Spoken v2.1 Release Notes — Continuity and Creative Control
Fresh off the launch of Spoken Studio V2 and Magic Mode, v2.1 delivers the first major expansion to Spoken Studio with an emphasis on personalization and continuity systems.
Magic Mode Character Accent Control, Chapter-Specific Narrator Accent Changes, and Cross-Project Lexicon Carry-Over
Fresh off the launch of Spoken Studio V2 and Magic Mode, v2.1 delivers the first major expansion to Spoken Studio with an emphasis on personalization and continuity systems.
This release introduces Character-Level Accent Control for Magic Mode and Cross-Project Lexicon Carry-Over— two powerful additions designed to give authors, producers, and publishers greater influence over performance while dramatically reducing repetitive production work.
Whether you're producing a single title, a long-running series, an author's backlist, or an entire publishing catalog, v2.1 helps ensure your creative decisions remain consistent from project to project.
Magic Mode Default Narrator Accent Changing by Chapter
As Spoken builds up the rudimentary and cadence layers to create perfect cohesion, dominant narrator accent by chapter is deep-seated and very important. However, before now, you could not alternate or change that dominant accent by chapter. Being able to define different narrator accents by chapter is essential if you alternate your narrators or have duel / duet narrators, and those alternating narrators have different accents.
We've fixed this by enabling you to define chapter-specific pacing and accent overrides by chapter. This is for your dominant narrator only, as speaking characters will carry through their speaker cues and voice timbre for great delivery.
As you scan down through your chapters, we've also detected who the likely narrator is, to make it easier for you to remember which chapter narrators might require a different pacing or accent from your book's default.
Magic Mode Character Accent Control
Magic Mode has always analyzed your manuscript for character and narration cues, including likely accents, speech patterns, and delivery styles.
However, if a character's accent wasn't clearly established within the text itself, there was previously no reliable way to ensure that character would consistently perform with a different accent than the chapter's primary narration voice.
With v2.1, that's now possible.
After completing Lexicon review and before narration begins, you'll now find a new editable Accent & Tone Cue field within the Voices tab.
Whether Spoken has automatically assigned your voices or you've cast them yourself, you can now provide direct performance guidance for individual characters — specifying accents and tone characteristics that may not be explicitly stated in the manuscript.
Once selected, these cues become part of the Magic Mode narration process and are carried throughout the character's performance.
Many stories contain characters whose voices are clearly envisioned by the author, but whose accents or delivery styles may never be directly described on the page.
Now, Speaker Cues can help bridge that gap.
Cross-Project Lexicon Carry-Over
Your pronunciation work now follows you.
When a new project is analyzed, Spoken can identify words and phrases you've previously corrected in other projects and automatically make those pronunciation replacements available for reuse.
Character names.
Fantasy worlds.
Invented languages.
Specialized terminology.
If you've already taught Spoken how something should be pronounced, you shouldn't have to do it again.
With a single click of the Apply button, matching Lexicon replacements can be brought into the current project.
You can also choose to save newly created pronunciation replacements into your growing personal Lexicon library, allowing future projects to benefit from the work you've already completed.
The result is stronger continuity across series, catalogs, and publishing programs — with significantly less setup work along the way.
Consistency Across Every Title
As more authors, producers, and publishers build larger libraries inside Spoken, consistency becomes increasingly important.
v2.1 helps ensure that character names, locations, terminology, and creative decisions remain aligned across projects, while giving creators even greater influence over the performances that bring those stories to life.
A truly meaningful release for anyone building more than a single audiobook.
Bugs, Fixes & Quality Improvements
We've also included a variety of improvements throughout Studio, including:
Improved ePUB upload handling and processing
Clearer in-Studio guidance and instructional messaging for Magic Mode workflows and editing controls
Faster project preparation workflows
Increased precision
General stability improvements and bug fixes
Looking Ahead
Spoken Studio V2 introduced a new way to produce audiobooks.
v2.1 builds on that foundation by making Magic Mode more customizable, more consistent, and more responsive to the creative choices that make every story unique.
The more you create with Spoken, the more Spoken works the way you do.
Spoken Studio V2 — Magic Mode and Turnkey Full-Cast Audiobook Creation
This release marks the arrival of Magic Mode (Preview), a proprietary way of working inside Spoken. This isn’t a feature that improves individual outputs. It’s a method of production that orchestrates the entire performance, across characters, scenes, and chapters, in a way that was previously out of reach without extensive manual direction.
Spoken Studio V2 introduces an entirely new operating mode — unique to Spoken — that changes how audiobooks are created from the ground up ….
This release marks the arrival of Magic Mode (Preview), a proprietary way of working inside Spoken. This isn’t a feature that improves individual outputs. It’s a method of production that orchestrates the entire performance, across characters, scenes, and chapters, in a way that was previously out of reach without extensive manual direction.
