The Publishing Performance Show Andrew Wallner & Phil Marshall of Spoken - Revolutionizing Audiobooks: How Spoken Combines AI Narration with Author Monetization
Apr 22, 2025
39:11
Andrew Wallner and Phil Marshall are co-founders of Spoken, an innovative platform that combines AI narration technology with a streaming network for audio content. Coming from backgrounds in healthcare technology where they developed conversational AI systems, they sold their company in 2021 before turning their attention to the audiobook market. Phil, as a sci-fi writer and audio-only reader, recognized the need for better tools to create, publish, stream, and monetize audio content, which became the genesis of Spoken.
In this episode:
- Origins of Spoken from healthcare technology to audiobook innovation
- How Spoken combines AI narration with streaming capabilities
- Multi-character and multi-voice narration options
- Creating custom AI voices designed exclusively for specific characters
- Using the "Speak It" feature for precise pronunciation and inflection
- Automatic analysis of characters to suggest appropriate voices
- The Unified Streaming Network monetization model
- Free options for authors just getting started
- How authors retain their rights on the platform
- DIY audiobook creation in a single sitting
- Upcoming "Take It With You" feature for exporting audio
Resources mentioned:
- Spoken.press - https://www.spoken.press/
- ElevenLabs - https://elevenlabs.io/
- Worldcon - https://www.worldcon.org/
- Author Nation - Author conference where Spoken was presented
Book Recommendations:
- "Kill Your Darlings" - https://ihave.spoken.press/p/3SatPI7Y1iE
- "Welcome to the Audioverse" - https://drphilmarshall.com/spoken
Connect with Andrew and Phil:
- Spoken.press - https://www.spoken.press/
- drphilmarshall.com - https://drphilmarshall.com/
Connect with Teddy Smith:
- @teddyagsmith
- Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
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