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2020.
Press Release: DeepZen launches first audiobooks using AI emotive voice tech

Good morning,
Please see below news on the first range of audiobooks, from DeepZen, using new emotive voice technology (AI) to be sold across major resellers and library distributors worldwide. The British company, DeepZen, is available for media interviews and comment, and the team will be holding meetings with publishers at next week's London Book Fair (if the event is cancelled beforehand due to coronavirus meetings will be conducted via Skype/Zoom). For more information, please see the press release below. We are very happy to help connect you with DeepZen and share more information so please do get in touch!
Thanks, 
Helen Lewis 
Director - LitPR 
www.literallypr.com 
+44 (0) 7904801669 
 

DeepZen Press Release - UK

 

The Future of Audiobooks is AI

DeepZen launches first audiobooks using new emotive voice technology

 

2ndMarch 2020: The first range of audiobooks created using an innovative, emotive-voice technology have been released ahead of the London Book Fair (10-12 March 2020). British company DeepZen (www.deepzen.io) produces and co-publishes audiobooks and other voice content using Artificial Intelligence that replicates the human voice to create a listening experience that is virtually indistinguishable from traditionally narrated audio.

The first range of books are ready for release,comprising of fiction and non-fiction, and produced by DeepZen in collaboration with publishers including Lume Books (formerly Endeavour Media), Legend Press and Amber Books. DeepZen, under the imprint AudioWhale Classics, is also publishing classics bringing them to life in a truly modern way.

 

The world's first digitally narrated audiobooks to be sold across the major resellers and library distributors.

 

DeepZen's digitally narrated titles are the first to gain broad acceptance and distribution from major resellers including Apple Books, GooglePlay, Rakuten Kobo and subscription services Scribd, Nextory and Storytel. They will also be available on all major library distribution platforms including Overdrive, Bibliotheca and Baker & Taylor.

DeepZen has been working in partnership with Findaway, the world's largest distributor of audio content, to ensure reseller approval, delivery and support. Before even officially launching its first books, DeepZen was recognised as a finalist in the FutureBook BookTech StartUp of the Year Award (November 2019).

 

CEO and Founder of DeepZen, Taylan Kamis, says:

"Wide distribution, underpinned by a focus on quality output, is central to our business strategy for our

co-published titles and to our commitment to our publishing partners and their authors, to ensure that we maximise visibility and sales of their titles. Findaway has leveraged its deep relationships with resellers to facilitate this process. The reception to the quality of our titles has been overwhelmingly positive. Many resellers recognise that increasing the range of books available in audio is driving growth within the market and that traditional production methods simply can't deliver the total output needed to support this."

 

Chief Digital Officer of Findaway, Ralph Lazaro, says:

"We are thrilled to have partnered with DeepZen to be the first to bring this quality of digitally narrated titles to consumers. Retailers across the globe count on Findaway to bring them the best content available in the right model for their users - and the AI produced titles from DeepZen will deliver on that need perfectly."

 

Helping Publishers to Expand and Democratise the Audiobook Market

DeepZen is working with publishers to expand the availability of audio content and democratise the market by offering a range of business models to suit the varying needs of publishers. It offers both production-only services to larger publishers who have established audiobook businesses and co-publishing services to publishers that require a fully managed service.

DeepZen is in discussion with large trade houses, Academic, STM and Education publishers and is working on specific-use cases to demonstrate how its digital narration technology can be applied to content. The technology can help publishers to reduce conversion time and time to market, as well as allowing them to scale production efficiently without the challenges associated with traditional production methods.

Marzia Ghiselli, Head of Publishing and Partnerships at DeepZen, explains that the new technology is already appealing to publishers with extensive backlists as a much welcome additional revenue stream for new content:"We are focused on delivering quality, speed, simplicity and scalability. In an emerging, fast-growth market like audiobooks, such factors are vital for publishers to scale up and benefit from an income stream that, until now, was too time- and cost-intensive to consider. Currently, it takes an average of sixty days to produce a ‘traditional' audiobook, DeepZen's method reduces this to seven to ten days."

