{"id":2232,"date":"2025-10-06T15:29:22","date_gmt":"2025-10-06T20:29:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/?p=2232"},"modified":"2025-10-07T10:02:07","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T15:02:07","slug":"to-or-not-to-create-an-audiobook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/?p=2232","title":{"rendered":"To or Not To Create an Audiobook"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignleft size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"337\" height=\"694\" src=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-5.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2241\" style=\"width:77px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-5.png 337w, https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-5-146x300.png 146w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 337px) 100vw, 337px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The old school cassette recorder is funny, right? I had one just like that. When The Beatles album, Let It Be, came out I recorded it on a cassette so I could take it with me everywhere. At night I&#8217;d listen to it in bed using the one little ear bud that was the norm for such things back then. Ah, today there are many choices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I have been trained and have done voice over work (games &amp; training videos). I wanted to do some audiobook recordings for <a href=\"https:\/\/librivox.org\/\">LibriVox<\/a> some years ago but dealing with the technical aspects of Audacity were tedious and I gave up. So when my cousin begged me (she said Please) to create an audiobook of my SAAI novel the first thoughts I had were how tedious that would be because I assumed I&#8217;d do it myself using Audacity. Me. The AI immersed silly woman did not, at first, think of using AI to convert my book. Me. The author who always uses the &#8220;Read Aloud&#8221; function in Microsoft Word as part of my editing process. I crack myself up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are so many options out there for creating audiobooks it&#8217;s kind of hard to decide so here&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve learned in my pursuit of knowledge in that area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Of course, I eventually get around to asking my AI Assistant for help and was advised as follows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q: What are the most secure (not risking my copyright) methods of using AI to create audiobooks?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A. To create audiobooks using AI while <strong>protecting your copyright and creative control<\/strong>, you&#8217;ll want to focus on tools and workflows that respect authorship, offer licensing clarity, and minimize the risk of voice misuse or unauthorized distribution. Here&#8217;s a breakdown of the most secure methods:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udd10 <strong>1. Use AI Tools That Offer Clear Licensing and Ownership<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choose platforms that explicitly state:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You retain <strong>full rights<\/strong> to the final audio output.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The AI voice is licensed for <strong>commercial use<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No claim is made over your content or its derivative works.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Examples<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Descript Overdub<\/strong> (you own your voice model)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Respeecher<\/strong> (offers voice cloning with consent and licensing)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>ElevenLabs<\/strong> (check terms\u2014some tiers offer commercial rights)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udde0 <strong>2. Avoid Training AI on Your Voice Without Explicit Contracts<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you&#8217;re using your own voice or a narrator\u2019s voice:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Ensure the platform <strong>does not store or reuse<\/strong> your voice data for other users.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use services that offer <strong>voice cloning with consent<\/strong>, and ideally, <strong>non-transferable models<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\udded <strong>3. Embed Digital Watermarks or Audio Fingerprints<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some advanced tools allow you to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Embed <strong>invisible audio watermarks<\/strong> that trace unauthorized copies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Use <strong>voice recognition tech<\/strong> to detect misuse or cloning attempts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is especially useful if you&#8217;re distributing widely or concerned about piracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udcdc <strong>4. Register Your Audiobook with Copyright Authorities<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even if AI-generated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>You can register the <strong>final audio file<\/strong> as a derivative work of your original text.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Include metadata that documents your authorship and production method.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the U.S., this means registering with the <strong>Library of Congress<\/strong> via copyright.gov.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83d\udee1\ufe0f <strong>5. Distribute Through Platforms That Offer DRM and Rights Management<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Use audiobook distributors that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Support <strong>Digital Rights Management (DRM)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Allow you to control pricing, territory, and usage.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Monitor for unauthorized uploads or piracy.