The Publishing Performance Show

·E147

Madeline Shue ElevenLabs - Create Professional Audiobooks for $100-200 Using ElevenLabs AI (plus how to get Michael Caine to be your narrator)

March 6
43 mins

Episode Description

Madeline Shue is the Publishing Lead at ElevenLabs, an AI audio platform founded in 2022 and based in London with approximately 400 employees worldwide. ElevenLabs builds AI audio models including text-to-speech, speech-to-text, music, and sound effects, bringing these innovations to consumers, creators, and enterprises globally. Madeline works specifically on everything related to authors, publishers, and audiobooks, helping creators who previously lacked resources or ability to reach global audiences share their stories in audio form. She manages the journey from manuscript to production, post-production, and distribution through ElevenLabs' audiobook products and their consumer app, Eleven Reader.


In this episode:

  • ElevenLabs history: from 250-word text boxes to full audiobook production
  • The first beta tester uploaded entire manuscripts 250 words at a time
  • AI audio quality now indistinguishable from human narrators for many books
  • 90% of published books don't have audiobook counterparts
  • ElevenLabs Creative: new consolidated audiobook hub
  • Two production options: Dynamic Narration (free) vs Original Audiobook
  • Dynamic Narration: listeners choose from 500+ voices including Michael Caine
  • Original Audiobook: full creative control, voice selection, editing capability
  • Voice cloning: narrate your book in your own voice
  • Audio drama creation: Zephyrus One sci-fi example with music and sound effects
  • Judy Garland's voice clone narrating The Wizard of Oz
  • 6,000+ voices in the library from real people who earn when voices are used
  • Design custom voices with prompts for specific characters
  • Voice library filters: trending voices, usage stats, genre collections
  • Iconic voices: Albert Einstein, Michael Caine, Robert Reynolds
  • Dual POV narration easy for romance with alternating voices
  • Pronunciation dictionary for fantasy names, spells, unusual terms
  • Direct speech feature: record how you want words pronounced
  • Editing typically takes equivalent time to audiobook duration
  • Free Dynamic Narration option takes 5-10 minutes to publish
  • Quality requirements: proper formatting, no table of contents in audio
  • Copyright ownership: you own everything you create with ElevenLabs
  • Eleven Reader royalties: 25 cents per hour streamed, 60% on direct sales
  • No exclusivity requirements on any platform
  • Distribution integrations: Spotify, Findaway, direct MP3 download
  • Production costs: $100-200 for full-length books ($10-20 per finished hour)
  • Multicast auto-assignment or manual voice selection by highlighting text


Resources mentioned:


Connect with Madeline Shue and ElevenLabs:


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