Apple Books has published six exclusive audiobooks this week, showcasing six great first listen titles read by celebrity narrators. The books themselves are all public domain works from Pride and Prejudice to Winnie the Pooh, recorded by Apple and released in the Book Store for free.
Only available on Apple Books, Apple has partnered with celebrities including actresses Kate Beckinsale and Karen Gillan, and comedian Tituss Burgess. The titles range from four to twelve hours in length, and there’s even a retelling of Winnie the Pooh recorded by Disney.
The six titles are:
- Pride and Prejudice, narrated by Kate Beckinsale
- The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, narrated by Tituss Burgess
- The Secret Garden, narrated by Karen Gillan
- The Time Machine, narrated by Kelsey Grammer
- Frankenstein, narrated by Aaron Mahnke of the Lore podcast
- Winnie the Pooh, narrated by Disney Book Group
Apple revamped its Books app with iOS 12 featuring a whole new design, followed by a major shakeup in Books management and leadership. Apple hired an ex-Audible SVP to run the Books division, indicating that it may have ambitions to rival Audible in the audiobooks market. Apple Books sells audiobooks individually but each title is generally expensive and the storefront is muddled up with the ebook store, which can make it hard to discover for prospective customers compared to a dedicated app that focuses solely on audiobooks.
Audible dominates the audiobooks market with its subscription service, which gives monthly credits to listen to a set number of titles. The Audible monthly cost is almost always cheaper than the cost of buying a single audiobook on Apple Books. An Apple Books subscription offering would certainly tie in to Apple’s recent focus on Services …
The Secret Garden. Frankenstein. The Time Machine. Pride & Prejudice. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.
All-time classics, narrated by very special guests. Get the full collection of these Great First Listens for free. Only on Apple Books.https://t.co/NHkoxh67ej pic.twitter.com/Qmimh9Rvzk— Apple Books (@AppleBooks) December 14, 2018
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