If you thought Big Tech’s dreadful year of layoffs would be confined to 2023, you’re (sadly) mistaken. Audible laid off around five percent of its employees on Thursday, which Variety reports is “just over 100 staffers.” The cuts in the audiobook division are part of parent company Amazon’s most recent round of layoffs, also affecting Prime Video, MGM, and Twitch. “We did not take this route without considerable thought,” Audible CEO Bob Carrigan reportedly said in an audio memo delivered to staff. “But getting leaner and more efficient is the way we will need to operate now — and in the foreseeable future — in order to continue delivering best-in-class audio storytelling to our customers around the world.” For those keeping score, “leaner and more efficient” echoes the language in numerous recent Big Tech layoff announcements. Variations of “In these uncertain times...” have also been popular. Carrigan ironically began by talking about Audible's strong performance last year. “I want to acknowledge the strong year we had in 2023, in which we delivered amazing listening experiences for our customers thanks to outstanding collaboration with creators and partners,” he reportedly said. “Our business is in good shape, and that is because of the hard work of each and every one of you.” The CEO extolled how much the company values its workers. “A big part of what makes working at Audible so special is our many talented and dedicated employees who bring their passion to work each... Continue reading at 'Engadget'
[ Engadget | 2024-01-11 22:00:11 UTC ]
We at Engadget spend a lot of time thinking about the best tech gifts for anyone and everyone in your life. But during that process, we often can’t help but think about the things we’d like to receive as gifts. We encourage everyone to treat themselves in some way while scrambling to find gifts... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-11-11 15:30:08 UTC ]
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The audio producer, founded in 2018 by author Malcolm Gladwell and former Slate Group chairman and editor-in-chief Jacob Weisberg, has built a slate of more than 25 podcasts since its launch, and is ramping up audiobook production. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-11-05 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Does listening to an audiobook while working hinder or enhance productivity? Let’s discuss. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2021-10-30 12:00:00 UTC ]
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Audiobook firm W F Howes has teamed up with publisher Head of Zeus on the audio launch for Lọlá Ákínmádé Åkerström’s debut novel In Every Mirror She’s Black. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-29 01:40:29 UTC ]
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Amazon’s audiobook service Audible and phone apps for reading the holy books of Islam and Christianity have disappeared from the Apple store in mainland China Continue reading at ABC News
[ ABC News | 2021-10-15 21:01:46 UTC ]
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Farshore has adopted a "total audio" strategy which will see the imprint publish an audiobook for every narrative book published in print. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-10-05 22:40:19 UTC ]
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Love listening to audiobooks at 1.25 or 1.5 or even 2 times the speed? Here's your challenge to slow down and listen with intention. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2021-10-04 10:39:00 UTC ]
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Bafta-winning actor Toby Jones will read the audiobook of John le Carré’s final novel, Silverview, which publishes on 14th October 2021. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-09-28 22:01:16 UTC ]
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The technology of Speechki, an exhibitor at Frankfurter Buchmesse, offers faster, less expensive paths to audiobook production. (Sponsored) The post Speechki: Synthetic Voicing to Augment the Industry’s Audiobook Inventory appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-09-21 19:39:32 UTC ]
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As indicated in a leak earlier this week, Amazon is updating the Kindle Paperwhite. The fifth-gen Paperwhite (which marks the first refresh in nearly three years) has a larger, 6.8-inch display, compared with the previous model's six-inch screen. The company says the 300 ppi screen is glare-free... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-09-21 13:00:32 UTC ]
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Another strong performance by adult fiction was not enough to prevent unit sales of print books from falling 1.2% last week compared to the week ended September 12, 2020, at outlets that report to NPD BookScan. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-09-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Storytel reports seeing a rise in audiobook downloads in Russia by 45 percent in the last year. LitRes leads market. The post Audiobooks in Russia: Storytel and LitRes Cite Rising Interest appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2021-09-14 11:42:09 UTC ]
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Booming audiobook sales and strong performances in some of its largest markets boosted profits up 55.1% at Penguin Random House in the first six months of 2021. Revenue rose 10.9%, to €1.80 billion. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2021-08-31 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Now might be a good time to buy an e-reader for school — or that end-of-summer vacation. Amazon has cut the price of the ad-supported 8GB Kindle Paperwhite to an all-time low of $71 in a one-day-only sale, well below the official $130 sticker. That's lower than what we saw just two weeks... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2021-08-29 15:44:54 UTC ]
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Weruche Opia, best known for her role in Michaela Coel’s Bafta-winning series "I May Destroy You", will read the audiobook of the Nigerian essay collection Of This Our Country (The Borough Press) alongside fellow actor Oseloka Obi. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-26 15:58:01 UTC ]
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Cambridge University Press is to release an audiobook featuring all of Shakespeares sonnets, narrated by Lolita Chakrabarti and Kenneth Branagh. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-25 16:30:36 UTC ]
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Audible is releasing an audiobook of Peter Kay’s record-breaking autobiography The Sound of Laughter in September with two new and exclusive bonus chapters. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-25 06:53:06 UTC ]
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Independent audiobook publisher W F Howes has landed rights to Val McDermid's new Allie Burns series, releasing the first of five audiobooks this week. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-20 14:12:25 UTC ]
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Emmy award-winning Scottish actor Brian Cox has been confirmed as the audiobook reader for The Dark Remains, the new novel by Ian Rankin and William McIlvanney, published by Canongate. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-08-18 21:48:07 UTC ]
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Over the last decade there has been a push towards better representation in visual media. While movies and television have provided more examples of non-white characters in key roles, there has also been an uptick in linguistic diversity in film. Movies like Lulu Wang’s The Farewell, which slips... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2021-08-17 11:00:00 UTC ]
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