We’re kicking off the new year in a BIG way with “YOUR STORY”

And our friends at Author Nation and Reader Nation are helping us! 

You're invited to kick off 2026 with a unique opportunity to bring your story, and your voice(s), to life through "Your Story," 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. 

We’ve teamed up with Author Nation and Reader Nation 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.

The top 10 contest entries will be streamed on our YouTube channel where Reader Nation readers will vote for the grand prize winner! 

Why are we doing this? 

Our collaboration with Author Nation is a response to industry trends and anticipated audiobook market explosion in 2026. 

WE’RE NOT JUST LOOKING FOR GREAT STORIES 

(+ GREAT DIGITAL NARRATION)

We’re looking for the story behind the story and why it mattered enough for you to make it -- and we've got some BIG PRIZES to celebrate that! 

Using Spoken Studio, narrate and submit a short audio work (under 10,000 words) using single, multi-voice or duet digital narration, along with a brief author commentary that explains the spark and the personal truth behind it.

”Audio is the fastest-growing segment of the publishing industry. So when the Spoken team came to us with this idea, we thought it was a great way to usher in the new year.” 

– Joe Solari, co-producer of Author Nation and Reader Nation 

“This is a perfect time for authors to build creative momentum, and the contest helps expand visibility. And with our invitation to Reader Nation participants to vote, this is another way to reach a captive audience of readers.” 

– Suze Solari, co-producer of Author Nation and Reader Nation

A growing number of indie authors are narrating full-length audiobooks, as well as shorter works, including teasers. Some stick with single narration, while others are casting voices for every character and exploring duet narration, as well as cloning their personal voice. "Your Story" celebrates the writers who are embracing storytelling in new and exciting ways through Spoken.  

“This isn’t just about a great story. It’s about why you are the only person who could have brought it to life,” 

– Spoken CEO and sci-fi author Phil Marshall  

“Your Story” puts voice, connection, and authenticity at the center of the audiobook experience. Projects will be evaluated on the story itself, the performance, and the personal story behind it.  Authors are invited to submit a short work (less than 10,000 words, such as a short story or the beginning of a novel) narrated on Spoken, along with a personal commentary that gives readers a deeper understanding of the story behind the story, and the person writing it. 

Submissions are open January 12 - February 20, 2026

Entries will be reviewed by a panel of distinguished indie author judges and narrowed down to 10 finalists. The finalists will be featured on a dedicated YouTube playlist hosted by Spoken, with the readers of Reader Nation invited to vote for their favorite story in March.

The Grand Prize winner will receive:

• Fully-produced YouTube audiobook

• Cinematic book trailer 

• Post-contest interview

• Free promotion of their story on YouTube

• Ticket to Author Nation 2026 

• VIP ticket to Reader Nation 2026

• One year of a Spoken subscription

All finalists will receive free Spoken publishing credits (100,000 words), featured placement in Author/Reader Nation and Spoken newsletters, and an invitation as a panelist on an exclusive Winner Webinar hosted by Spoken and Author/Reader Nation on March 25. 

More details can be found at www.spoken.press/yourstory.

As always, thanks for being part of our story. And thanks for inviting us to bring yours to life.

The Spoken Team

Spoken V1.08 Release Notes: The Spoken Dashboard

A new era of visibility, control, and collaboration.

Spoken v1.08 introduces the Dashboard — a powerful new system built for publishers, studios, and organizations managing multiple authors or titles. This update transforms Spoken into a scalable, centralized platform for overseeing the narration of projects across an entire author network.

Whether you're guiding a handful of creators or running a full editorial team, the Spoken Dashboard brings everything together in one place, simplifying how you track progress, manage projects, and collaborate with your authors.

A Command Center for Your Authors

With the new Dashboard, clients gain a bird’s-eye view of all their authors and projects. From one central interface, you can:

• Monitor progress across works-in-development

• Review narration activity and project statuses

• Navigate directly to any project for edits, publishing, or downloads

This update is designed to scale, whether you're overseeing 3 projects or 300.

Elevated Access, Streamlined Control

As a Dashboard user, you have enhanced access and visibility across your team’s content.

With this elevated access, Dashboard Users can:

• Switch between authors and projects effortlessly

• Guide production from manuscript upload to final export

• Stay in sync with every creator’s progress without jumping through accounts or chasing updates

Dashboard Users retain full access to their own author tools as well, enabling dual roles when needed.

Author Collaboration, Simplified

Bringing an author into your dashboard is seamless and flexible. After an email handshake between accounts, you’re off to the races.

Authors can remain in control of their own profiles and can join or leave dashboards with just a click, preserving trust and transparency in the process.

Safety Ratings — Smarter, Quieter, Still There

Safety Ratings have been moved into the background of the analysis experience. These ratings — such as for violence or foul language — are still being generated, but they’ll no longer appear on your project page, nor in any metadata that is public-facing.

They remain fully active behind the scenes, and will only surface when a project is flagged for Dangerous Content. Otherwise, they stay invisible, reducing distraction while keeping the system safe and accurate.

Built for Teams, Ready for Growth

This release lays the foundation for Spoken’s evolution as a platform for creative teams and publishing operations.

Whether you're a studio looking to manage narration across multiple titles, or a publishing partner supporting a growing catalog, the Dashboard offers the tools to:

• Scale your audiobook output

• Maintain quality and consistency

• Keep your team aligned at every stage of production

Spoken v1.08 is the quintessential tool for creative teams to build, manage, and publish AI audiobooks together.

Your authors.
Your projects.
All in one place.

This is Spoken at scale.

Spoken V1.07 Release Notes: Streamlined Downloads, Improved Voice Discovery, and Performance Enhancements

Spoken v1.07 focuses on workflow refinement and usability improvements that make Studio faster, clearer, and more intuitive to use day to day. This release introduces direct downloads from Studio, improves voice discovery during character assignment, and includes a number of bug fixes and performance upgrades across the platform. One click closer to sharing your story.

Direct Downloads from Studio

You can now download your published audiobook files directly from the Publish tab inside Spoken Studio.

Once one or more installments are published, the Download button will appear alongside Publish, positioned next to your cover art. This allows you to access available file formats immediately, without navigating back to the project page.

This update streamlines the final steps of production and keeps your workflow focused on creating, publishing, and distributing your work.

Improved Voice Discovery When Selecting Character Voices

The voice selection list on the Voices tab has been improved when selecting a character voice.

A new Load More button now appears at the bottom of the voice list, making it more intuitive to browse and reveal additional voices from the library during character voice selection. This reduces friction and improves discoverability as the voice library continues to grow.

Bug Fixes and Performance Improvements

This release includes a number of bug fixes and general performance optimizations designed to improve stability, responsiveness, and overall reliability across Spoken Studio.

Spoken v1.07 — Polished Workflows, Less Friction

With faster access to downloads, clearer voice discovery during character setup, and under-the-hood improvements, v1.07 continues our focus on removing friction from audiobook creation and publishing while maintaining a clean, intuitive Studio experience.