Fictional Publishing News – Week of 16 June 2025
Print royalties slashed, KU payouts stay low, TikTok shifts again—and the UK calls indie books a “slop mountain."
Five trends fiction writers can’t ignore this week: print royalties take a hit, TikTok tweaks its algorithm, self‑publishing’s glut becomes a UK scandal, and more. Confirm it all below—then plot accordingly.
1. Amazon KDP Cuts Print Royalties for Low‑Priced Books
The News (confirmed fact):
As of 10 June 2025, Amazon now pays 50% royalty on paperbacks priced at $9.98/£7.98 or lower—down from 60%—with higher print costs factored in.
Author Angle: Reassess your paperback pricing immediately. If you’re below the threshold, your earnings could be cut by ~40% per copy.
Source: KDP Print Royalties Update
2. KU Per‑Page Payout Still Hovering in Low Range
The News (confirmed fact):
April’s KU Global Fund sat at $57.9M, yielding ~$0.00444 per page—not a dramatic fall, but still well below pre‑2024 highs.
Author Angle: Expect consistency in low payouts. Short serials and page‑dense content are still your best shot at worthwhile KU income.
Source: KDP Community Payout Data
3. TikTok Algorithm Shift Means Less Sales‑y Book Promos
The Signal (emerging trend):
Multiple creators report TikTok is suppressing direct sales pitches in June 2025, favouring authenticity and storytelling instead.
Author Angle: Trade your "Buy my book!" voice for unfiltered writing scenes, process snippets, or even your editing breakdown—if it’s juicy and raw, TikTok will show it.
Sources: Anecdotal reports via @whatthebookclub, @lochanreads, @theauthordiaries
4. UK Guardian Rants on Self‑Publishing “Slop Mountain”
The Debate (confirmed + opinion):
Bill Bryson and The Guardian flagged 2.6M self‑published books in 2023, calling the glut a “slop mountain.” Yet they also highlight indie success stories (CoHo, Maas) and suggest mid‑list indies are earning ~£25–30k per book.
Author Angle: The market is flooded—but so are opportunities. Crowd noise doesn’t stop niche voices from finding readers.
Source: The Guardian – The Self-Publishing Deluge
5. BookTok Still Shapes Deals—and Sales
The News (confirmed trend):
BookTok continues to boost backlist and debut titles. Alex Aster’s Lightlark scored a major deal after viral TikToks. The algorithmic power of TikTok remains the biggest wild card in commercial publishing.
Author Angle: If you’re not playing on BookTok yet, you're standing on the wrong dock. Lean into video series—early-draft reads, character deepdives, or even day-in-the-life clips.
What Writers Should Do This Week
Amazon KDP cuts print royalties
→ Confirmed fact
Raise your paperback prices if they’re below $9.99/£7.98. Or start researching alternative POD platforms. This change could gut your print margins by up to 40%.
Kindle Unlimited payouts remain low
→ Confirmed fact
Stay sharp with short, page-dense content. Or consider going wide if KU is no longer delivering enough income per read.
TikTok is suppressing hard-sell promos
→ Emerging trend
Ditch the sales pitch voice. Start posting behind-the-scenes writing content, draft excerpts, or editing meltdowns. The messier, the better.
The UK self-publishing market is overcrowded—but still lucrative
→ Mixed (fact + opinion)
Don’t panic about the “slop mountain” label. Your job is to be the outlier with sharp positioning and loyal readers.
BookTok remains the fastest track to a deal
→ Confirmed trend
If you’re not on TikTok yet, start filming. Even a low-effort "read with me" reel can get traction if your hook is strong enough.
I hope this helps give an overview of this week’s news. See you next Monday for more.
H. J. x
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I’m H. J. Smith-Williams: novelist, screenwriter (in progress), and founder of the £1.5M Project—a year-long experiment to see how far words, wit, and stubborn execution can go.
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