• Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships
• Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord
• Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts
• My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks
• Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.

Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the channel through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding!

- Dale L. Roberts

This week's self-publishing news covers why some authors get paid while others do not, including how rights reversion can affect payouts tied to AI settlements and future legal actions. We also touch on important updates and conversations involving Writer Beware, the Authors Guild, Apple Books, Spoken, ProWritingAid, Twin Flames Studios, and a new discussion on networking for authors. All that and more in the Self-Publishing News for January 13, 2026.

• Author Nation After Party (digital replay) - https://DaleLinks.com/AuthorNationReplay (affiliate link) -
• Writer Beware: Reversion Redux - https://writerbeware.blog/2026/01/09/reversion-redux/
• Apple Books for Authors - https://authors.apple.com
• Spoken - https://spoken.press
• ProWebWriter - https://prowebwriter.com/
• Miblart: 10 Book Cover Design Trends that Await Us in 2026 - https://miblart.com/blog/book-cover-trends-this-year/
• Author Marketing Experts: 10 Book Marketing Campaigns That Drive Real Results - https://amarketingexpert.com/2025/12/23/10-proven-book-marketing-campaigns-that-actually-work/
• ProWritingAid - https://DaleLinks.com/ProWritingAid (affiliate link)
• Twin Flames Studios: The State of Publishing in 2026 - https://twinflamesstudios.com/publishing-2026?partnerid=r1397
• Authors Guild: Money Isn't the Worst! Personal Finance 101 for Creatives - https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_YjXJv97PSLi2xy7bmADKjA#/registration
• The Novel Marketing Podcast: Networking for Authors - https://youtu.be/BRXpvf1Np_4?si=YJCNrjjWHH3UYN57
• Subscribe to my email newsletter - https://DaleLinks.com/SignUp
• Join Channel Memberships - https://DaleLinks.com/Memberships
• Join Me on Discord - https://DaleLinks.com/Discord
• Check out my main YouTube channel - https://www.youtube.com/@dalelroberts
• My Books - https://DaleLinks.com/MyBooks
• Wanna tip me? Visit https://dalelroberts.gumroad.com/coffee.

Where noted, some outbound links financially benefit the podcast through affiliate programs. I only endorse programs, products, or services I use and can stand confidently behind. These links do not affect your purchase price and greatly helps to building and growing this channel. Thanks in advance for understanding!

- Dale L. Roberts