With Magic Mode enabled, you’re no longer constructing your audiobook piece by piece, solving for performance one passage at a time. Instead, Spoken approaches your project more holistically, carrying tone, emotion, pacing, and character intent across the work as a whole.
What used to take iteration now arrives far more complete. And the difference is immediate.
Alongside Magic Mode, V2 introduces a major advancement in voice modeling, a more capable Project Manager, editable summaries and metadata controls, refined credits handling, and a cleaner editorial flow — all supporting a higher standard of production for authors, producers, and publishers.
But the core shift with Spoken V2 is this:
Spoken now enables turnkey, Multi-Voice (digital full-cast) audiobook creation with a level of cohesion and performance that has historically required extensive manual direction, or remained out of reach entirely.
Magic Mode (Preview) — Studio-grade audiobooks in a click.
Available at no additional cost for a limited time
Enabled for multi-voice, character-driven works
Magic Mode is a behind-the-scenes orchestration system that aligns performance across your entire audiobook.
It ensures that characters, narration, tone, and pacing are not treated in isolation — but carried consistently from passage to passage, chapter to chapter.
It delivers:
True multi-voice (digital full-cast) cohesion across dialogue and character exchanges
Consistent emotional and tonal arcs throughout the work
Natural handling of dialogue tags
Improved pronunciation and contextual delivery
Expanded accent capability and expressive range
Cleaner, more consistent audio output
All right out of the gate, after hitting “Make Spoken”. For multi-voice projects, this results in a unified listening experience — where characters interact naturally within the same performance space.
You are no longer assembling the performance piece by piece, you are starting from something that already holds together.
A Shift in Production Dynamics
Before entering Magic Mode, authors now configure narration with the following options from the Project Manager tab:
Narration Type
Single / Dual Narration
Multi-Voice / Duet Narration
Magic Mode (Preview Toggle)
Optional feature to enhance multi-voice, character-driven projects
Available for a limited time at no extra cost
Auto Voice Generation
Automatically assign a unique voice to each narrator/character
Options: Yes / No Thanks
Primary Narrator Accent
Select accent for the main narrator (e.g., American)
Default Pacing
Choose narration speed/style:
Leisurely
Conversational
Brisk
Includes preview (“Pacing Sample”) option
A Shift in Production Dynamics
Spoken Studio V2 redistributes where effort is required.
There is more clarity upfront, and significantly less correction afterward.
For authors, this means less time refining individual passages.
For producers, it means working from material that is already structurally sound — refining rather than rebuilding.
For publishers, particularly across backlists, it means scalability and quality:
Fewer passes to reach production-ready quality
Greater consistency across chapters
A more predictable path from ingestion to distribution
The system now absorbs more of the complexity of getting narration right.
Next-Generation Voice Modeling — Deeper Character, Stronger Performance
Spoken Studio V2 is powered by a significant advancement in voice modeling — directly enhancing how performances are delivered across every project.
Character voices are now more defined, more expressive, and more adaptable to the writing itself.
This results in:
Stronger character identity across custom and actor voices
Greater emotional range and responsiveness to tone and context
More natural interpretation of dialogue and narration
Improved consistency across long-form passages and chapters
Cleaner handling of accents, phrasing, and intent
Custom voices, in particular, benefit from a more robust design, allowing them to carry nuance, personality, and variation in a way that holds up across an entire work.
Project Manager — Structured Before You Start
The Project Manager now functions as a true pre-production environment.
Once analysis is complete, you can:
Edit and copy your project summary
Manage genre, channel tags, and comparables
Review and refine chapter summaries
This ensures every project is properly framed before narration begins.
Chapters / Installments — Clearer Alignment
“Installments” are now labeled Chapters / Installments across Studio — aligning with both serialized and traditional publishing workflows.
Magic Mode Editing — Controlled Insertion
To preserve structural integrity within Magic Mode, passage insertion is handled through:
Insert Passage →
Add before
Add after
This enables precise edits without disrupting the broader performance.
Publish Tab
Opening & Closing Credits — Fully Managed
Introductions are now expanded into:
Opening & Closing Credits
Opening Credits are editable with clear indicators
Closing Credits are automatically generated and synced
You can:
Preview Closing Credits
Regenerate them
Publish them independently when updated (no charge)
Bugs & Improvements
General stability improvements across Studio
Refinements to narration consistency and edge-case handling
Performance optimizations across analysis and playback
New Tutorial
This new release doesn’t change much about how you interact with Studio — it’s more focused on improving the results. However, there are still a few new options and workflows you’ll come across.
To fully understand these changes and get up to speed quickly, check out the new tutorial here:
You can also always find the tutorial on the Create page in Spoken.
