Experimenting with Audio: Announcing Our First OA Audiobooks
We are excited to announce the release of our first open access audiobooks! At OBP, we are always looking for ways to meet readers where they are. We are aware of an increased demand for audio formats in recent years, whether that be for accessibility reasons or simply because some readers enjoy listening over reading! We have thus decided to release a small sample of audio titles to gauge reader reception and listen to feedback.
Three out of the four titles in this initial collection were created with the help of AI technology, the use of which presents a number of ethical questions. We are monitoring and reflecting on the energy demands of AI in our effort to be as sustainable as possible in our publishing practice. We hope that in creating these audiobooks, we will save readers the effort (and energy) of using AI audio software themselves.
We also wish to address the potential displacement of human voice actors and other creative professionals involved in audio production. As a small, non-profit press, producing audiobooks read by professional voice actors is unfortunately beyond our means. Though we are thrilled that some of our authors have chosen to record their own books, we acknowledge that this is a time-consuming process which might not be possible or attractive to every writer. AI has enabled us to meet the demand for audio formats within these constraints.
Our decision to experiment with audiobook creation is rooted in our dedication to providing accessible, enjoyable formats for all readers. We would love to hear your feedback on these first titles as we evaluate the potential role of AI in our production process, so feel free to send your thoughts to raegan@openbookpublishers.com after you’ve had a listen. We hope you enjoy the books and look forward to hearing your feedback!
The following titles are now available as audiobooks:
- The Life of Nuns: Love, Politics, and Religion in Medieval German Convents by Henrike Lähnemann and Eva Schlotheuber. The authors narrate this audiobook in its entirety.
- Higher Education for Good: Teaching and Learning Futures edited by Laura Czerniewicz and Catherine Cronin. This audiobook contains a mixture of author-recorded and AI-generated chapters.
- Augustus De Morgan, Polymath: New Perspectives on his Life and Legacy edited by Karen Attar, Adrian Rice, and Christopher Stray. This audiobook was produced by Google Books using AI voice narration.
- After the Miners’ Strike: A39 and Cornish Political Theatre versus Thatcher’s Britain: Volume 1 by Paul Farmer. This audiobook was produced by Google Books using AI voice narration.
