Okay so that title was meant to be a hook though this post really is about free audio book technology. Continuing on the topic of AI, I’m trying out some AI tech that is truly a boon for authors.

It’s ‘elevenlabs’, an AI driven service that creates voices either from text or your recording of text. The free version includes ten minutes of an AI assisted recording.

My first time using the service, I consumed (aka wasted) time picking the voice I wanted and learning the lay of the land, but I was able to create a near perfect ( 5 voice stumbles- lol) recording of the first pages of “Finding Home”. This is using the function whereby I recorded myself reading the pages and the program converted it to my chosen voice. Listen below.

There’s nothing more thrilling than hearing your character speak in their own (as close as I could find) voice.

Elevenlabs is super fun, but it is pricey unless you’re confident your audio book will sell moderately well. I’m not at the point to make that call with “Finding Home” since it’s not even in print yet! However, audiobooks are a way to go to broaden your audience.

I’m finding that people might have time where they can sit and read a book, but they don’t have the concentration or desire to focus on reading. Listening to a book can fill that space. The story has to be good enough and promoted well, to crowd out podcasts though.

Fiction authors unite! Non-fiction (or purportedly non-fiction) creep back to the hills. People need escape from the rhetoric. Anything non-fiction can do, fiction can do better via a story.

Okay, to wrap this up. Go ahead and try Elevenlabs if you have any inclination to create an audio book.

Please, if you know of another program that does this well, share in a comment. I’m also looking for a proven good editor too. If you have one to endorse, please do!

And as always, if you would like to help ‘Finding Home’ to find a home amongst published books, consider being a beta reader. Let me know in comments.

Thank you! Write on, the world needs a good story because the news is NOT good for the human soul.