Draft2Digital says new accounts will now include a one-time $20 activation fee, while accounts earning under $100 net over the previous 12 months will be charged a $12 annual maintenance fee. The company frames both changes as guardrails against automated account spam and as a way to fund security, compliance, and infrastructure costs.
For active authors already selling consistently, D2D says there should be little practical impact, but low-volume or experimental accounts will feel this immediately. It is a notable policy shift for indie distribution economics, especially for newer authors who used to treat account setup as zero-friction.
(Shortened and summarised to avoid devaluing the source)