The Next Level
Spoken Studio V2 introduces a way of working that did not previously exist inside the platform, or broadly across digital narration.
It establishes a new baseline for what “first playback” can sound like, particularly in multi-voice storytelling where cohesion has historically been the hardest problem to solve.
This is a meaningful step forward for the industry, reshaping how authors, backlist holders, producers, and publishers scale high-quality audiobook production across multiple voices, with minimal editing time and a clear shift toward front-end creative preparation.
What Did the “Your Story” Winner Webinar Reveal?
Interesting things happen when you invite writers to step outside their comfort zones and embrace a challenge for the sake of storytelling. They dig deep. They don’t hold back. They put it all out there. They try new things.
And when you bring those writers together and hear them share how they rose to the challenge, you realize something pretty important…
Storytelling is about being seen and understood as humans, even when the voices telling those stories are digital.
"Your Story," was a first-of-its-kind audiobook storytelling competition that celebrates not only great writing and audio, but the heart, purpose, and personal journey behind it. Spoken, in collaboration with Author Nation, curated “Your Story” to give indie authors a platform to reach new audiences and be celebrated not only for their craft, but for the personal “why” behind each story.
A panel of judges selected the finalists, recognizing an outstanding group of writers whose work spans science fiction, fantasy, historical fiction, memoir, romance, spirituality, drama, literary fiction, and mystery. The top 12 contest entries were featured on Spoken’s YouTube channel and introduced with cinematic book trailers and motion book covers. Readers streamed their stories and cast scores to decide the grand prize winner.
The April 15 Winner Webinar, co-hosted by Spoken and Author Nation, offered authors and readers alike a chance to celebrate the bold, original storytelling, as well as the personal stories behind them. As each finalist introduced themselves, we were blown away by the authenticity of every participant and the passion that drives them to craft their work.
During the webinar, we witnessed an author who was originally hesitant to use AI narration share how bringing her story to life through Spoken transformed her author journey, and we listened to a prolific writer describe the ability to reach more readers who are sight-impaired. We nodded along as another author called Spoken a vital step in her workflow, while someone else shared how much fun the Studio is and how she can’t imagine it getting any better. (Just wait, Julia. MV2 is going to knock your socks off.)
We had two authors from Australia and one who was headquartered in Portugal join us. Everyone came from diverse backgrounds and genres, but they shared a connection and an appreciation for creativity and the imaginative use of the tools we’re building for authors.
As a company that powers its narration platform with cutting-edge AI technology, we never lose sight of the human experience behind the stories. This contest is a perfect example.
In addition to a free one-year subscription to Spoken, Phil received an impressive list of prizes, including a free ticket to Author Nation 2026, a VIP ticket to Reader Nation, and a cinematic book trailer created by Spoken. If you’d like to join him (and us) in Las Vegas this November, grab your ticket to Author Nation 2026.
Philip Keys Named Grand Prize Winner
Australian author Philip Keys claimed the grand prize for The Accidental Teacher. His endearing acceptance speech left us all grateful to have witnessed it in real time. Philip’s personal story reflected how his childhood was shaped by a lifelong desire to be understood. His journey ultimately led him to become a teacher of teachers, transforming personal struggle into a career devoted to communication and connection. And now, here he is, elevating his story through Spoken and inspiring the rest of us.
“Your Story” celebrated not only great storytelling, but also the people behind it. Philip Keys, alongside his fellow finalists, brought that to life.
Antoinette Klimek, author of Mother Tongue, took home the honor of “Best Personal Story.” Her moving fictional piece was inspired by her own exploration of language, identity, and generational connection. What began as a therapeutic exercise in grief evolved into a tribute honoring love, longing, and her Vietnamese heritage.
G.E. Perlin’sSilent; The Listeners—a haunting narrative that begins as a playful ghost hunt and turns into a nightmarish clash with a dark force—earned him “Best Performance.” His Spoken production delivered an immersive audio experience that explored the terrifying power of forgetting.
Author AM Scott snagged a one-hour free consultation with brand expert Isabelle Knight of Build Your Author Brand. Isabelle’s emphasis on the power of personal storytelling served as inspiration for the contest.
Tune in to a post-contest interview with Grand Prize Winner Philip Keys.
Each author who participated in “Your Story” contributed to a shared, deeply human experience, using technology to celebrate their work and connect with others.
The Finalists
The twelve finalists represent a remarkable range of voices and storytelling styles.
Dana Birkmour, author of The Becoming of Cernunnos, draws on ancient mythic traditions to explore transformation, divinity, and the cost of power. Her work reflects a deep belief that myth and storytelling are meant to be experienced through voice as much as through text, bringing ancient narrative traditions into modern listening formats.
