Tapping Offshore Talent in India: Emerging Trends in Audiobook Publishing
About three decades ago, several academic publishers were on the lookout for alternative destinations to offshore some of their services and get their work done with the same quality they were reputed for but at reduced costs. Their intention was to retain their core functions while managing costs.
Asia, and particularly India, with abundantly available talent and technical skills, were then emerging as key destinations for outsourced services as part of the knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) and, specifically, publishing domains.
Publishers worldwide saw a huge advantage in offshoring some of their services to India, and began with specific projects in digitization, format conversion (print to e-book/e-magazine, PDF, XML), art, and illustration work. With the publisher’s support through training and transition, and their expertise in technology, the service providers were able to deliver to the publisher’s standards and help them maximize efficiencies in a competitive market.
Within a decade of the initiation of outsourced publishing services, the offshore service providers were able to move up the value chain with the provision of content services such as copyediting, graphic design, cover production, and the like. By the end of the last decade, the service providers had built up a pool of highly skilled resources with good language, communication, and management skills, and also the relevant experience to offer content development and creation services, author engagement through project management services, and end-to-end publishing support, from acquisitions through production to sales, distribution, and marketing support.
After e-publishing services, the demand has now shifted to a growing need for outsourced audio post-production services. The service providers in the outsourced market are now tapping the talents of a growing pool of highly skilled audio editors and sound engineers to provide audio production and post-production audio engineering services to support publishers in publishing audiobooks on leading platforms and catering to audiobook markets across the world. The main production services related to audiobook publishing that are being offered by the audio partners include
editing – ensuring accuracy of script, consistent pacing and elimination of noise;
music production – sourcing and integration of original or royalty-free music in the background for audiobooks;
sound design – enhancing audio experience with immersive sound effects, ambience, special sounds and foley;
audiobook repurposing – ensuring compatibility with current audiobook standards by recreating or repurposing existing audiobook content;
cover design services – providing fresh design ideas for audiobook covers or repurposing and redesigning an existing cover from the author.
The growing demand for audiobooks and the need for speed to market will soon pave the way for long-term partnerships between publishers, audio studios, and offshore service providers who can offer post-production services faster, cheaper, and with the required quality.
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