Publishing with Google Play Books (Continued)

A few days ago, Google Play Books announced that it was opening a new beta program to allow authors to convert their existing e-books into auto-narrated audiobooks, potentially turning the publishing game sideways. But what does that mean exactly?

It means that authors who cannot afford to hire a professional voice actor, or the equipment or voice lessons to reliably record their own voices, can still create a high quality audiobook. As long as they don’t mind using an AI generated Google voice to play the role of narrator, they can have their audiobook dreams come true.

And for a limited time, they can do so for free.

This weekend, I tested the feature. So far, I’m pretty impressed with it. But is it perfect? I’d say no. It’s about as good as your book type or genre allows for robotic content. But maybe yours is the right fit. Consider this:

If you’re a nonfiction writer who is focused on topics, not autobiographies, then this new system is definitely one to consider. If you’re a fiction writer, or a writer of visual content, however, then your mileage will vary with this one.

My advice: Check it out. But remember that you’re stuck with the same voice throughout the entire production. The “acting,” for example, is narrative, not dramatic, so keep that in mind. If you’re cool with that as a result, then you should absolutely check this one out. But if not–if you’re the type of author who needs vocal flourish or multiple voices to share in the narration–then you may want to seek other avenues.

I recorded a couple of videos on the topic, which you can view at the bottom of this post. The first is the announcement itself. The second is a general walkthrough of how to use it.

Please also note that this article is a continuation of a series I started in May 2020 about getting published through Google Play Books. I’d written it as a five-part series, but this new announcement shows that there’s more to talk about. Here’s the key information on this latest installment.

Series Description:

Google Play Books has opened its service to all independent publishers, so it’s a good idea to publish your books there and expand your audience reach. But how do you do that? This continuing series walks you through the basic steps to get up and running.

Google Play Books Partner Center

Part 6: Converting Your E-book into an Auto-narrated Audiobook

(Video Link)

Episode Description:

You’ve created the e-book and posted it for sale. But have you considered converting it into an audiobook yet? If so, Google Play Books has you covered. As of April 2022, authors can use its text-to-speech technology to create auto-narrated audiobooks to use on the Google Play platform. This video will peek behind the curtain and demonstrate how that works, as well as to discuss best practices during the conversion process.

This episode also highlights Blakify, an app dedicated to text-to-speech conversions, and ScribeCount, an app that tracks your sales across most self-publishing platforms.

Resources:

Blakify
ScribeCount

Checklist:

1. Go to Book Catalog section.
2. Click on book cover to view or edit content.
3. Go to Content section.
4. Click on “Create Auto-narrated Audiobook” at top of page.
5. Select preferred e-book or upload a new one from dropdown menu.
6. Select ISBN, EAN, or GGKey for reference.
7. Choose preferred voice actor (based on age, gender, etc.) and speed from header.
8. Click “Exclude Content” on any page that isn’t necessary for audio.
9. Listen to and modify text on remaining pages for best output until finished.
10. Right-click words to check pronunciation.
11. Remember to credit narrator on title page or in the back matter.
12. Remember to update copyright information for audio version.
13. Save changes and Create Audiobook when finished.
14. Verify description and sales pages for accurate information.
15. Remember that audiobooks use square book covers.

Thanks for reading. Leave a comment with your e-book information if you’ve published on Google.

Also, if you’d like to read more about Blakify, a professional text-to-speech tool that I use for narrating my articles, please check out my review on my official author website.