Breaking news: Amazon announced today that Kindle Unlimited is being renamed Kindle+ and that eligible audiobooks will now be included in the subscription. We’ll continue updating this article as more information becomes available.
This is a significant change for authors who participate in KDP Select, particularly those who publish audiobooks. While Amazon has shared details about enrollment, royalties, and reporting, there are still important unanswered questions about audiobook exclusivity and how these changes could affect author earnings.
You can read Amazon’s official announcement here.
We’re reviewing the announcement and its implications for indie authors. This article covers what we know so far, what remains unclear, and what authors may want to do next.
We have broken the information into 3 parts:
Amazon has officially renamed its Kindle Unlimited subscription service to Kindle+. According to Amazon, the new name better reflects the subscription’s expanded catalog, which now includes millions of ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, and comics. Amazon also says the “+” naming convention is familiar to customers and works across its international marketplaces.
For authors, the immediate impact of the rebrand is relatively straightforward: The Kindle Unlimited name is being replaced throughout Amazon’s shopping experience, which means authors will need to adjust how they refer to the subscription in their marketing.
Amazon has begun replacing Kindle Unlimited branding with Kindle+ on ebook product pages.
Here’s what we’ve observed so far:
| Where It Appears | Before | After |
|---|---|---|
| Badge next to the $0.00 price | Kindle Unlimited logo | Kindle+ logo |
| Membership box | Kindle Unlimited | Kindle+ |
| Subscription tagline | “Unlimited reading. Over 5 million titles.” | “Over 5 million eBooks and audiobooks.” |
The rest of the purchase experience appears largely unchanged. Readers can still see the ebook’s regular purchase price alongside the subscription option, and available print and audiobook formats continue to appear on the product page.
These are observations from Amazon’s product pages on October 22, 2026. The display may vary as Amazon rolls out the new branding.
One consideration with any rebrand is how quickly customers recognize the new name. Kindle Unlimited has been around for years, and many readers are familiar with the subscription. Kindle+ is a new name, and readers may not immediately understand that it refers to the same service.
For that reason, we recommend using both names during the transition. Instead of immediately changing every mention of Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+, consider using:
“Available in Kindle Unlimited (now Kindle+)”
This introduces the new name while maintaining a connection to the terminology readers already recognize.
At Written Word Media, we’re taking a phased approach to updating the language across our reader brands. Our plan is to introduce the new name gradually as readers become more familiar with it.
Phase 1: Introduce the New Name (Starting Now)
“Available in Kindle Unlimited (now Kindle+)”
Phase 2: Transition to the New Name
“Available in Kindle+ (formerly Kindle Unlimited)”
Phase 3: Use Kindle+ Exclusively
“Available in Kindle+”
We plan to revisit this each month when we’ll assess reader familiarity with the Kindle+ name and determine whether it’s time to move to Phase 2. We’ll share updates as our messaging changes.
Amazon has also updated the badge authors can use on their websites and marketing materials. If you currently display a Kindle Unlimited badge, you can replace it with the new Kindle+ version. The updated badge is available on Amazon KDP’s help page.
The more substantial change announced today is that Amazon is adding eligible audiobooks to the Kindle+ subscription. Subscribers can now read, listen, or do both at no additional cost.
For authors, this introduces new ways for audiobook listening to generate royalties through KDP Select. It also raises questions about audiobook distribution, exclusivity, and how the expanded program will affect earnings over time. Amazon has provided some initial details, but the full implications are not yet clear.
At launch, audiobook listening through Kindle+ is available to subscribers in the United States. Amazon says additional marketplaces will be added, but it has not provided a timeline. Authors in any marketplace can enroll eligible audiobooks in KDP Select for distribution to US Kindle+ subscribers.
The enrollment process depends on how the audiobook was created and distributed.
According to Amazon, audiobooks created through KDP’s Virtual Voice are automatically included in Kindle+ when their associated ebook is enrolled in KDP Select.
If your ebook is not enrolled, you can enroll it through your KDP Bookshelf, and the associated Virtual Voice audiobook will be added automatically.
Authors should review the applicable KDP Select and Virtual Voice terms before making new enrollment decisions.
Authors can now enroll eligible ACX audiobooks in KDP Select through their KDP Bookshelf.
According to Amazon, eligible ACX titles must meet the following requirements:
ACX audiobooks produced through Royalty Share or Royalty Share Plus are not eligible at launch. Amazon says it is exploring how to expand eligibility to those payment models.
Amazon has confirmed that audiobook listening will be compensated through the KDP Select Global Fund, using a page-based system similar to ebook reading. Here are the key details from the announcement.
Eligible audiobook listening will generate royalties based on pages consumed. Amazon says it is investing additional funds in the KDP Select Global Fund to support audiobook listening. Ebook reading will continue to be compensated by page through the fund as it is today. However, Amazon has not announced specific per-format payment rates or committed to keeping future per-page rates unchanged.
