RBMedia has acquired Berrett-Koehler’s audiobook publishing business, in a multi-year exclusive deal that started at the beginning 2024. Berrett-Koehler titles released by RBmedia will be published under the company’s audiobook brand, Ascent Audio. Lesley Iura, VP of editorial for Berrett-Koehler Publishers, said in a release, “We are excited to partner with RBmedia to serve and expand the audience for our authors’ works. As an industry leader and partner with other top business publishers, they have a deep understanding of the markets we serve. We believe that leveraging RBmedia’s unique abilities in spoken audio will help amplify the voices of our […]
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Audible to Lay Off 5 Percent of Employees
On Thursday, Audible announced to employees that it would eliminate 5 percent of its workforce. The company employs an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 staffers worldwide, so this move will likely impact approximately 100 people. The company declined to confirm which departments are affected. In a memo to staff, provided to PL by an Audible spokesperson, CEO Bob Carrigan noted that the company had a “strong year” in 2023 and “business is in good shape.” “However, to position us for continued success in the coming year and into the future, given the increasingly challenging landscape we face, we have to take […]
Spotify’s New Audiobook Plan Launches In The US
Spotify’s new audiobook plan, which grants premium subscribers 15 hours of audiobook access per month with no extra charge, has launched in the US. The same program launched in the UK and Australia in October. The company writes in a release that subscribers now have access to a catalog that includes more than 200,000 audiobooks. As PL previously noted, the big change for the industry is Spotify’s effort to pay creators based on customers’ listening time rather than per title, though payment terms remain opaque. The company began offering audiobooks just over a year ago, on a pay-per-title basis.
KDP Begins “Virtual Voice” Narration Beta
Amazon’s KDP has invited some authors to test creating audiobooks through “virtual voice.” Those titles “will be clearly labeled” for customers. They note, “We plan to grow the beta over time and will share updates in the coming months as we have additional information.” In this case Amazon is following the field rather than leading. Apple Books started providing digital narration at the beginning of the year, and Google Play Books did so in April 2022. Ingram began using the technology in late 2021, and Storytel launched their initiative this summer.
Audio: Michelle Williams to Narrate Britney Spears Audiobook
Actress Michelle Williams will narrate Britney Spears’ audiobook, THE WOMAN IN ME, to be released on Oct. 24. Spears will narrate the book’s introduction. In a release, Spears said, “This book has been a labor of love and all the emotions that come with it. Reliving everything has been exciting, heart-wrenching, and emotional, to say the least. For those reasons, I will only be reading a small part of my audiobook. I am so grateful to the amazing Michelle Williams for reading the rest of it.” “I stand with Britney,” Williams said.
Spotify Launches New Audiobook Plan, Giving Subscribers Free Audiobook Hours
Music streaming platform Spotify is rolling out a new audiobooks program, as first suggested in the WSJ last month (and signalled at the London Book Fair in April), giving subscribers 15 hours of audiobooks a month at no extra charge. The program launches today in the UK and Australia, and will expand to the US later this year, the company said in a presentation on Tuesday, with other territories added soon. If listeners exceed 15 hours they can buy “top-ups” in 10 hour increments for $10.99. In the presentation on Tuesday, Spotify ceo Daniel Ek said that subscribers will have […]