INTRODUCING AUDIBLE ROMANCE:
ACCESS UNLIMITED STEAMY STORIES AND PROVOCATIVE PERFORMANCES FOR $14.95 PER MONTH, OR $6.95 PER MONTH WITH AUDIBLE MEMBERSHIP
First dedicated romance service for listeners showcases binge-worthy tales by Nora Roberts, Robyn Carr, Sylvia Day, Debbie Macomber, Kristen Ashley, Lauren Blakely, and more, performed by Blair Underwood, Dermot Mulroney, Jesse Metcalfe and other seductive voices
Listeners can also enjoy groundbreaking “Take Me To The Good Part” and “Steaminess Score” features
NEWARK, N.J. – November 1, 2017 – Audible Inc., the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word entertainment, today announced the release of the Audible Romance package, an all-inclusive offering featuring unlimited access to over ten thousand romance audiobooks, bestsellers, and Audible Originals for $6.95 a month as an add-on to Audible membership, and $14.95 a month as a standalone service. Audible Romance is available at www.audible.com/romanceme.
The Audible Romance service features a one-of-a-kind content discovery experience that allows romance listeners to easily find the binge-worthy and addictive performances that most appeal to them. Audible is debuting “Take Me to the Good Part,” a pioneering feature that uses data science and machine learning to allow listeners to go straight to the most sought out and memorable sections of a romance audiobook, and the “Steaminess Score,” which identifies the level of passion that listeners can expect from their romance novel before diving in.
“Romance readers are some of the most savvy, enthusiastic, well versed, and devoted fans in the world,” said Audible Chief Content Officer Andy Gaies. “With Audible Romance, we’ve combined the expansive catalogue and impressive tech that make Audible so attractive to begin with in order to create a customized, appealing experience to satisfy the appetite of this voracious audience.”
“With Audible Romance’s affordable flat fee pricing and engaging content discovery experience, for the first time listeners can enjoy as many titles as they desire, keeping swoon-worthy performances in their ears all day, every day,” added Gaies.
“Audible Romance’s incredible and unique discovery experience was created for romance fans by romance fans with deep knowledge and love of the genre,” said Audible CFO Cynthia Chu, who leads the data science team responsible for Take Me To The Good Part and the package’s other innovative tech features. “Pioneering technology humanized by a passionate editorial voice make this offering truly one of a kind.”
At launch, listeners can enjoy:
Incredible selection:
Among the thousands of authors included in the service at launch are Nora Roberts, Sylvia Day, Debbie Macomber, Sheryl Woods, Heather Graham, Catherine Coulter, Robyn Carr, Jennifer Crusie, Jayne Ann Krentz, J.R. Ward, Lauren Blakely, Kristen Ashley, Vi Keeland, and more. Audible Romance will feature a rich, frequently updated catalog including bestsellers and Audible Original productions.
Top performers:
Audible Romance also showcases tantalizing performances by the finest and steamiest voices on the planet. Subscribers can enjoy intimate listening experiences with Blair Underwood, Dermot Mulroney, Jesse Metcalfe, and thousands of other alluring voices.
Micro-Categories and Tropes:
Audible Romance identifies 41 micro-categories and 131 story and character tropes that will allow listeners to explore deep into the catalog in fun ways and discover the romance titles that most appeal to their interests. These categories were carefully selected by a team of romance-obsessed Audible editors to reflect a wide variety of customer passions spanning themes from sweet small town romance to romantic thrillers. Each micro-category will have its own browse page, and listeners can enjoy audio samples from each title included before diving into the full story.
Innovative technology:
At launch, Audible is also introducing Take Me to the Good Part, a first-of-its kind feature that allows customers to go directly to the ‘good parts’ of their audiobooks. The feature is powered by machine learning technology built by Audible that identifies these areas of the book by scanning key words and phrases determined by Audible editors to reflect ‘good parts’ including flirty banter, first meetings, hot moments, and more.
The Steaminess Score is an illustrated meter on each page that ranks titles on a one to five scale, labeled Sweet, Simmering, Sizzling, Hot Damn, and O-O-OMG. Audible’s data science team developed these categorizations and an algorithm that scans each title to look for key words that trigger ‘steamy’ markers. Unlike other steaminess meters, Audible customers can see data-driven, objective scores that indicate just how steamy a title will be.
With the ubiquity of smartphones and smart speakers, listeners can experience transformative storytelling through Audible wherever they are and throughout the course of their day. The unlimited listening offered through the Audible Romance package allows fans to remain continuously transported and entertained by high-quality, immersive productions.
Among the acclaimed performers who have narrated works of literature for Audible are Zachary Quinto, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins, Emma Thompson, James Franco, and Jesse Eisenberg. Audible Studios has won a Grammy Award, for its production of Janis Ian’s memoir Society’s Child, and has also been recognized with the Audie Award for Audiobook of the Year, for Colin Firth’s performance of Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair. Audible invented and commercialized the first digital audio player in 1997, and has since been at the forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. In 2016, Audible members downloaded an average of more than 17 books over the course of the year. More than half of new Audible members are first-time audiobook buyers.
ABOUT AUDIBLE, INC.
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio content, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 375,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Esther Bochner
Audible.com
This is fabulous news! I listen to at least 2-3 Romance books a week. And Audible should be mentioning Sebastian York’s voice to draw in more listeners. He makes everything sound delicious!
Shared on all my socials!!