#ainarration — Public Fediverse posts

News Summary: Storytel Survey Links Audiobooks to Wellbeing; Edison Research Finds Listeners Prefer AI Narration after Sampling

We start the week with not one but two "they would say that, wouldn't they?" surveys commissioned by the audiobook industry, in a timely reminder that "that's really interesting" and following the money down a path of healthy skepticism can both be appropriate responses to the same thing.
The post News Summary: Storytel Survey Links Audiobooks to Wellbeing; Edison Research Finds Listeners Prefer AI Narration after Sampling appeared first on The Self-Publishing Advice Center.
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/storytel-survey-links-audiobooks-to-wellbeing/

#AInarration #audiobooksurvey #audiobookwellbeing #childrensreading #EdisonResearch

News Summary: US Audiobook Sales Grow 9% to $2.43 Billion; Active Titles Up 43% as Revenue per Title Falls

I wrote recently about the 60 percent growth in audiobook listening reported by Spotify in 2025. This week we have figures on the whole of the audiobook market (in the US at least), which help to contextualize that growth. The figures come as the Audio Publishers Association announces the findings of its two annual surveys: hard data on sales from Toluna, and a comprehensive survey on listening habits from Edison Research.
The post News Summary: US Audiobook Sales Grow 9% to $2.43 Billion; Active Titles Up 43% as Revenue per Title Falls appeared first on The Self-Publishing Advice Center.
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/us-audiobook-sales-grow/

#activetitles #AInarration #AudioPublishersAssociation #audiobooksales #revenuepertitle

News Summary: ElevenLabs Adds 200,000 Human-Narrated Titles; Readers Can Swap Narrators for AI Voices

This week's second story is less legally dense and full of plot twists than our first. But no less important. At the center of it is ElevenLabs, the AI-generated voice giant. You will recall that ElevenLabs was in the news last week because of its audiobook partnership with Spotify. This week, a reminder that ElevenLabs is, itself, an audiobook platform thanks to its Eleven Reader app.
The post News Summary: ElevenLabs Adds 200,000 Human-Narrated Titles; Readers Can Swap Narrators for AI Voices appeared first on The Self-Publishing Advice Center.
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/elevenlabs-adds-200000-human-narrated-titles/

#AInarration #audiobookplatform #audiobooks #ElevenReader #ElevenLabs

Season 3 Episode 3: AI and the Creative Arts

In this episode, we discuss AI in the creative arts! We have some very strong opinions about a recent book scandal, new music creations and bringing actors back from the dead. (AI was not used for this description)

Listen Below!

Listen on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/episode/6MNQ4IZqHgjjUWcshAPb6x?si=fQuuYPjwRRqEgmOH6GBb_Q

Listen on YouTube:

https://youtu.be/9-zzGNiMlgg

Also listen at the following places:

Things Discussed In This Episode

Song banned from Swedish charts for being AI creation

AI-created track blocked from Sweden’s Official Charts after racking up millions of streams on Spotify – Music Business Worldwide

AI novel that won literature contest has awards taken away – Dexerto

Liza Minnelli is among the artists who collaborated on a new AI-generated album

An Update on Libro.fm’s Response to AI Narration

Chicago Sun Times – 2025 “Summer Reading List“

Seemingly AI-generated band The Velvet Sundown have over 400,000 monthly Spotify listeners

Publisher cancels horror novel’s release over AI claims

Disclaimer: Links to Bookshop.org are affiliate links and the store will receive a small commission if you purchase through those links.

The Audiobook Boom: Growth, New Awards, and the Rise of AI Narration

The audiobook boom continues to be a bright spot in publishing, as recent reporting by Dan Holloway highlights a resurgence in listener numbers, the rise of new awards, and ongoing shifts in production tools.
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/the-audiobook-boom/

#Process3And4ProductionAndDistribution #AInarration #audiobookboom #KDPVirtualVoice #selfpublishingtrends
@indieauthors

Audiobook Sales Climb Back to Double-Digit Growth, Topping $2.22 Billion: Self-Publishing News with Dan Holloway

Remember those heady days when I reported on double-digit audiobook sales growth for a decade straight? Well, it seems that we have, however temporarily, returned to that time. The Audio Publishers Association has just…
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/audiobook-sales/

