Last week my friend Marjory Kaptanoglu wrote on her blog about Audible's policy to allow people to listen to audio books and get refunds and to loan their books to others free of charge and how authors then don't get royalties from these sales or freebies. Enough authors have protested that today, Audible (an Amazon company) said they have heard and they are changing their policies. I'm still not sure it will be enough to fully address the situation, but it is a start. 

Here is the letter ACX sent authors, publishers, and others:

Launched in 2011, the Audiobook Creation Exchange has paved the way for exponential growth in audiobook production and consumption, today supplying over 200 audiobooks in store per day to Audible, Amazon, and iTunes. The ACX online rights marketplace and production engine is available to all authors, publishers, literary agents, narrators and studio pros in the US, UK, Canada, and Ireland. ACX.com connects and educates independent authors and rising actors—many of whom are among 20,000 professional actors who have worked with Audible in the past 5 years—in the art of audiobook performance and creation, and provides title-promotion tools and methods to drive sales and audiobook awareness, allowing our creative stakeholders to reach new audiences on Audible and beyond. Free programs, including ACX University and the Promo Code Tool, seek to level the playing field and further expand opportunity for authors, narrators, rights holders and producers alike. 

As you know, we've been working to address some ACX authors' concerns about Audible's overall exchange policy, and we appreciate your feedback. The intent of this program is to allow listeners to discover their favorite voice, author, or story in audio. In instances where we determine the benefit is being overused, Audible can and does limit the number of exchanges and refunds allowed by a member. But as designed, this customer benefit allows active Audible members in good standing to take a chance on new content, and suspicious activity is extremely rare. 

We hope this helps convey perspective to our valued writers and ACX partners as to the impact of our current returns policies. However, in recognition of these concerns, moving forward and effective as of January 1, 2021, Audible will pay royalties for any title returned more than 7 days following purchase. This adjustment does not impact our customers' current benefits of membership, and we look forward to continuing to welcome millions of first-time listeners, enabling our members to discover new content they enjoy and growing the audience for our valued creative partners.
Respectfully, 
The ACX Team

Do you think this is doing enough? 

If you've read the book The Go-Giver, you know one of the gems of wisdom in the book is to find a way to distinguish your service from that of others in the industry. For me, this means I send holiday gifts to my property manager and to the tenants in the homes I own; writing a personal message on the back of every canvas I've painted; and writing LinkedIn recommendations for my clients and for anyone with whom I've worked. 

Yesterday, I received my copy of Amy Henderson Harris's latest book Wilder Dreams. Within the packaging was her business card, two stickers (including one black and white illustration from the book), an affirmation card, and a postcard thanking me for the purchase plus letting me know more about what Amy has to offer. (She's a singer, songwriter, musician, children's book author and all-around badass.) :)

The other thing Amy included was on the receipt, and that was a personal note to me. 
​ 

I smile and chuckled when I saw it because a) it made me feel good to be appreciated and b) I do the same thing on the invoices/receipts I sent people. Gratitude goes a long way in establishing goodwill and repeat business. 

Think about the ways you can inexpensively (or for no cost) show your customers and clients how much you care. Some suggestions include the things Amy did shown above, or you could send personal e-mails periodically, a snail mailed postcard or card, a referral fee, a small gift, or even a shout-out on social media or your website with a backlink. 

Department store founder and businessman Marshall Field said, "Goodwill is the only asset that competition cannot undersell or destroy." Keep that in mind the next time you interact with potential or current clients and customers. And make your business stand out from the rest.
​