Summary: “Voice first” describes apps that people interact with by speaking and listening. “Voice first fiction” offers a brand new opportunity for authors to share fictional content through the new generation of smart speakers. So what’s voice first fiction all […]

Summary: Last week’s Digital Book World 2018 provided an opportunity to see cutting edge tools available to authors and publishers of voice first fiction. In this post I’ll provide a quick overview of some of the offerings that caught my […]

Summary:  In just a few weeks I’ll be speaking at Digital Book World, the premier event for digitally-aware authors taking place from Oct. 2 – 4 in Nashville, TN. I’m excited to be talking about how authors can take advantage of […]

Summary: As more independent companies and creators release voice apps (skills, actions) on voice assistant platforms, the trend towards producing “games” is emerging. Games are one of the most popular categories for voice-driven, interactive skills. Voice-Driven Fiction Forces User Interaction […]

Summary: How will people engage with fiction in the future? Will most fiction still be experienced by readers, or will a growing percentage of people consume stories as listeners? Arielle Pardes of Wired explores the changing landscape in a recent […]

Summary: Kane Simms of the V.U.X. World podcast recently interviewed Oren Jacob of Pullstring. The conversation extended to the topic of interactive voice first fiction and the skills required to craft compelling audio drama. During the recent V.U.X. World podcast, […]

Summary: BBC R&D released the results of user testing on their Alexa skill: The Inspection Chamber. The extensive study provides valuable insights into how users felt about engaging with this immersive voice first drama. The results have wide applicability to […]

Summary: How effective are puzzle games on a voice first platform? A recent review of the Escape the Room skill on Amazon Alexa shows that some problem solving games, which typically rely on visual clues, can be effectively transitioned to […]

Summary: The popular HBO series Westworld has a new voice first companion drama on the Amazon Alexa platform. Westworld:The Maze employs the technique of “memory test” to drive the interactive experience forward. The memory test is an interesting twist on […]

Summary: The newly launched voice game “Jurassic World: Revealed” is a great example of voice first fiction. The interactive drama is the result of a partnership between Earplay and Universal Brand Development. It is also a pathfinder in audio skill […]