 

Game-Changing Technology for Everyone

The exclusive technology, which is being applied across multiple verticals including book publishing, gaming, podcasting, voiceovers, Apps and education, will revolutionise the way audio content is produced. Audiobooks - a major focus for DeepZen - is the fastest growing sector within the publishing industry, yet only a small percentage of books are converted to this format. DeepZen's market-changing, voice-mapping AI technology creates a new opportunity for companies wishing to increase audio output.

Proprietary AI technology is used to convert text into audio format, while maintaining human intonation and emotion, resulting in faster conversion times and cost efficiencies.

 

Partnerships with Publishers

Rebecca Souster, CEO at Lume Books: "We chose to be one of the first publishers to work with DeepZen because we recognise the huge potential growth and value in the audiobooks sector. The concept of emotive AI, which can help us produce high-quality products in a shorter timeframe, is hugely appealing in an industry with such tight margins. As a digital-first imprint, we believe that when technology advances, behaviour changes, and we have a responsibility to our authors and our readers to meet that change. A book is a book is a book, regardless of the medium."

 

Tom Chalmers, MD at Legend Times Group: "At Legend Press, embracing technology and innovation is vital to our business strategy. It is our responsibility as a publisher to continually seek improvement and knowledge within the industry, to benefit readers and authors. Working with DeepZen has been an exciting development for our company and we look forward to collaborating further to bring greater choice and quality to the audiobooks market."

 

Charles Catton, MD at Amber Books:"Amber looks forward to our exciting new partnership with DeepZen, exploring how the latest technologies can help us reach new audiences for our books."

 

Developing Partnerships with Narrators are Central to the DeepZen Strategy

American and British English voices have already been mapped, with plans to move on to European languages, including Spanish, French and German. The company is developing partnerships with narrators, with the aim of creating a voice library with multiple voice types, accents and languages for publishers and authors to select from.

The future for audiobooks looks set to change dramatically for the best with the creation of this new digital technology.

 

Notes to Editors

Publishers and journalists are invited to connect with DeepZen online:hello@deepzen.io/www.deepzen.io/www.facebook.com/DeepZenLtd/www.instagram.com/deepzen.io/twitter.com/DeepZen4.

Media enquiries and interview requests should be directed tohelenlewis@literallypr.com/info@literallypr.com/ +(44) 07904801669. To request an audiobook to review, please contactfrancescabaker@literallypr.com. More information about DeepZen, book covers, logos, team photos etc are available in the online press folder:bit.ly/DeepZenPR

 

Samples

(Excerpt) "Reluctant Cannibals" by Ian Flitcroft created using Wayne's voice: Reluctant Cannibals

(Full-size book) "She Chose Me" by Tracey Emerson created using Alexia's voice: She Chose Me

(Full-size book) "Metamorphosis" by Franz Kafka created using Laura's voice: Metamorphosis

 

The first titles to be produced and published are:

 

Digital Narration:

The VikingsbyMartin Dougherty, Amber Books

Dark History of the American Presidentsby Michael Kerrigan, Amber Books

Metamorphosisby Franz Kafka, AudioWhale Classics

Frankensteinby Mary Shelley, AudioWhale Classics

Mysterious Affair at Stylesby Agatha Christie, AudioWhale Classics

The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hydeby Robert Louis Stevenson, AudioWhale Classics

The Reluctant Cannibalsby Ian Flitcroft, Legend Press

Lord Lucan: My Storyby James Rudduck, Legend Press

John Lennon: Life, Times and Assassinationby Phil Strongman, Lume Books

Illusionby Stephanie Elmas, Lume Books

The Imperial Agentby Timeri N. Murari, Lume Books

 

Human Narration:

The Sheer Nerveby Rob Lofthouse, Lume Books

Sherlock Holmes and the Shadow of the Ratby David Stuart Davis, Lume Books

Button Brightby Michael Kurland, Lume Books

Sherlock Holmes and the Hentzau Affairby David Stuart Davis, Lume Books

Berlin Airliftby Robert Jackson, Lume Books

To Borrow Troubleby Miram Borgenicht, Lume Books

Little Goldby Allie Rodgers, Legend Press

Zero and the Oneby Ryan Ruby, Legend Press