Even the real audiobook actors don’t care about text-to-speech

13 Comments

by John Biggs on February 27, 2009

Wil Wheaton AKA the guy on Star Wars recorded himself reading from his own book and then recorded the Kindle 2 reading the same passage. The result, as you’ll hear on his blog, is inconclusive (what if TTS gets so good it will sound JUST LIKE WIL WHEATON? WHAT THEN?) but it kind of shows where everyone’s head is at in terms of the Authors Guild.

Again, rights are great and I want money for my writing. Everyone is on the same page here. But there are more pressing matters at hand namely how to sell content sanely and without selling your soul, as Cory D puts it. Everyone wants to make a buck but why fight the inevitable.

Img from here

Comments

blah - February 27th, 2009 at 12:13 pm GMT+5

Star trek?

reply
DJ Chang - February 27th, 2009 at 12:14 pm GMT+5

More about audio books at http://newfiction.com/. FYI. Also recorded using Hollywood actors.

reply
Eric - February 27th, 2009 at 12:14 pm GMT+5

Star Trek Next Generation.

Sheesh, get yer genre’s correct dudes!

Next thing you’ll be tellin’ us he’s running Linux on a Mac.

reply
Andrew C - February 27th, 2009 at 3:23 pm GMT+5

I was worried I was the only one who picked that up. All is right with the world after all.

reply
John Biggs - February 27th, 2009 at 5:53 pm GMT+5

I really did it just to drive you guys crazy. I know he was in Dr. Who.

reply
David A Hubbard - May 15th, 2009 at 3:19 pm GMT+5

Wow, first the writers guild strike, now this. TEXT-TO-SPEACH IS NOT AN AUDIOBOOK!!!

One of these days we will be attacked by another country, or aliens, and we will not do anything about it because half the people will be trying to figure out what is PC and the other half will be fighting over commercial rights and who gets to make a buck.

Don’t we have more important things to “take up arms” for? How about curing cancer or feeding starving children? I just don’t get it.

reply