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 ]
From Hamlet to The Princess Bride to audiobook narration, here are the bookish roles Mandy Patinkin has taken on in his storied career. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-10-10 10:32:00 UTC ]
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This is the most familiar thing in the world, the engineer’s voice in my headphones, me in the sound booth, him at the board. I’ve spent hundreds of hours in recording studios, tracking drums, and I’m accustomed to taking direction and criticism: you were dragging behind the click; your energy... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-10-04 08:35:37 UTC ]
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Ek blames Apple for holding back his company’s first foray into audiobooks and confirms his company is in talks with Google about in-app purchases. Spotify is doubling down on audiobooks: Paying subscribers of the music service will now have access to up to 15 hours of audiobook listening as... Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2023-10-03 16:30:00 UTC ]
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After a long run with weekly sales ahead of 2022, unit sales of adult fiction titles were down 0.2% in the year-to-date after sales fell last week. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The private equity firm KKR has completed its sale of audiobook publisher RBmedia to investment firm H.I.G. Capital and private equity firm Francisco Partners. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-09-18 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Not all international audiobook markets are evolving at the same pace, according to speakers at the second online Frankfurt Rights Meeting. The post Frankfurt Rights Meeting 2: Developments in Audio appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-09-16 00:02:33 UTC ]
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The August assessment of Circana BookScan's Kristen McLean shows romance leading a drop in United States print book sales. The post Circana BookScan: US Print Book Market ‘Slowing a Bit’ appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-09-11 22:40:03 UTC ]
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With the adult fiction and nonfiction categories posting declines of 9% and 6%, respectively, unit sales of print books fell 6.1% last week from the comparable week in 2022 at outlets that report to Circana BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The release of the second season of 'The Summer I Turned Pretty' on Amazon Prime gave a small boost to the Jenny Han novels that the series is based on last week, but it wasn't enough to stop a 7.1% drop in sales. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-24 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Kate Winkler Dawson’s audiobook original reveals the origins of a society of occult-obsessed supernaturalists that included Dickens, Doyle, Yeats and more. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-08-18 09:00:23 UTC ]
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When asked to narrate an audiobook of machine-generated verse, Mr. Herzog readily agreed. “I wasn’t the best choice,” he said. “I was the only choice.” Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2023-08-14 09:00:32 UTC ]
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Actor Christine Baranski and New York Times theater critic Jesse Green join host Jo Reed in a special bonus edition of Behind the Mic. The two teamed up to create the audiobook of Shy: The Alarmingly Outspoken Memoirs of Mary Rodgers, written by Mary Rodgers and Jesse Green. Mary Rodgers was the... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-08-11 08:22:34 UTC ]
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These video game and audiobook pairings complement each other for the ideal playing and listening experience. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-08-10 10:34:00 UTC ]
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Despite overall flat sales this July, Circana reports that the US book market also saw some frontlist gains and new voices on the bestseller list. The post Circana on July’s US Print Book Market: A Slight Frontlist Gain appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-08-08 19:27:46 UTC ]
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If your fingers are itching to put together a puzzle and you're delighted by bookish things, get into these bookish jigsaw puzzles.- Jamie Canaves Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-08-07 10:31:00 UTC ]
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The string of weeks in which unit sales of print books were down in all major categories reached three last week, leading to a 5.4% sales decline from the comparable week in 2022. Sales of adult fiction fell 7.2%. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-08-03 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The seven-year-old Seattle-based Libro.fm opens a Bookshop.org-style audiobook-selling service in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand. The post Libro.fm Opens, Audiobook Sales Through Local Bookstores appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-07-26 13:34:20 UTC ]
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In what is likely a record price for an audiobook publisher, KKR, the private equity firm that owns RBmedia—and a rumored contender to buy S&S—is selling the company for an alleged $1 billion sum. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-07-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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This week's best tech deals include a couple of all-time lows on older but still worthwhile Apple gadgets, with the 9th-gen iPad on sale for $250 and the M1-powered MacBook Air available for $750. The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is a solid value for those in need of a cheap media streamer at... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-21 15:15:52 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime Day 2023 is almost here, but you can still snag some early deals before the two-day shopping event begins in earnest. We've rounded up the best early Prime Day deals we can find below. Remember that you'll need to subscribe to Prime to take advantage of many (but not all) of the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-10 18:45:44 UTC ]
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