Kindle Unlimited Is Now Kindle+: What Changes for Authors
Kindle Unlimited is now Kindle+ (Kindle Plus). What changed for KDP authors, how audiobooks are paid, and what KDP's rules now say about your listings.
What happened to Kindle Unlimited?
KDP announced the change to authors on October 22, 2026, in a post titled "Kindle Unlimited is now Kindle+, KDP audiobooks now included". Two things happened that day: "we're rebranding Kindle Unlimited to Kindle+," and audiobooks, including virtual voice titles and eligible ACX audiobooks, "are now included in the Kindle+ subscription for customers on Amazon.com." The Amazon.com subscription page now carries a banner that reads "Kindle Unlimited is now Kindle+."
So is Kindle Unlimited shutting down? No. It is the same subscription under a new name. KDP explains the choice in its FAQ: "As our reading subscription has grown to include millions of eBooks, audiobooks, magazines, and comics, we wanted a name that better reflects what it's become." It adds that Kindle+ "builds on the trusted Kindle brand and uses the "+" convention that customers worldwide already associate with subscription services," and that the name "works across every marketplace we operate in."
Kindle+ remains a paid subscription of its own. Amazon's explainer is explicit that it is not included with Prime. Prime members get one free book a month through Amazon First Reads and can browse a curated selection of the Kindle+ catalog, but full access still means a separate monthly fee.
If you're new to the program, our guide to Kindle Unlimited vs going wide explains the exclusivity trade-off that still sits underneath the new name.
What changed with Kindle+?
One change matters: audio. Amazon's Kindle+ explainer says thousands of eBooks in the catalog include companion audiobooks, and the Amazon.com subscription page now describes the catalog as "Ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, comics." Here is what is genuinely new for authors:
- Audiobooks are part of the subscription for US customers, marked with a headphone icon next to the Kindle+ badge||Virtual voice audiobooks are included automatically when their ebook is enrolled in KDP Select||ACX audiobooks made on a Pay for Production deal can now be enrolled in KDP Select from your KDP Bookshelf||Listening is paid by the page from the KDP Select Global Fund, the same fund that pays for reading||Your KENP report now shows Kindle+ pages read and Kindle+ pages listened separately
One thing does not move. KDP says that "Audible royalties for your ACX audiobooks will continue to be found in your ACX account only." Kindle+ listening shows up in your KDP reports as pages listened, while your regular Audible sales stay in ACX.
What stayed the same?
For readers, the subscription works as before. Amazon's explainer and the Amazon.com subscription page confirm the core terms:
- Price: $11.99 a month in the US, shown on Amazon.com as "Auto-renews at $11.99/mo until cancelled"||Borrow limit: up to 20 titles at a time, with no due dates while the subscription is active||Catalog: ebooks, magazines and comics, plus audiobooks for US customers||Devices: any Kindle device or the free Kindle app||Free trial: 30 days for new subscribers, per the Amazon.com subscription page||Prime: not included. Kindle+ remains a separate monthly subscription
For authors, the machinery is also familiar. Your KDP Select ebooks were moved over automatically. KDP's help pages now describe titles enrolled in KDP Select as "automatically included in Kindle+," and reading is still paid through the KDP Select Global Fund. The enrollment term is still 90 days, and the ebook exclusivity rules have not been relaxed.
How much does Kindle+ cost in each country?
Amazon lists Kindle+ in Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, the US, the UK and "many more countries and territories." We checked the Amazon stores directly. Only two show a price publicly today:
In Canada, the Amazon.ca Kindle+ FAQ gives the price as $11.99 a month, cancellable at any time, with a 30 day free trial. In the UK, Amazon.co.uk shows no price to visitors who are not signed in, so we have not quoted one. Its Kindle+ terms, updated October 21, 2026, cover the United Kingdom and Ireland.
France follows the same pattern. The Amazon.fr Kindle+ terms cover metropolitan France, Monaco, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Belgium. Amazon.fr shows no price to visitors who are not signed in, and its subscription page lists eBooks, magazines and comics, with no audiobooks.
For the UK, France and every other marketplace, check your local Amazon store while signed in before you quote a price in your marketing.
