"Every book deserves to be heard in audio," Audible CEO Bob Carrigan said in an interview. Audiobooks are the fastest-growing format in publishing, according to Audible, but only 2-5 of existing print and e-books exist in audio form, he said. "Our goal is to close that gap."
Publishers can select from more than 100 AI-generated voices across English, Spanish, French and Italian, including numerous accent and dialect options. Titles can be either created exclusively for Audible, with a more favourable royalty rate, or for distribution outside its platform.
Soon, Audible will also offer a translation feature that can convert text and audio into multiple languages in addition to the original. "The opportunity to use AI to bring more storytelling to more people in more languages is a really exciting one," Carrigan said.
Audible membership, which costs US14.95/month for audiobooks and podcasts, is at an all-time high, Carrigan said late last year. It's launched in some new territories recently, including Brazil, and has been experimenting with new subscription tiers and royalty models to keep its edge against Spotify Technology, which recently incorporated audiobook listening in its music-streaming and podcasting app.