I work in the online bookstore section of a Japanese publishing house. Today, I will write an article about the Japanese audiobook market.
While numerous audiobook sales platforms exist worldwide, it’s undeniable that Audible operates on the largest scale. Audible’s service in Japan commenced in 2015, offering users a subscription model where for 1,500 yen per month, they could choose books from a catalog linked to the Amazon store and listen to an unlimited number of audiobooks included in their subscription. In 2018, the service shifted to a coin-based system where members received one coin each month, which could be used to purchase any book of their choice. However, in 2022, the service reverted back to an unlimited listening subscription, allowing users to enjoy a wider range of books. With most titles now available for unlimited listening, including podcasts, it’s speculated that there has been an increase in heavy users. The number of new titles being added to the lineup appears significantly higher than at the service’s inception.
On the other hand, Audible has not previously accepted “digital voices” – books read using digitally synthesized technology rather than human voices – as products. While articles have mentioned that some titles using digital voices were accepted in North America through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), this was not the case for general book publications, regardless of the production company. In Japan, KDP does not currently accept books read by digital voices.
Amidst this backdrop, one day about a month ago, as I browsed through the new arrivals on Audible, I was taken aback to discover a narrator listed as “Digital Voice” for a new title. It was the first time I had encountered such a designation. Having heard nothing about it in press releases or news, I speculated that Audible might be conducting a quiet experiment. Curious, I investigated how many titles featured this new narrator and found approximately 20, spread across 5 to 6 publishers. All were of a size known in Japan as “shinsho,” suggesting a standardized lineup. This indicated that Audible might be testing how digital voices are received in the market within a specific genre, whether positively or with resistance. As a member of Audible, intrigued by my discovery, I decided to click on the cart for one of these digital voice audiobooks and give it a listen.
Upon my first experience listening to a Digital Voice audiobook, my impression was, surprisingly, “not bad at all.” To be more specific, when listening at normal speed, there was a distinct sense that a machine was reading the text, which might be attributed more to the uniformity in pauses and intonation than the voice itself. However, this sense of artificiality almost vanished when I increased the playback speed to 1.5 times, which is my usual preference. Just as one might become accustomed to the unique characteristics of a human narrator’s voice, I believe there’s a similar process of acclimatization with Digital Voice narration. In terms of acquiring information, I had no particular complaints. While conversations in novels or children’s picture books might feel somewhat flat, for reading aimed at gaining knowledge, it seems perfectly acceptable. Apart from the quality of the voice, there were moments when the text of the book itself felt as if it could have been written by AI, which was an interesting observation.
My personal impressions are as described, but I’m curious about the overall reaction from the Japanese user base. From reading reviews, the reception seems generally positive, with a minority expressing disappointment. It’s possible that some listeners didn’t even realize they were listening to a non-human voice until after finishing the audiobook. If this experiment proves successful, we can expect an increase in the number of titles available. I’m particularly interested in observing how this will affect production costs and, more significantly, the production timeline. The potential for significantly reducing both could have considerable implications for the audiobook industry.
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