Sonceree Best presents The Artist’s Duel, in which two painters compete to capture the essence of the same woman. Best explores the boundary between inspiration and possession – and the resolve required to define oneself beyond imposed narratives. Beneath the rivalry lies a deeper exploration of identity, self-definition, and claiming one’s own voice.
Steve Higgs, puts his mystery/thriller storytelling experience to good work in Never to Be Solved, which follows a detective on the last day of his career as he reflects on a thirty-year-old murder case he failed to solve. Higgs, a former British Army officer, invites readers to piece together clues and unravel a mystery that has lingered unresolved for decades.
Julia Huni contributes The Krimson Empire, a sweeping science fiction saga set across an interstellar stage of political intrigue, power struggles, and survival among rival factions in a distant empire. Huni drew upon her own experience as a military officer and the memory of what might have been.
Philip Keys offers The Accidental Teacher, a deeply personal memoir reflecting on a childhood shaped by a hidden cleft palate and the lifelong desire to be understood. His journey ultimately led him to become a teacher of teachers, transforming personal struggle into a career devoted to communication and connection.
Antoinette Klimek, author of Mother Tongue, explores language, identity, and generational connection in a story that began as a therapeutic exercise in grief and evolved into a tribute honoring love and longing for her cultural roots and a shared connection to her Vietnamese heritage.
Natalie McMillan presents The Minister and the Madness, a spiritually centered narrative that examines faith, doubt, and redemption while exploring the internal conflicts that arise when belief is tested. McMillan delivers a compelling exploration of spiritual surrender and the liberating power of faith in confronting life's challenges.
G.E. Perlin contributes Silent: The Listeners, a haunting narrative that begins as a playful ghost hunt and turns into a nightmarish clash with a dark force. As time fractures and memory bends, Perlin’s characters face questions of truth, love, and the terrifying power of forgetting.
AM Scott offers Do Retired Hellhounds Dream of Slower Squirrels, a story told from a canine’s perspective that blends humor with reflection as it explores aging, purpose, and the search for meaning after life’s most demanding roles begin to fade. Scott wrote this piece as part of a fundraiser to help an elderly woman remain in the only home she ever knew.
Morgan Sterling, author of What Remains Unreturned, presents a futuristic narrative examining loss, belonging, and cultural identity in a world where advanced technology cannot resolve the deepest human fractures. In this story, Sterling uncovers the isolation of clarity and what happens when the witness is not a savior.
Adam Strassberg brings PrayGPT, a provocative story that explores the intersection of faith and artificial intelligence, asking what might happen when powerful new technologies begin performing rituals once considered uniquely human. Strassberg’s own embrace of technology is translated through his characters’ curious exploration of what could be possible.
Gabriel Stroup presents Theodore Langley, a richly textured work of historical fiction that immerses readers in the moral complexities and social tensions of another era when a time traveler tries to rewrite history’s tragedies. Stroup’s thought experiment with this series explores the persistence of human nature and the ways in which knowledge endures.
Together, these finalists demonstrate the extraordinary diversity of contemporary independent storytelling, showcasing works that are imaginative, deeply personal, and reflective of the authors who created them.
Listen and Support More Indie Storytelling
Readers can discover even more remarkable voices from the “Your Story” contests by streaming the Honorable Mention stories on our YouTube channel. (The full list of honorees will be released by April 30.)
Honorable mentions include the following authors and their works:
Bob Bello – Breath of Life
Kat Caldwell – Whistling Motherhood
Macaulay Christian – Children of Eternity
Nicole Frens — Flight to Tomorrow
D.B. Goodin – Out of Tune
Annette Grantham — Threads of the Heart
Deborah Gray –– Bravata Brat
James Robert Harper — No Mercy
Keith Hayden — Cereus & Limnic
Vee James –– Willam Rand’s Tale
Jason Kristopher — The Gurt Dug of New Bannockburn
D.M. Krulicki — Rift Rangers
Jennifer Lamont Leo — The House on Cherry Street
K. S. Lynn — A Thousand More
Theresa McEvoy — Where the World Remembers Her
Roger Mendoza — Loaded for Revenge
Blaine Moore — Charlie Needs Milk
Crystal Morgan – The Entitled Kid
Cassie O'Neal — Melt Into You
A.J. Reed — The Narrator's Story
Douglas Sjoquist — Through the Gap
Jeffrey Zyjeski — The Eigenstate Cascade
At Spoken, your story is what drives us. And as we continue to build and evolve, we’ll always keep that human element at the center of everything we do.
By Storytellers. For Storytellers.
We believe that giving voice to writing isn’t just for those with resources to create elaborate productions or patience to navigate complex publishing hoops. Spoken was created by a small team of storytellers based in Portland, Oregon who believe in empowering self-publishers.