Create Audiobooks with Apple Books Digital Narration

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Apple Books

Ingram is working with Apple Books to make audiobook production easier. Apple Books digital narration brings together advanced speech synthesis technology with important work by teams of linguists, quality control specialists, and audio engineers to produce high-quality audiobooks. Publishers can create a digitally narrated audiobook from any ebook they are currently selling on Apple Books via Ingram’s CoreSource distribution platform. This production service is currently free. Once processed, the audiobooks will go through quality checks and, if approved, be ready to publish on the Apple Books store.

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Easy to produce with a preexisting EPUB file

wholesale

Wholesale price determined by publisher (*pricing limits apply)

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Available solely on Apple Books with optional distribution to libraries

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Publisher retains audiobook rights and there are no restrictions on producing and distributing other versions of the audiobook

Voices

Apple Books digital voices are created and optimized for specific genres. They are currently accepting submissions for romance and fiction titles. Hear samples of voices available for these genres below.

Fiction & Romance

Madison, a digital voice

Soprano

Jackson, a digital voice

Baritone

Mystery & Thriller and Science Fiction & Fantasy

Madison, a digital voice

Soprano

Warren, a digital voice

Baritone

Nonfiction & Self-Development

The nonfiction and self-development narration program is also kicking off. You can work with us to get updates on the timing of when these genres will be available. Listen to samples of our nonfiction and self-development voices below.

Helena, a digital voice

Soprano

Mitchell, a digital voice

Baritone

Apple Books plans to add voices for additional genres in the future.

Here’s How it Works:

  1. Select Your Title: Choose the ebook titles you want to convert into audiobooks using Apple Books digital narration. For an ebook title to qualify, it must be available on Apple Books, you must own audio rights, and the primary category must be Fiction or Romance.
  2. Select Your Voice: Listen to the samples and choose which type of voice you’d like to narrate your audiobook: soprano or baritone.  
  3. Choose Your Cover Art: You can upload a custom cover for your title or Apple Books can convert your ebook cover into an audiobook cover—no effort required!
  4. Add a Description: Craft a compelling description for your audiobook.
  5. Decide on a Release Date: Digitally narrated audiobooks take one to two months to process. If your chosen release date does not allow sufficient time for production, your audiobook will go live as soon as it’s completed. 
  6. Quality/Expectations: Not all books are guaranteed to pass synthesis.
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Apple Books

Production Process Ensures High Quality Listener Experience

Apple Books has long been on the forefront of innovative speech technology, and has now adapted it for long-form reading, working alongside publishers, authors, and narrators. With the launch of the digital narration program, Apple Books has already created hundreds of digitally narrated audiobooks, across fiction, romance, nonfiction, and self-development genres.

Apple Books remains committed to celebrating and showcasing the magic of human narration. Digitally narrated titles are a valuable component to professionally narrated audiobooks, and will help close the catalog gap between ebooks and audiobooks for listeners everywhere.

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