HarperCollins has announced an agreement with ElevenLabs, an AI audio company that creates audiobooks in foreign languages. This collaboration will use state-of-the-art text-to-speech technology to convert books into audio, therefore revitalizing the deep backlist in audio form.

ElevenLabs  AI technology for audiobook production 

ElevenLabs technology focuses on improving the audiobook experience by introducing playback features that personalize the listening experience. ElevenLabs established in 2022 by a former Google machine learning engineer, Piotr Dabkowski, and prior Palantir strategist, Mati Staniszewski, ElevenLabs created software that can produce humanized speech for words, showing tones of feelings, injustice, and pace in speech. 

This demonstration ultimately merges the act of listening with the creation of audiobooks, thus making it possible to produce audiobooks more effectively and at a lower cost.

ElevenLabs created a tool to meet the needs of publishers and non-corporate authors. Its interface allows one to create an audiobook every hour. 

Options like audio voice customization, assigning texts to specific speakers, or setting up pauses that fit naturally in the narration process are all available. Moreover, users can ensure cohesion and contextual integrity.

Strategic expansion into global markets

In the agreement signed by Harper Collins and ElevenLabs, the two companies try to address the increasing demand for audiobook titles that are not written in English and as a result, this endeavor is aimed at expanding the reach of HarperCollins extensive back catalog. 

HarperCollins indicates that AI-generated audiobooks, an element that has already become if not a main but a key one, will still continue to exist together with the classic narration by human actors. 

The use of text-to-speech technology is envisaged as an additional step that shall enable the publisher to provide a larger range of audiobooks without undermining the touch and feel of the voice actors provide in narrations.

The partnership proves that AI technology increasingly dominates the publishing industry, with the integration of technology becoming the viable solution to enhance translation quality and improve operational efficiency. 

Besides the fact that this involves harnessing the power of AI in content accessibility, it also sets an example of how industry players can adopt appropriate technologies which in turn evoke an exciting consumer experience.

The original story appeared in TheBookseller