Microsoft just partnered with publishing giant HarperCollins to use select nonfiction books for training a new AI model. The agreement lets authors opt in for a reported $2,500 fee per title over a three-year period, though some writers are already pushing back against the offer.
HarperCollins just teamed up with ElevenLabs to turn select non-English backlist series into audiobooks using AI text-to-speech. Traditional studio recording has historically been far too expensive for older, niche titles, but ElevenLabs' Studio tool can produce a full audiobook in as little as an hour. While human narrators will still handle primary releases, AI is quietly stepping in to revive forgotten catalogs abroad.
