By James Heppe-Smith · published 2 June 2026 · 11 min read
Amazon spent the first five months of 2026 quietly retooling the indie publishing platform in four meaningful ways. Each change on its own looks small. Taken together, they shift the working assumptions a lot of indie authors have carried for years.
This is the explainer I wish someone had written in one place. The four updates are:
- KDP changed the DRM rules in January. Books published without DRM are now downloadable by readers as EPUB and PDF files, which means they can be moved across reading devices instead of being locked to Kindle.
- Amazon stopped supporting older Kindle models on 20 May 2026. Any reader using a non-touchscreen Kindle, a Kindle Touch, or a first-generation Paperwhite can no longer buy or download new books on the device.
- KDP made AI disclosure mandatory and added upload-frequency restrictions. Failing to disclose AI-generated content can now get your book pulled and your account suspended. Daily and weekly upload caps are enforced.
- ACX is replacing its legacy royalty model with a pooled “engagement-based” model from May 26, 2026. Exclusive rates rise from 40% to 50% and non-exclusive from 25% to 30%, but the underlying payment maths changes in ways that don’t favour every author.
Each section below covers what changed, what it actually means for an indie author’s day-to-day operations, and what we’re doing at Heppe-Smith Publishing in response.
1. The KDP DRM rule shift, and why our books still ship with DRM on
For most of Kindle’s history, the DRM decision on a new title was a one-time toggle. You picked DRM on or DRM off when you published, and that was that. DRM-on books were locked to Kindle devices and the Kindle app, which made them harder to copy and easier to keep within the Amazon ecosystem. DRM-off books were still delivered as Kindle-format files (AZW, KFX), but the format constraints made them awkward to read anywhere else without conversion.
From January 2026, Amazon changed that. New titles published without DRM are now offered to readers as EPUB or PDF downloads through the customer’s “Manage Your Content and Devices” page. The change applies to titles published after December 9, 2025; older non-DRM titles do not retroactively get the EPUB/PDF download option. Authors can also adjust DRM settings on existing titles through KDP’s help flow.
That sounds like a small technical tweak. It’s actually a meaningful change in what “publishing without DRM on Amazon” means in practice. A reader who buys your DRM-off book on Amazon can now download a clean EPUB and read it on their Kobo, Nook, iPad, or any other reader without going through a conversion tool. From the reader’s side, this is friendly. From the author’s side, it removes the technical friction that used to discourage casual file-sharing of legally purchased copies.
The DRM-on case versus the DRM-off case
This is the decision every indie author should reconsider in 2026, because the technical reality changed underneath the choice. Here is how I think about it.
| Factor | DRM on | DRM off |
|---|---|---|
| Casual copying friction | High. Stripping DRM requires technical effort and breaks Amazon’s terms of service. | Low. As of January 2026, the reader can simply download an EPUB or PDF from their account. |
| Reader experience inside Kindle | Identical. Readers buying for Kindle devices and apps see no difference. | Identical. The customer downloads the same Kindle file by default; the EPUB/PDF option is a secondary choice. |
| Cross-device portability for the reader | Limited. The reader must use a Kindle, Kindle app, or Send-to-Kindle workflow. | Genuine. The reader can move the book to any reader that supports EPUB. |
| Risk of file-sharing in the wild | Lower. Files extracted from Kindle devices are still DRM-protected and require third-party tools to unlock. | Higher. Once the reader has the EPUB, sharing is a one-click attachment. |
| Wide-distribution authors (also on Apple, Kobo, etc.) | Same answer applies on Amazon. Each platform’s DRM is separate. | Convenient for readers who buy across platforms but the DRM-off Amazon file is identical to the file the reader could already buy on Kobo or Apple. |
| KU-exclusive (KDP Select) authors | Recommended. DRM-off provides no cross-platform benefit since you’re Amazon-only anyway. | No upside, all the downside of easier file-sharing. |
| Series authors building a reader base | DRM friction is a small piece of overall sales-protection strategy. Most piracy that hurts series authors happens through aggregator sites scraping Amazon Look Inside or stripped review copies, not through reader downloads. | Same logic. Real piracy doesn’t go through legitimate purchase channels. |
| Technical authors / nonfiction / textbooks | Recommended. High-value reference content is more vulnerable to commercial-scale piracy. | Only if you are intentionally distributing widely and want a reader-friendly reputation. |
The honest summary: for most indie authors publishing through KDP Select or KU, DRM on is the lower-risk default. For wide-distribution authors who already sell on Kobo, Apple, and elsewhere, DRM off makes a small reader-experience improvement at the cost of a meaningful file-sharing risk. The right answer depends on your distribution model, not on a universal principle.
