AI Voices on the Rise: Audible’s Plan to Make Audiobooks More “Accessible”

Audible has recently announced their ambitions to bring “new audiobooks to life through…fully integrated, end-to-end AI production technology”. This plan entails giving publishers the ability to use AI to directly produce audiobooks themselves. The translation tools will use hundreds of generated voices in multiple languages with the outward purpose of making audiobooks more accessible. However, there is much pushback from narrators who argue that the rapid switch to AI will devastate the voice acting community. Audiobook narrator Deepak Gupta argues that Audible’s claim to use AI as a bridge of accessibility is veiling the digital colonization of BIPOC voices.

Banu Mushtaq’s “Heart Lamp” wins the International Booker Prize

Banu Mushtaq shakes up the Booker Awards with the very first novel-in-stories prize winner: Heart Lamp. It is also the first winner to be translated from the South Indian dialect of Kannada, courtesy of translator Deepa Bhashti. Both Mushtaq and Bhashti have been lauded for their work on this moving collection of tales. Mushtaq’s inspiration came from the women who sought her help in her 30 years as a lawyer. Bhashti’s writing has been described as more than just a “natural translation” but one with texture that brings out the intricacies of Mushtaq’s writing with heart.

This Year’s Pulitzer Prize Winner Faces Acclaim and Backlash

This year’s winner is Percival Everett’s James, a reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the titular character’s friend and escaped slave, Jim. Though the book had the high opinion of the literary community, the circumstance of its selection for the Pulitzer was a controversial one. In this rare instance, the judges could not reach a majority on the three finalist selections and asked the jury for a fourth recommendation. James received the majority and won, but not without push back. Literary Hub writer Drew Broussard criticized this decision, saying the jury passed up a “world-shaking all-woman trio of finalists…” for “one novel by a male writer has taken up quite a lot of the available oxygen.” One of said finalists Stacy Levine, author of Mice 1961, dismissed the idea of gender politics taking a role in the selection of James for the Pulitzer.

Move Fast and Fix Things: BISG’s Plans for the Industry

On April 25th of 2025, the Book Industry Study Group gathered with the shared goal to discuss the weak points of the United States Publishing Industry. Josh Tallent of Firebrand Technologies uses his unique work experience to guide discussion. Specifically, he and Firebrand focused on implementing changes in quickly but in small ways to minimize damage and increase constructive feedback. Contrary to the famous Zuckerberg quote “move fast and break things”, Tallent propped up the sprint-system allowing for greater long term improvement without upheaving structural systems. One of the ways BISG hopes to make tighter turnarounds is with well implemented short term goals by their volunteer groups. This includes preparing publishers for the European Accessibility Act in June and curating a new database to help UK and US publishers gain rights and permissions for their works.

New Imprint Conduit Books to Focus on Male Authorship

With the recent launch of Jude Cook’s new male-focused imprint “Conduit Books”, the Guardian asks “Do we really need more male novelists?” Readership has always been a mixed bag with the public stage for who gets published. The 70’s to 00’s mostly male authorship has given way to a landscape that centers and celebrates female writers. However, with this female focus, some male novelists like Cook himself feel they have been deemed “problematic” by their existence. Conduit Books intends to initially center on male authors. But many writers have argued that men do take up significant space in writing, especially in nonfiction. Irvine Welsh argues that “men need to start reading before they start writing.”

A Closer View of Sam Altman, the Mind Behind ChatGPT

Keach Hagey, writes in his book The Optimist about the origins, intentions, and evolution of Sam Altman, the CEO and founder of Chat GPT. Hagey describes him as not fitting “the typical mold of the tech bro”, not the garage hacker, but a networking queer man with wealth to spare. He was the founder of several start ups that were bought out or failed before landing on the real moneymaker, OpenAI. But it didn’t start out a scheme. Altman did not own even one share of the company at its naissance and the program was a not-for-profit open to the public. So, how is it that Altman would begin the AI arms race? Why did this aspirational man passionate about helping humanity become such a controversial figure? The Optimist why the infamy of tech giants is such a common story in the present day.