At the height of the debate over the use of Artificial Intelligence in the publishing market Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Amazon's self-publishing segment, has announced the beginning of a beta test of technology...

that allows authors to produce audiobook versions of their e-books using virtual voices.

According to an Amazon spokesperson, currently only 4% of titles self-published through KDP have an audiobook available.

Through this initiative, authors with works on the Kindle Direct Publishing platform can choose one of their books, try different voices, preview the work, and personalize the audiobook. After publication, audiobooks will be available within 72 hours and distributed wherever Audible titles are sold. Prices can be set between $3.99 and $14.99, and authors will receive a 40% royalty. All audiobooks created using virtual voice, according to Kindle Direct Publishing, will be clearly labeled and, as with any audiobook, customers will be able to listen to samples.

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