What we do at Heppe-Smith Publishing
All of our titles ship with DRM on. That holds across our authors and across the catalogue: the cozy fantasy series (The Last Route), the education titles, and the nonfiction list. The decision is consistent across the imprint because the reasoning is the same in each case: we are KDP Select on the fiction side, the nonfiction is wide-distribution but the DRM-off “improvement” to reader experience is marginal, and the file-sharing exposure is real.
If you are publishing widely and you genuinely believe DRM-off makes your books friendlier for readers who buy across platforms, that is a defensible position. Just go in with eyes open about what the January change actually unlocked: a reader who buys your book on Amazon can now hand a copy of the EPUB to anyone they want, with no technical friction. That was always possible in theory through conversion tools. It is now possible in practice through the Amazon account page itself.
2. Older Kindle support ended on 20 May 2026
If you have not seen this one yet, it’s because Amazon did not make a big announcement. On 20 May 2026, Amazon ended support for the first five generations of Kindle e-readers. The affected devices are:
- All Kindles without a touchscreen. This includes the original Kindle, Kindle 2, Kindle 3 (Keyboard), Kindle 4, and Kindle DX.
- Kindle Touch. The 2011 model with the single button below the screen.
- The first-generation Paperwhite (2012). Identifiable by serial numbers starting with B024, B01B, B020, B01C, B01D, or B01F, and a maximum software version of 5.6.1.1.
Newer Paperwhite generations, Oasis, Scribe, and current Kindle and Kindle Kids models are not affected. The Voyage is not specifically listed in Amazon’s cutoff notice but readers should check their model’s software version against the 5.6.1.1 cap to confirm.
What stops working on affected devices
On the affected models, readers can no longer purchase, borrow, or download new books directly on the device. The device also cannot be registered to an Amazon account, which means there is a specific warning Amazon is repeating loudly: do not factory reset an affected device after 20 May, because once it is deregistered it cannot be re-registered, and the existing downloaded library becomes inaccessible.
What still works on affected devices:
- Reading any books already downloaded to the device.
- Sideloading books via USB from a desktop computer using Send-to-Kindle or a tool like Calibre.
- Jailbroken devices retain whatever functionality the jailbreak provided.
Why this matters for indie authors
Two practical implications. First, a small but real segment of your existing readers still uses one of these older devices, and they cannot directly purchase new releases anymore. They have to buy on a desktop or phone and then sideload via USB. Most won’t, which means some lifetime-customer readers will quietly drop out of your active-buyer base. There is nothing you can do about this individually, but it is worth knowing about if you see a slight downtick in repeat purchases from long-standing readers over the next 12 months.
Second, if you do any reader email or social outreach, it is worth telling your audience about the workaround. The Send-to-Kindle desktop app and USB sideload still work, and many older-Kindle users do not know this. A short note in your next newsletter can keep a loyal reader connected to your books for years longer. Phrasing matters: do not lead with the bad news. Lead with “if you have an older Kindle that has just lost support, here is how you can still get my new books onto it.” That framing converts a platform-side problem into an author-reader service moment.
3. KDP made AI disclosure mandatory and tightened upload rules
This is the change Amazon has talked about loudly, and it is now properly enforced. Two separate threads run through it: a mandatory AI disclosure on every new and republished title, and a set of account-level restrictions designed to slow down spam and AI-generated book floods.
The AI disclosure: what counts, and what doesn’t
Every KDP submission in 2026 now includes a required disclosure step where you confirm whether the title contains AI-generated content. Amazon’s official wording on the checkbox is: “This title contains AI-generated content. This includes text (e.g., chapters, sections), images (e.g., illustrations, diagrams, cover art), or translations that were produced using AI tools.”
The distinction Amazon draws is between AI-generated and AI-assisted, and it matters:
- AI-generated means AI produced text, image, or translation content that appears in the published book. If you used an AI tool to write a chapter, generate cover art, or translate the manuscript, that is generated content and must be disclosed.