Where are audiobooks in Kindle+ available?
Only in the US, for now. KDP's announcement says: "Audiobooks in Kindle+ are available to listeners in the US today, with more marketplaces to come." Its royalties help page for Kindle+ puts it the same way: "Audiobooks in Kindle+ are available for distribution in the US marketplace only at this time." No other country or date has been named.
The US limit applies to listeners, not authors. KDP's FAQ is explicit: "Authors in any marketplace can enroll their eligible audiobooks in KDP Select to be distributed in the US." So a UK or Australian author with an eligible ACX audiobook can earn from US listeners today, while their home readers see only the ebook.
How do KDP authors get audiobooks into Kindle+?
There are two routes, and they behave very differently. Which one applies depends on how your audiobook was made.
Audiobooks made with virtual voice
These need no action. KDP's announcement says: "If your eBook is already enrolled, your audiobook is now available to Kindle+ listeners, and no action is required from you." If the ebook is not enrolled yet, KDP says to "go to your KDP Bookshelf and enroll your eBook in KDP Select and your audiobook will be added automatically." The Kindle+ help page adds that these audiobooks show a headphone badge next to the Kindle+ badge.
Creating one is still restricted. KDP's virtual voice eligibility page describes it as "an invite-only beta for eligible KDP eBooks," limited to books in English, Spanish, Italian or French and distributed in the US marketplace only. There's one catch to know: if you turn off KDP Select renewal for the ebook, the virtual voice audiobook leaves Kindle+ and Audible Plus when the period ends.
Human-narrated ACX audiobooks
These must be enrolled by hand, and only some qualify. KDP's ACX audiobooks for KDP Select page lists four requirements:
- The matching ebook is live and enrolled in KDP Select. You can't enroll an ACX audiobook without it||The audiobook has exclusive distribution through Audible, which you can change in your ACX account||Read and Listen (Whispersync for Voice) is enabled||The audiobook was made on a Pay for Production deal
Royalty Share and Royalty Share Plus titles are excluded at launch. KDP's FAQ says: "ACX audiobooks with the Pay for Production payment model are eligible today. We're exploring how to expand eligibility to titles with Royalty Share and Royalty Share Plus models." No date has been given. If your audiobook was made on a Royalty Share deal, there's nothing to enroll yet.
To enroll an eligible title, open your KDP Bookshelf, click "Enroll audiobook in KDP Select" next to the ACX audiobook, then confirm in the pop-up. KDP says it can take up to 24 hours for the Kindle+ badge to appear. One more rule: if you edit the ebook so it no longer matches the narration, the audiobook becomes ineligible until the files are back in sync.
Still deciding whether to produce audio at all? Our breakdown of audiobook production cost covers Pay for Production budgets, and our report on Spotify's AI audiobook tools covers a non-Amazon route.
What does Kindle+ mean for KDP Select and page reads?
Listening is now paid the same way as reading: by the page, from the KDP Select Global Fund. KDP's royalties page says earnings depend on subscribers' reading and listening activity, measured in Kindle Edition Normalized Pages (KENP). The fund size is still announced monthly in the KDP community forum, and KENP figures are finalized near the 15th of the following month.
Two payment rules matter most. First, KDP says: "You will be paid the first time a subscriber reads or listens to a given page in your book." A reader who reads pages 1 to 50 as an ebook and then listens to pages 51 to 100 earns you royalties on 100 pages, but returning to the same pages, in any format, counts as re-reading and earns nothing extra. Second: "When customers Read and Listen at the same time (Immersive Reading), and if rates between the formats differ, you earn at the higher rate."
The big unknown is money. KDP says: "We're investing additional funds to support this new and growing audiobook catalog," and "The additional funds we're investing in are to support listening activity." It has not said how much, what a listened page pays, or whether the per-page ebook rate will hold. The September fund announcement gives no per-page rate either. Treat any forecast you see as a guess until the October fund announcement arrives in November.
Your reports change slightly too. KDP says you can "View Kindle+ pages read and Kindle+ pages listened separately in the KENP report." Watch both lines in your October numbers so you can see whether audio adds to your income or simply shifts it.