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Examples<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Findaway Voices<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>ACX (Audible)<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Speechki<\/strong> (AI narration with rights protection)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\ud83e\uddfe <strong>Bonus: Keep a Clear Paper Trail<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Document:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The AI tool used and its licensing terms.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your original manuscript and any edits.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The final audio file creation date and metadata.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This helps in case of disputes or takedown requests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most of that I&#8217;d thought about particularly not using my own voice so it could be reused \/ stored. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One thing not addressed but I wondered about is the location where the application is hosted \/ licensed \/ owned. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I came across what seems to be a truly FREE option: Perchange.org   But as much as I&#8217;d like to save a buck I knew a totally free option is not safe. And checking WHOIS I found they are located in Indonesia, as well. Hmmm&#8230; pass.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So next I go looking for unbiased reviews. The first one I found <a href=\"https:\/\/publishdrive.com\/ai-audiobook-generators-reviewed.html\">https:\/\/publishdrive.com\/ai-audiobook-generators-reviewed.html<\/a> doesn&#8217;t even address any of the security interests I have. Go figure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Not only are there security issues for me but what about the rights of the original voice used by the AI generator? Dive deeper into that with this article: <a href=\"https:\/\/aitextstospeech.com\/copyright-laws-for-ai-generated-audiobooks\/\">Copyright Laws for AI-Generated Audiobooks: A Global Guide from March 29, 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A couple of decisions I must make before starting are: 1) Will this be for private or commercial use. Maybe I just make a version for my cousin or anyone who asks. And 2) How much do I want to invest in this effort? And not just money but also my time. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From that review article above I learned that Apple offers free audio versions. But &#8211; unlike the article leads one to believe and like every other high end site offering this service &#8211; they are not truly free. They are Free as in: Come try me for free. KDP also offers audiobook creation through its Virtual Voice \/ ACX service &#8211; from what I read it uses &#8220;older voices&#8221; as in degraded not aged. Barnes &amp; Noble Press utilizes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.authorsrepublic.com\/\">Author&#8217;s Republic<\/a> which appears to be a self-service narrator marketplace. You have to sign-up just to get all the details. Then, the problem with these is that you don&#8217;t have a version you keep &#8211; it&#8217;s their version for selling on your behalf. Please comment if you&#8217;ve experienced something different in this regard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Back in the day when I commuted more than an hour each way to IBM in Southbury, CT, I was a big time book on Tape \/ CD consumer. If you have listened to lots of books you know a reader can make all the difference. Given that, the AI voice must be as realistic sounding as possible. So this is definitely a decision variable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Before selecting a service use whois and scamadviser.com to check your potential service&#8217;s website. The latter will give results like this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"994\" height=\"492\" src=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2233\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image.png 994w, https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-300x148.png 300w, https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-768x380.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 994px) 100vw, 994px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scamadviser.com\/check-website\/audiobooksmith.io\">https:\/\/www.scamadviser.com\/check-website\/audiobooksmith.io<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s how the record for elevenlabs compares.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"984\" height=\"489\" src=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2234\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1.png 984w, https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1-300x149.png 300w, https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1-768x382.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 984px) 100vw, 984px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.scamadviser.com\/check-website\/elevenlabs.io\">https:\/\/www.scamadviser.com\/check-website\/elevenlabs.io<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ElevenLabs\">ElevenLabs<\/a> is also located in NYC with offices in various locations like San Francisco, London, and Tokyo. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ElevenLabs is looking like my front runner but then of course there is this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>ElevenLabs was criticized after users were able to abuse its software to generate controversial statements in the vocal style of celebrities, public officials, and other famous individuals,<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ElevenLabs#cite_note-32\">[32]<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ElevenLabs#cite_note-33\">[33]<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ElevenLabs#cite_note-34\">[34]<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ElevenLabs#cite_note-35\">[35]<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ElevenLabs#cite_note-:5-36\">[36]<\/a><\/sup>&nbsp;particularly attracting attention after users on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/4chan\">4chan<\/a>&nbsp;used the tool to share hateful messages.