Apple's new audiobook narration service uses AI voices

When you browse Apple Books for your next audiobook, you might come across a few titles with a note that says they were "Narrated by Apple Books." That's because the tech giant has released a catalogue of titles that make use of its new AI-powered digital narration service. The company said the service uses the advanced speech synthesis technology it developed "to produce high-quality audiobooks from an ebook file." According to The Guardian, Apple approached independent publishers who may be interested in teaming up for the project's launch in recent months. Authors were reportedly told that the company behind the technology would shoulder the costs of turning their books into audiobooks and that they would be earning royalties. Apple, as secretive as ever, apparently remained unnamed at that point of the process and required partners to sign non-disclosure agreements. In its announcement, Apple touched on how commissioning voice actors and producing audiobooks could cost writers and publishers thousands of dollars. For independent authors, especially those just starting out, it's not always possible to spare that much money. But thing is, the audiobook market has grown tremendously in recent years — it earned $1.6 billion in sales in 2021, and experts reportedly believe the market could be worth over $35 billion by 2030. Authors wouldn't only be missing out on potential income by not creating audiobook versions of their titles, but also the opportunity to build their... Continue reading at 'Engadget'

[ Engadget | 2023-01-05 13:10:59 UTC ]

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The Best Audiobooks of 2024

Each month, for your literary listening pleasure, our friends at AudioFile Magazine bring us the cream of the audiobook crop. Now, at 2024 draws to a close, they’ve rounded up the very best audiobooks of the year. Happy listening and happy holidays! * BEST FICTION AUDIOBOOKS FOR 2024 AudioFile’s... Continue reading at Literrary Hub

[ Literrary Hub | 2024-12-06 09:56:45 UTC ]
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Spotify Launches Analytics Platform for Audiobook Publishers, Authors

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[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-11-26 05:00:00 UTC ]
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[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-11-22 22:27:19 UTC ]
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[ Book Riot | 2024-11-20 16:00:00 UTC ]
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The best Black Friday 2024 deals: Sales from Amazon, Best Buy, Apple, Anker and others

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[ Engadget | 2024-11-14 17:34:34 UTC ]
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Dutch publisher to use AI to translate ‘limited number of books’ into English

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[ Engadget | 2024-11-04 16:30:36 UTC ]
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