- AI-assisted means you wrote the content yourself and used AI in a supporting role. Brainstorming, outlining, grammar checks, copyediting suggestions, and idea generation that you then wrote up in your own words all count as AI-assisted. Amazon does not require disclosure for AI-assisted use.
The enforcement angle stepped up in April 2026. Amazon’s stated reasoning was that a measurable portion of new uploads in late 2025 and early 2026 contained AI-generated content without disclosure. The consequences of getting caught are now real: books can be removed from sale without warning, account suspension or termination is on the table for repeat or egregious cases, royalties can be withheld, and a removed title can be flagged in a way that makes it harder to republish even after the disclosure is corrected.
One important detail: the AI disclosure label, where it applies, does not appear to affect a book’s visibility, ranking, or search placement. Amazon’s stated position is that disclosed AI content is not penalised in the algorithm. Whether that holds long-term is a separate question, but as of mid-2026 the label itself is not a sales killer. The penalty is for non-disclosure, not for AI use.
Upload-frequency caps and identity verification
To slow down spam and the “500 journals with different covers” account model, KDP now enforces upload caps. The published limits run at roughly three titles per day, and sometimes a tighter weekly cap of around 10 titles depending on the account’s standing. Accounts with newer histories or recent complaints sit under the tighter limits. Established accounts with clean records get more headroom.
Identity verification is now mandatory in several scenarios: opening a new KDP account, making significant changes to an existing account, hitting a high publication volume, or receiving complaints. Verification typically involves uploading ID documents, confirming payment details, and verifying contact information.
Duplicate-interior detection is also active. The era of one author uploading 500 different cover designs for the same blank journal interior is over. KDP now flags duplicate interiors as suspicious, regardless of how unique each cover looks.
What this means for indie authors
If you publish at human author velocity (one book every few months, occasionally a series sprint), the upload caps will never bite you. If you publish a quarterly novella and an annual full-length novel, you will not notice these restrictions at all. They are designed against the high-volume content-mill end of the platform, not against working authors.
The AI disclosure is the more practical one to think about. If your workflow involves any AI step at all, write yourself a quick decision rule and stick to it. The rule I use:
- If I asked an AI to write text that ended up in the published book, that’s a disclosure.
- If an AI generated an image (cover art, internal illustration, diagram) that ended up in the published book, that’s a disclosure.
- If AI was used to translate the book into another language, that’s a disclosure.
- If I used AI to brainstorm, outline, copyedit, fact-check, or suggest titles, and I then wrote the actual prose myself, that’s AI-assisted and does not require disclosure.
When you’re unsure, disclose. The label does not hurt visibility, and getting caught on non-disclosure does hurt. The downside of disclosing when you maybe didn’t have to is invisible; the downside of not disclosing when you should have is your book being pulled and your account flagged.
4. ACX’s new royalty model: higher headline rates, more complex maths
This is the change that has the indie audiobook community most split. The headline numbers are an improvement, but the underlying mechanics changed in ways that don’t favour every author equally.
What changed and when
ACX, Audible’s audiobook publishing arm, has run the new consumption-based royalty model as the default for newly published titles since November 2024, while existing titles stayed on the legacy per-credit model. The shift that matters for most indie audiobook producers landed on 26 May 2026: from that date, existing titles can be enrolled in the new model. The legacy model itself will be discontinued by the end of 2026, which makes this a near-term decision. The question is no longer whether the new model applies to your titles. It is whether you enrol them voluntarily before year-end or let Audible transition them for you.
The headline rates went up:
- Exclusive distribution (Audible only, the format historically called ACX Exclusive): royalty rises from 40% to 50%.
- Non-exclusive distribution (the title is also on other platforms): royalty rises from 25% to 30%.
That looks like a straightforward raise. The complication is in how Audible now calculates the per-title earnings on membership listens.
The pooling mechanism
Under the legacy model, when an Audible member spent a credit on your audiobook, the credit’s full value flowed through the royalty calculation to your title. One member, one credit, one identifiable transaction.
Under the new model, a member’s monthly subscription value is split across all titles that member listens to during the month. Audible calculates a “Member Value” (subscription price minus taxes and fees), adds any additional credits the member used, and distributes that pot across the titles the member engaged with, weighted by each title’s a la carte price multiplied by your royalty rate.