Do KDP Select exclusivity rules still apply?
Yes, for your ebook. KDP's enrollment page still says the Kindle ebook "must also be exclusive to the Kindle Store for the KDP Select enrollment period," and that during the 90-day period it can only be distributed through KDP and public libraries. Enrollment still renews automatically unless you turn renewal off.
For the audiobook, the picture is narrower. The KDP Select help page says enrolling an ACX audiobook "will not add any additional KDP exclusivity requirements to your title," although the ACX route already requires exclusive Audible distribution. Read your agreements before you change distribution.
If you are weighing whether audio changes your exclusivity math, run the numbers on your own catalog. An author with a long series and Pay for Production audiobooks has more to gain from Kindle+ than an author whose books are short or have no audio edition.
What should you update now?
KDP's help pages already use Kindle+ everywhere, but no KDP rule requires you to rewrite older mentions of Kindle Unlimited. What KDP's rules do say is narrower, and worth knowing before you touch your listings:
- A+ Content: KDP's A+ guidelines ban time-sensitive wording such as "now" and "new," and add: "This includes references to Kindle+." Don't add "now on Kindle+" banners to your modules||Book descriptions: KDP does not accept "Availability, price, alternative ordering information" or "promotional material" in a description, so a "read free in Kindle Unlimited" line is a risk whatever the program is called||Badges: if your title is enrolled, you may use the official "Available in Kindle+" badge, unaltered, and you must remove it immediately if the title leaves the program||Book images: KDP says they must not include Amazon logos or trademarks, including the word KINDLE||Amazon Ads: the ad policies don't mention Kindle Unlimited or Kindle+ yet, so simply refresh any creative that names the old program||Back matter, author website, newsletters and social profiles: these are yours, so update them at your own pace||Audiobooks: confirm which titles qualify, enroll eligible ACX titles, and check that your virtual voice titles show the Kindle+ badge
Readers searching for "Kindle Unlimited" will keep doing so for months, and many will type "Kindle Plus." Written Word Media suggests transitional wording such as "Available in Kindle Unlimited (now Kindle+)" while the new name sinks in. Use it on the channels you control: your website, your newsletter and your back matter.
Book descriptions and A+ Content
Your description is the first place a reader checks before borrowing, but it is not the place for program claims. Amazon already labels enrolled books: KDP's Kindle+ help page says "When customers subscribe to Kindle+, they see a Kindle+ badge next to enrolled Kindle eBooks or audiobooks." Spend the description on the story. For module ideas, see our guide to Amazon A+ Content for authors.
For badges on your own website and ads, use the official artwork. KDP's badge guidelines say: "You may not alter the Badge in any manner, and it must appear in its entirety," and you "must remove the Available in Kindle+ badge from your book immediately if it is no longer enrolled in Kindle+." Download the current files rather than editing an old Kindle Unlimited graphic.
Ads, back matter and newsletters
Ads are the easiest place to leave stale copy running for months. Search your campaigns for "Kindle Unlimited" and "KU" and refresh the creative. Our guide to Amazon Ads for authors covers the rest of your campaign setup.
Back matter takes longer because each change means a new upload. Batch it: fix the wording in your master files now and push the update with your next scheduled revision, unless a book is in a promotion this month. If you have a launch coming up, update the pre-order page first; our guide to KDP pre-orders covers the current rules.
What questions remain open?
Amazon has answered the reader questions. Several author questions are still open. Written Word Media lists most of them, and Author Media raises similar concerns:
- How much extra money Amazon is adding to the fund, and for how long||What a listened page pays compared with a read page||Whether ebook per-page earnings will fall as listening grows||When audiobooks reach non-US marketplaces, and in which order||When, or whether, Royalty Share and Royalty Share Plus titles become eligible
The first real data point will be the October 2026 fund announcement, which KDP posts in its community forum in November. Until then, focus on what you control: accurate listings, eligible audiobooks enrolled, and steady reviews on every title in the program.
Frequently asked questions
The rename is a good moment to tidy every listing in your catalog. Start your free Read & Rate trial to get honest reader reviews on the platforms you choose, so each Kindle+ borrower lands on a page that already earns their trust.