In a recent post in the Kindle Direct Publishing community forum, Amazon announced that it has begun a beta test on technology allowing KDP authors to produce audiobook versions of their e-books using virtual voice narration. Currently about 4% of titles self-published through KDP have an audiobook.
Authors will be able to choose one of their eligible e-books already on the KDP platform, sample voices, preview and customize the audiobook. Audiobooks will be live within 72 hours, and will distributed via Audible. Prices set between $3.99 and $14.99. Authors will receive a 40% royalty. Audiobooks created by virtual voice will be clearly labeled and customers can listen to samples.
What may be about to happen is that many audiobook production companies, audiobook narrators and editors are all about to be wiped out by AI.
If free to create Amazon audiobooks have anything close to the quality of human developed audio books then they are likely to take a fast growing share of the audiobook market.
We tested some AI audiobook tools last summer. They are getting better and usually have an “off” word every 15 minutes. I expect Amazon will be able to beat that or provide editing tools to fix the occasional blooper. AI is coming!
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I have a hard time feeling bad for putting voice actors out of business when nobody complained about the plight of the writers whose work is far more grossly underpaid and off whom they made their living without having to do the brainwork.