The practical effect: if a member listens to your audiobook plus five other titles in a given month, your share of that member’s subscription value is a fraction of what it would have been under the credit model. The higher headline royalty rate has to make up the difference. For some authors it will; for others it won’t.
Per-credit purchases (members buying specific titles for cash, and non-member cash purchases) are unchanged.
The AYCL opt-in
Alongside the new royalty model, creators can opt their titles into Audible’s All-You-Can-Listen (AYCL) catalogue. AYCL is Audible’s subscription-tier listening experience for Premium members; titles in AYCL are listenable as part of the subscription without spending a credit.
Audible’s stated position is that AYCL increases discovery for the titles included; the risk for creators is that AYCL listens compete with per-credit purchases of the same title. Audible curates which opted-in titles actually appear in the AYCL catalogue, so opting in is not a guarantee of inclusion.
Who wins and who loses
The early consensus from the indie audiobook community, including writers like Kindlepreneur and former trad-pub voices like Robin Sullivan, is that the change creates clear winners and clear losers.
- Likely winners: series authors with binge-friendly catalogues (members who blow through six audiobooks in a month at one author’s expense generate high engagement on that author’s titles), authors with large existing audiences (who benefit from AYCL discovery without giving up much credit-driven revenue), and Audible-exclusive authors taking the 50% rate.
- Likely losers: midlist indie audiobook producers whose titles are bought on credit (the new model dilutes per-listen revenue), authors who valued predictable per-credit royalty maths, and anyone concerned that AI-generated audiobooks will further compress the per-title share of the pooled membership pot.
Robin Sullivan’s public objection (raised in a petition that gathered traction in 2025) was simple: “if a listener spends a credit on a specific audiobook, the full value of that credit should follow that title instead of being blended into a larger engagement pool.” That argument has not changed Audible’s position, but it captures the core indie-author concern with the new model.
What we are doing at Heppe-Smith Publishing
Our audiobook strategy has shifted away from ACX over the last 18 months. We use KDP’s Beta Voice (text-to-speech narration) for The Last Route series and our other newer titles. Two older titles from our backlist remain on ACX and will be enrolled in the new model rather than withdrawn, but ACX is no longer a meaningful share of our audiobook revenue.
If you are an indie author with active ACX titles, the calendar is what matters: you have until the end of 2026 to enrol in the new model or withdraw. Don’t wait until December. Read the new royalty terms (the ACX help centre and a couple of the analysis articles linked at the bottom of this post are good starting points), run the maths against your last 12 months of audiobook revenue, and decide which titles fit the new model and which don’t. If you have any series titles or any high-engagement single titles with large audiences, the new model is probably a small upgrade. If you have midlist titles that earn predictably on per-credit purchases, the new model may be a real downgrade, and withdrawal might be worth considering.
What to actually do this month
If you publish on KDP and/or ACX, here is the short action list:
- Review your DRM setting on every active title. Make sure each title is set to the value you want, not the default from when you originally published. If you’re not sure why a title is DRM-off, switch it on; if you have a deliberate DRM-off rationale, leave it alone.
- Write a short newsletter or social post for older-Kindle readers who lost device support on 20 May. Tell them the Send-to-Kindle desktop app and USB sideload still work, and link to Amazon’s help page for the workaround. That keeps a loyal segment of your audience connected to your future releases.
- Write yourself a one-sentence AI disclosure rule for your workflow and stick to it. When in doubt, disclose. The penalty for non-disclosure now includes book removal and account suspension.
- If you have active ACX titles, get the new royalty model decision off your to-do list before the end of summer. The legacy model expires at year-end. Run the maths, enrol the titles that win, withdraw the titles that lose. Don’t let the deadline make the choice for you.
Need help making sense of any of this?
If you are working through a KDP or ACX decision and want a second opinion from someone who has been through the platform mechanics across multiple pen names and genres, get in touch. We offer KDP setup support, editing, and cover design and formatting for indie authors at every stage. Every project starts with a conversation about what you actually need.
Get in touch if you want help thinking through any of the four changes above.
James Heppe-Smith runs Heppe-Smith Publishing, an indie press with over 30 titles published across cozy fantasy, education, nonfiction, and relationship-skills categories. He has worked through KDP rule changes since 2016 and has opinions about most of them.