Authors will be paid the first time a subscriber reads or listens to a particular page. If the subscriber returns to that page later, whether in the same format or a different one, it counts as a re-read and does not generate another payment. For example, if a subscriber listens to the first three chapters of an audiobook and later reads those same chapters in the ebook, those pages will not generate additional royalties. The same applies if the subscriber reads first and listens later.
Kindle+ also supports Immersive Reading, which allows subscribers to read an ebook while listening to the audiobook. Amazon says that when a subscriber reads and listens simultaneously, authors will earn at the higher applicable rate if reading and listening have different payment rates.
Amazon acknowledges that reading and listening are different experiences. The company says it will continue evaluating how subscribers use each format and will evolve the KDP Select Global Fund accordingly. At this point, we don’t know how audiobook listening rates will compare with ebook reading rates or how the addition of audiobooks will affect overall KDP Select earnings. These are important questions we’ll be monitoring.
Amazon says that ebook reading will continue to be paid by page through the KDP Select Global Fund as it is today. The company is adding funds to support audiobook listening. However, the announcement does not establish what the long-term impact on per-page royalties will be.
We don’t yet know how listening activity will grow, how the fund will change over time, or whether the expanded subscription will affect the rates authors receive for reading activity. Authors with ebooks already enrolled in KDP Select do not need to take any action to remain in Kindle+.
Amazon is introducing additional reporting to distinguish between ebook reading and audiobook listening.
Change: Within the Prior Month Royalties reports, the column labeled Subscription royalties now reads Kindle+royalties for months preceding October, and reads Kindle + reads and listens for October 2026.
New: Separate Reading and Listening Activity
Amazon confirms that the KENP report now provides separate figures for Kindle+ pages read and pages listened. In our review of KDP, we’ve also observed a new All formats filter that allows authors to view reading and listening activity separately or together. This additional reporting may help authors better understand how subscribers consume their books. Over time, it may also provide useful information for evaluating audiobook performance and marketing decisions.
Amazon’s announcement provides an initial explanation of how audiobook enrollment and royalties will work. However, several questions remain unanswered. Some of these could have significant implications for authors, particularly those who distribute audiobooks through multiple retailers or rely on KDP Select royalties.
This is one of the most important questions we’re investigating. KDP Select has traditionally required exclusivity for enrolled ebooks. But what does the addition of audiobooks mean for audiobook distribution?
Amazon has confirmed two things:
What the announcement does not fully clarify is whether participation in Kindle+ introduces any additional audiobook exclusivity requirements. In particular, we’re looking for clarification on whether the audiobook itself must be exclusive to Amazon in every enrollment scenario, or whether some participation rules are tied only to the associated ebook’s KDP Select enrollment.
It’s important to distinguish between the existing exclusivity requirements for KDP Select ebooks, the distribution terms for ACX audiobooks, and any additional requirements associated with Kindle+.
Until those requirements are clear, we recommend reviewing the applicable agreements before changing your audiobook distribution strategy.
Amazon has confirmed that listening will be paid by page through the KDP Select Global Fund. However, the announcement does not provide specific listening royalty rates. We don’t yet know how listening rates will compare with reading rates or how those rates may change over time.
Amazon says it is adding funds to support audiobook listening. However, it has not disclosed how much additional funding it is providing or how that amount will be determined over time. We also don’t know how the addition of audiobook listening will affect the fund’s overall payment structure. These details will be important in evaluating the financial impact of the change on authors.
Amazon says ebook reading will continue to be compensated by page as it is today. However, the announcement does not guarantee that per-page rates for ebook reading will remain unchanged. We’ll need more information and actual royalty data to understand whether the expansion has any effect on ebook earnings.
Kindle+ audiobook listening is currently available to US subscribers. Amazon says additional marketplaces will follow but has not announced which markets will be next or when the expansion will take place. We’ll update this section as more details become available.
Amazon’s announcement introduces two distinct changes for authors.
The first is a rebrand. Kindle Unlimited is now Kindle+, and authors should begin adjusting their marketing language to help readers recognize the new name.
The second is a change to the subscription’s business model. Eligible audiobooks are now included in Kindle+, with listening compensated through the KDP Select Global Fund.
The potential implications of the audiobook expansion are more complex. While Amazon has outlined initial enrollment requirements and royalty rules, important questions remain about exclusivity, payment rates, and the long-term impact on author earnings.
It’s too early to determine whether these changes will ultimately benefit authors, create new challenges, or have different effects depending on an author’s publishing and distribution strategy. At Written Word Media, we’ll continue reviewing the details and monitoring how the program develops.
This is a developing story. We’ll update this article as Amazon provides additional information and as we learn more about what these changes mean for authors.
Have you learned anything new about Kindle+ or received additional clarification from Amazon? Share what you know in the comments below, especially regarding audiobook exclusivity, enrollment, or royalties. We’ll use verified information to help keep this article up to date for the author community.