Is the Kindle voice copyright?

mr ploppy · 12-06-2010, 11:24 AM

I'm toying with the idea of creating an audio version of something I've written, but people outside Baaarnsley would probably have trouble understanding my accent.

I think with a bit of phonetic spelling and extra punctuation, plus some post processing in Audacity I can get a reasonable result using the Kindle read along voices. Maybe use one for speech and the other for narration.

But would I be likely to get in bother with Amazon for doing that if they found out? I'm planning on giving it away, mostly on pirate sites but also anywhere else that I could give it away for free or have it streaming online (Youtube and the like).

HarryT · 12-06-2010, 12:05 PM

The simplest thing to do is to ask Amazon if they would object to you doing this. They'll be able to give you a definitive answer.

Steven Lake · 12-09-2010, 12:12 PM

The other option is to get a more experienced reader who's willing to do the audiobook for you. That's what I ended up doing. I started out recording my own audiobooks, but due to a lisp I have, it created too many problems for the listeners (I have an awesome reading voice, but when my lisp kicks in, heaven help anyone trying to understand what I'm saying!). So I switched to a professional reader. If that's what you end up doing, I'd do a little shopping around to see who has the best prices and the best quality production.

Typically a professionally read audiobook will be anywhere from $100-$300 a studio hour. Studio hours are typically determined not on how many hours they have to work on it, but how many hours of content they create. So if your audiobook comes out to about 6 hours of total play time, and it's $100 an hour to produce it, it'll cost you about $600 to get the finished product.

But deciding which way you want to go will depend on what you intend to do with your audiobook. If you plan to sell it, I recommend going with nothing less than a professional studio recording. If you're going to give it away for promotional purposes, then I recommend just doing it yourself, or having someone you know do the reading for free, and then you handle the post production.

12-06-2010, 11:24 AM	#1
mr ploppy Feral Underclass Posts: 3,622 Karma: 26821535 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Yorkshire, tha noz Device: 2nd hand paperback	Is the Kindle voice copyright? I'm toying with the idea of creating an audio version of something I've written, but people outside Baaarnsley would probably have trouble understanding my accent. I think with a bit of phonetic spelling and extra punctuation, plus some post processing in Audacity I can get a reasonable result using the Kindle read along voices. Maybe use one for speech and the other for narration. But would I be likely to get in bother with Amazon for doing that if they found out? I'm planning on giving it away, mostly on pirate sites but also anywhere else that I could give it away for free or have it streaming online (Youtube and the like).

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12-06-2010, 12:05 PM	#2
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	The simplest thing to do is to ask Amazon if they would object to you doing this. They'll be able to give you a definitive answer.

12-09-2010, 12:12 PM	#3
Steven Lake Sci-Fi Author Posts: 1,158 Karma: 14743509 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Michigan Device: PC (Calibre)	The other option is to get a more experienced reader who's willing to do the audiobook for you. That's what I ended up doing. I started out recording my own audiobooks, but due to a lisp I have, it created too many problems for the listeners (I have an awesome reading voice, but when my lisp kicks in, heaven help anyone trying to understand what I'm saying!). So I switched to a professional reader. If that's what you end up doing, I'd do a little shopping around to see who has the best prices and the best quality production. Typically a professionally read audiobook will be anywhere from $100-$300 a studio hour. Studio hours are typically determined not on how many hours they have to work on it, but how many hours of content they create. So if your audiobook comes out to about 6 hours of total play time, and it's $100 an hour to produce it, it'll cost you about $600 to get the finished product. But deciding which way you want to go will depend on what you intend to do with your audiobook. If you plan to sell it, I recommend going with nothing less than a professional studio recording. If you're going to give it away for promotional purposes, then I recommend just doing it yourself, or having someone you know do the reading for free, and then you handle the post production.

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