#AInarration #AudioPublishersAssociation #audiobookmarket #audiobooksales #genregrowth
@indieauthors

AI Narration in Publishing: Melania Trump’s Audiobook and the Dawn of Synthetic Voices

How Voice Cloning is Reshaping Storytelling, Accessibility, and Ethical Boundaries…
https://thenewpublishingstandard.com/2025/05/25/ai-narration-in-publishing-melania-trumps-audiobook-and-the-dawn-of-synthetic-voices/

#AI #Audiobooks #USA #AInarration #ElevenLabs
@indieauthors

Audible Expands AI Narration Program; KDP Print Royalties Change; UK Rejects AI Copyright Amendment: Self-Publishing with ALLi Featuring Dan Holloway

On this episode of the Self-Publishing News Podcast, Dan Holloway reports that Audible has launched a major AI narration program featuring 100 synthetic voices, with options for both…
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-ai-narration-program/

#Podcast #AInarration #Audible #audiobookpublishing #indieauthors
@indieauthors

How Creative Confidence Shapes Author Voice and Guides AI Use: Self-Publishing with ALLi Featuring Orna Ross and Joanna Penn

On the Creative Self-Publishing stream of the Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast, Orna Ross and Joanna Penn discuss creative confidence and the process of finding and sustaining an author voice. They talk…
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/podcast-creative-confidence/

#Podcast #AInarration #authorvoice #creativeconfidence #griefandcreativity
@indieauthors

Amazon is an AI Tech Company. Why Does it Get a Free Pass from the UK’s Publishers Association and the Society of Authors?

Amazon now has nailed its publishing industry AI colours to the mast. We cannot have one rule for Amazon and another for…
https://thenewpublishingstandard.com/2025/05/18/amazon-is-an-ai-tech-company-why-does-it-get-a-free-pass-from-the-uks-publishers-association-and-the-society-of-authors/

#AI #Amazon #PublishingControversies #UK #AInarration
@indieauthors

How Indie Authors Are Embracing Short-Form Audio

Short-form audio is becoming a meaningful new outlet for authors. As listening habits shift—and as tools for production become more accessible through human and AI narration—short audiobooks are gaining ground with both readers and platforms. From Spotify’s recent…
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/short-form-audio/

#Process3And4ProductionAndDistribution #AInarration #AlliMembers #audiobookproduction #indieauthors
@indieauthors

The Future of Short-Form Audio — Part I: How Spoken Is Helping Authors Turn Stories into Streamable Content

Short-form audio and AI-generated audiobooks are emerging as a major new frontier for authors. As listening habits shift and production tools become more accessible, new platforms are stepping in to meet the…
https://selfpublishingadvice.org/the-future-of-short-form-audio-part-i/

#Opinion #AInarration #audiostorytelling #audiobookpublishing #indieauthors
@indieauthors

Forever on the "bleeding edge" of technology, my horror/sci fi novella "Andrew", is now available, read by AI from Findaway Voices, on Apple Books.
https://books.apple.com/us/audiobook/andrew/id1799981732
#ai #Audiobook
#Audiobooks
#AINarration
#ListenToBooks

Also, what I said on twitter:
Bullshit.

AI cannot act or emote, because it doesn't understand emotion.; you are saying "text-to-speech, but with ~nice voices~, is the same as an actor embodying the characters" and that is incredibly demeaning of everyone involved, from authors to voice actors, to readers.

#AINarration

The Bookseller on twitter:
"Despite the caution of publishers, the arguments for using AI to produce audiobooks are indisputable and will only become stronger. Mark Piesing wants publishers to embrace the potential of AI narration for audiobooks"

Translation: butthurt author doesn't realize his livelihood is next in line.

#AINarration

https://www.thebookseller.com/comment/comment/ai-narration-is-inevitable

I think I've rewritten about 5% of this book while running it through Google AI narration. Not because it didn't work in the tool, mostly because it sounded bad. I've gotten better at writing in the past 3 years, and while I was listening to it, it made me cringe. Sorry everyone that read the old version. Really, I got better. I promise. #WritersLift #WritingCommunity #AINarration