If you have an audiobook on ACX, or one on the way, you can now give it a pre-order page and run Amazon ads for it, the same way you already can for your ebook and paperback. That means your audio edition no longer has to launch quietly after everything else.

This week, claim your pen name in Author Central and pick one launch date for every format of your next book.

What changed, and where it says so

ACX, Audible’s service for making and selling audiobooks, posted Introducing new ways to promote your audiobooks on 6 October 2026 (checked 16 October 2026). It says three things.

  • Pre-orders. While publishing your audiobook, you can choose to publish right away or set up a pre-order. ACX adds: “If you want to set a future release date through self-service, a pre-order period is required.”
  • Promo cards. Anyone can visit audible.com/promocards, look up an audiobook title, and download ready-made images for social media. No login is needed.
  • Amazon ads. Rights holders can advertise their “verified” audiobook titles with Sponsored Products ads on Amazon in the US.

Amazon Ads’ own note, Authors including ACX creators can now advertise audiobooks (dated 28 August 2026, checked 16 October 2026), adds the setup step: “To begin advertising, authors need to first claim their pen name in their author central account.” It lists the United States as the only marketplace. It also says that when a shopper clicks one format but buys another, that sale shows up in your campaign reporting.

Neither page says how long a pre-order can run, so plan your own dates rather than counting on a set limit.

What to do this week

  1. Claim your pen name in Author Central. Amazon Ads says this comes first. Do it now, while nothing is riding on it, not in launch week.
  2. Write one launch date for all formats. Put the ebook, paperback, and audiobook dates on one page. If you want the audiobook to go live on a set day through ACX self-service, that comes with a pre-order period, so leave room for it before launch day.
  3. Make your promo cards. Go to audible.com/promocards, look up your audiobook, and download the cards. Save them in the same folder as your cover files so they are ready for your newsletter and social posts.
  4. If you try ads, keep it small and keep formats together. Put the ebook, print, and audio editions in one campaign so you can see which format people actually buy. Pick a daily budget you are comfortable losing while you learn, and remember this is US only for now.

If you are still deciding how your audiobook is paid, our 9 October note on ACX’s royalty change covers that step.

A small example

This one is made up. Ruth has a cozy mystery coming out in ebook and paperback, and her narrator is finishing the audiobook on ACX. She claims her pen name in Author Central on Monday. She writes one launch date on a sticky note for all three formats, then sets up the audiobook as a pre-order when she publishes it on ACX so it goes live the same day. She downloads two promo cards and adds one to her launch email. When the book is out, she starts one small US campaign with all three editions in it and checks the report once a week.

Your audiobook can now launch with the rest of your book, so give it a date, a picture, and a place in the plan.