AI Audiobook NarrationIs Audible’s “Virtual Voice” audiobook narration here to stay? What can we expect next for the industry?-rn
If you regularly purchase and listen to audiobooks, chances are you have used platforms like Audible and other similar websites in the past.Audible is a leading platform that offers an extensive collection of audiobooks in various genres, allowing users to immerse themselves in captivating stories wherever they are. Until now 100% of the titles were narrated by professional voice actors while other platforms were implementing AI-voiced audiobooks.As a professional audio production house with over two decades of experience, we have successfully produced numerous audiobooks. Our meticulous attention to detail is something we take pride in, as we understand that the process is a lengthy one.With the introduction of AI-generated voices, the industry has been curious about when artificial intelligence voice-generated audiobooks would emerge in the market. From a technological standpoint, AI voice narration has always been an inevitability, and it has been something that has been right behind us.AI-generated audiobooks are nothing new in recent years and have been available via Google Play and Apple. However, this was a small percentage of the market, and it was evident that the audiobook was generated by an AI voice. The production quality of these audiobooks was also relatively lower. Nevertheless, it remains a great option for authors who are just starting.Fast forward to this month, and we have seen a surge of audiobooks labeled as “Virtual Voice” on Audible’s website. These audiobooks are narrated by AI voices and appear to be available to Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) authors. This development caught our attention, and we felt compelled to write this article to keep you informed and provide updates as more details emerge. AI Audiobook NarrationYou can see a list of audiobooks with Virtual Voice narration on the Audible’s AI Audiobook Narration search page.In early December, Amazon extended an invitation to several self-published authors to beta-test Virtual Voice.Audible’s website alerts the reader that these audiobooks are narrated by AI by labeling them as Virtual Voice.The opening of these audiobooks states that they are read AI Audiobook Narration by ……AI Audiobook NarrationAI Audiobook Narration: How to Turn a Book into an Audiobook Using AI-rn
Progress in artificial intelligence has unlocked the capability for human-sounding storytelling. AI-generated voices can narrate audiobooks that don’t sound digital or robotic.Still, some authors prefer humans over AI, or they use both options.And that’s great because, with the help of AI, authors can optimize and scale their audiobook production. However, they can still use real human narrators for some of their titles to cater to those buyers who don’t want to listen to an AI-generated voice.In this article, I go over how to create AI audiobooks and the benefits this new technology brings.The audiobook market is booming, showing significant growth in listeners year over year. Authors who choose to publish audiobooks and diversify their book formats have several benefits, such as:Earning more money: Audiobooks can generate additional revenue for authors, as they can reach new customers and offer a different pricing model. Reaching a wider audience: Audiobooks can appeal to people who prefer listening to reading or who want to multitask while enjoying a book.Never going out of stock: Unlike print books, audiobooks and ebooks do not have physical inventory or distribution issues.Refreshing your story: Audiobooks can give new life to your book by adding voice, tone, emotion, and sound effects. Growing your reputation as an author: Audiobooks can help you establish yourself as a professional and credible author in your genre.If you are a self-published author who wants to appeal to new audiences, consider the audiobook format. For this, you can narrate the book yourself, hire a voice actor, or try AI audiobook narration.💡Here’s a guide on how to create audiobooks yourself.As I mentioned before, when creating audiobooks, authors get into book narration or pay experts to do it. This can take a long time and it can be expensive, making it challenging for new writers who work on their own.But now, authors can use text-to-speech technology to get their manuscript from epub to audiobook with AI.AI narration helps authors create audiobooks in a more cost-effective way. Authors can get AI-generated audiobooks from their existing ebooks and make a much more significant profi……
AI Audiobook NarrationHow to Record an Audiobook with AI in 6 Steps-rn
As discussed in this guide, there are two main ways to produce an audiobook: hiring a professional voice actor or recording it yourself. Both require substantial investments of time or money. However, advances in AI technology have opened up a third path to simply and inexpensively record audiobooks with human-like synthetic voices.While AI-narrated audiobooks don’t match the quality of professionally produced ones yet (and perhaps never will), they do offer new authors the opportunity to publish their work in the fastest-growing format on the market. In this article, we’ll show you how to use AI technology to narrate your book, using both ready-made voice avatars and a digital replica of your own unique voice.How to record an audiobook with AI:Before we begin, should the narrating voice be based on your own, or should it be that of a digital avatar with a different vocal quality, accent, and gender? Generally, fiction writers prefer the latter, whereas nonfiction writers — who often write in their own voice — may lean towards the former (in which case, skip to this post).If you’re casting a digital avatar, you’ll be semi-spoiled for choice. Many platforms already offer this service and the selection will only increase over time. Here are some of the most popular options on the market, and the number of distinct voices and languages they offer:SoftwareCostVoice catalogGoogle Play BooksFree50+ voices, 9 languagesPodcastleFrom $12/mo20 voices, English onlySpeechify Voice OverFrom $39/mo130+ voices, 30 languagesMurf.aiFrom $39/mo120+ voices, 23 languagesWellSaid LabsFrom $49/mo50+ voices, 5 languagesAside from Google (which is already free), each platform offers a free trial, so play around with them to find which one best suits your budget and needs. For this guide, we chose Speechify, which had the most voice options, and we used Ricardo Fayet’s How to Market a Book as a guinea pig. However, you’ll go through a similar process if you create an audiobook with one of the other tools. To get things going, log into your platform of choice and create a new project. Then, you can either import your full ……