IngramSpark Adds Accessibility Checks for Your Ebook Before Release

An ebook can look right on your screen and still create problems for a reader who uses a screen reader. IngramSpark's new evaluation can help you find those problems before release.

I recommend adding it to your ebook file review. If you already sell an audiobook, check the Kindle+ and Kobo updates below. Each has different requirements for where your book can appear.

Publishing Changes That Affect Your Book

IngramSpark adds an ebook accessibility check

On October 15, IngramSpark added an Accessibility Evaluation to its Book-Building Tool. Every Spark account includes it for ebook-only and combined print-and-ebook title setups.

The tool checks image descriptions, table headers, descriptive link text, heading order, and navigation inside the ebook. It flags common problems and points you toward corrections. You can open it after an interior upload or from the tool's navigation menu.

What this means for you: If your study guide includes a table or your book uses images to explain an idea, a visual proofread may miss something a screen reader needs. The evaluation gives you another way to check that material. It doesn't certify compliance or replace a full content review.

Your next step: Open the evaluation for your ebook and review each warning. Give meaningful images useful descriptions, then check that the contents links reach the right sections. Ask your formatter about anything you don't understand before you approve the file.

Kindle+ adds audiobooks, with separate enrollment rules

On October 21, Amazon announced the Kindle+ name for Kindle Unlimited and added eligible audiobooks. Audiobook access currently covers US listeners.

If your Kindle ebook belongs to KDP Select, its associated virtual-voice audiobook enters Kindle+ automatically. ACX audiobooks require a separate choice and must meet Amazon's eligibility requirements: a live associated ebook in Select, exclusive Audible distribution, Read & Listen compatibility, and a Pay-for-Production deal. Royalty Share and Royalty Share Plus titles don't qualify.

What this means for you: An audiobook doesn't qualify merely because you sell it through ACX. Check both formats and your production agreement. If your ebook sells through other retailers, don't enroll it in Select without reviewing Select's ebook exclusivity terms.

Kindle+ also changes how Amazon counts consumption. Amazon pays from the KDP Select Global Fund for the first time a subscriber reads or listens to a page. Listening after reading the same page doesn't produce a second payment. The new reporting separates pages read and pages listened. The announcement doesn't promise a fixed per-page rate.

Your next step: Check your title's eligibility in your KDP Bookshelf and compare the result with your ACX agreement. If you use virtual voice, review the automatic inclusion and the new reporting categories.

Kobo Plus adds audiobook access in France

Kobo announced audiobook access in France on October 15. Its French Kobo Plus service previously offered ebooks alone; the Read & Listen plan now includes audio.

What this means for you: If your Kobo audiobook already includes all current and future Kobo Plus territories, you don't need another enrollment step for France. A new territory gives readers another place to find the book, without any guarantee of listening or sales.

Your next step: Check your audiobook's France setting and your distribution rights. If another agreement limits where you can distribute the recording, resolve that before you change the setting.

What Authors Report

KDP authors describe changes in displayed totals

Three independently authored KDP Community posts on October 21 describe lower page-read totals, reductions in earlier periods, or zero displayed royalties.

These are author reports. The posts don't establish the cause, confirm lost payments, or show how many accounts have the problem. I found no verified resolution to report.

Your next step: If your totals changed unexpectedly, compare the same dates, titles, marketplaces, and report categories. Save screenshots and earlier exports, then give KDP support the specific discrepancy. Don't treat a displayed estimate as proof that Amazon reversed a payment.

Around the Industry

Ask your editor how they handle AI tools

On October 13, the Authors Guild published AI best practices for publishers. The guidance calls for clear AI policies, permission before manuscript uploads to third-party detectors, and checks on how those services retain or use text. It also advises publishers against relying on an AI detector alone to accuse an author of AI use.

These are the Guild's recommendations. They don't create a new rule for every editor or publishing platform.

Your next step: Before you send a manuscript to an editor, ask which AI tools they use, whether they upload your text, and what permission they seek first. Get the answers in writing so you both understand how they'll handle your book.

Your Checklist This Week

• Review your ebook's accessibility warnings if you use IngramSpark's Book-Building Tool.

• Compare Kindle+ eligibility with your ebook enrollment and audiobook agreement.

• Check France availability if you distribute an audiobook through Kobo.

• Keep dated reporting evidence if your KDP totals change unexpectedly.

• Ask your editor about manuscript uploads and AI permissions.

Help With Your Draft

If you don't know what belongs in your next chapter or how to organize your draft, bring that question to a free Writer's Clarity Call. I can help you identify the problem and decide what to work on next.