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ElevenLabs#cite_note-37\">[37]<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ElevenLabs#cite_note-:62-15\">[15]<\/a><\/sup>&nbsp;The software&#8217;s ability to closely replicate real voices has raised ethical concerns over&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Impersonator\">impersonation<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Plagiarism\">plagiarism<\/a>, with critics likening it to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Audio_deepfake\">deepfaking<\/a>.<sup><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/ElevenLabs#cite_note-38\">[38]<\/a><\/sup><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I would dare to write that having had that scrutiny on them only improved and tightened their Ts &amp; Cs. And indeed, there is this. (d) causes me some concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"771\" height=\"807\" src=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2235\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2.png 771w, https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2-287x300.png 287w, https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-2-768x804.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 771px) 100vw, 771px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/elevenlabs.io\/terms-of-use\">https:\/\/elevenlabs.io\/terms-of-use<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So they can take my novel and create derivative works from, distribute, etc? Hmmmm Not that they would, I&#8217;m no Stephen King, but &#8230;.   Yeah. No.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I like WellSaid. Check out this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"872\" height=\"656\" src=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2237\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-3.png 872w, https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-3-300x226.png 300w, https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-3-768x578.png 768w, https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-3-440x330.png 440w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 872px) 100vw, 872px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sounds good, anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But WellSaid is really pricey. $50\/mo\/user billed annually. Way more than I planned. I tried a sample using one of the ghost stories I recently submitted that has lots of slang and it didn&#8217;t sound very good. But, WellSaid appears to give lots of options for fine tuning scripts. There again, how much of my money and time do I want to invest?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I liked Fish Audio but even their heftyist plan doesn&#8217;t cover what I need.<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"365\" height=\"605\" src=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-4.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2238\" style=\"width:318px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-4.png 365w, https:\/\/kel.zone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-4-181x300.png 181w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 365px) 100vw, 365px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/fish.audio\/app\/plan\/\">https:\/\/fish.audio\/app\/plan\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe I&#8217;m interpreting that information all wrong but I know that 30,000 characters is not that much. A 60,000 word book has got to be closer to 300,000 characters, no?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I can&#8217;t decide. I&#8217;ve been at this all day. Who knows. Maybe I will do it myself but should I use my own voice when it can be cloned? You can change voices in Audacity &#8211; is it enough? <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For now, no audiobook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The old school cassette recorder is funny, right? I had one just like that. When The Beatles album, Let It Be, came out I recorded it on a cassette so I could take it with me everywhere. At night I&#8217;d listen to it in bed using the one little ear bud that was the norm for such things back then. Ah, today there are many choices. I have been trained and have done voice over work (games &amp; training videos). I wanted to do some audiobook recordings for LibriVox some years ago but dealing with the technical aspects of Audacity were tedious and I gave up. So when my cousin begged me (she said Please) to create an audiobook of my SAAI novel the first thoughts I had were how tedious that would be because I assumed I&#8217;d do it myself using Audacity. Me. The AI immersed silly woman did not, at first, think of using AI to convert my book. Me. The author who always uses the &#8220;Read Aloud&#8221; function in Microsoft Word as part of my editing process. I crack myself up. There are so many options out there for creating audiobooks it&#8217;s kind of hard to decide so here&#8217;s what I&#8217;ve learned in my pursuit of knowledge in that area. Of course, I eventually get around to asking my AI Assistant for help and was advised as follows. Q: What are the most secure (not risking my copyright) methods of using AI to create audiobooks? A. To create audiobooks using AI while protecting your copyright and creative control, you&#8217;ll want to focus on tools and workflows that respect authorship, offer licensing clarity, and minimize the risk of voice misuse or unauthorized distribution. Here&#8217;s a breakdown of the most secure methods: \ud83d\udd10 1. Use AI Tools That Offer<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/kel.zone\/?p=2232\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">To or Not To Create an Audiobook<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1264,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[452],"tags":[52,492,440,482,493],"class_list":["post-2232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essays","tag-ai","tag-audiobook","tag-safety","tag-self-publish","tag-voice-clone"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2232"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2248,"href":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2232\/revisions\/2248"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kel.zone\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}