The Face Behind the Voice

We often emphasize that there are humans behind all this tech – those who program it to analyze and parse your characters, and those who are using AI to create passive income in new ways. The Face Behind the Voice introduces you to some of the voice actors whose voice clones are frequently selected for Spoken projects.

Meet Alicia McCalla … the voice behind “Alicia Speaks” 

1. Tell us about how “Alicia Speaks” came to speak?

Alicia Speaks actually began as my pen name for narration. I wanted to create some separation between my fiction author work and my narration projects, so readers wouldn’t be confused when I branched into affirmations, meditations, or even lending my voice to other people’s books.

Narration itself came naturally. Back when I was a school librarian, I was always reading stories aloud, running story times, and teaching school-wide lessons through our school TV series. I also trained students in media production. Using my voice to teach and tell stories has always been a part of me.

A few years later, author J. Thorn suggested I try professional narration, he told me I had the perfect voice. That encouragement pushed me to take the ACX Masterclass. I remember thinking, “I’ve been teaching Audacity to my students for years… I can do this.” So I went for it, and narration became a natural extension of my author journey.

When I tested ElevenLabs, I already had hours of recorded material from audiobooks and projects. I uploaded my voice just to see what would happen, and it turned out better than I expected. That’s how Alicia Speaks became both my narrator persona and eventually my digital voice clone.

2. What’s it like to hear your voice transcribe someone else’s story?

At first, it was surreal, like hearing an echo of myself reading words I didn’t write. But then I realized how powerful it was. Lending my voice to other stories connected me to a larger community of storytellers. It reminded me of all those years reading aloud to kids, stepping into another author’s imagination while still carrying my own rhythm and tone.

I’ve also noticed how few Black narrators are represented in this space. That makes it especially meaningful for me to lend my voice to projects that need a Black voice. Representation matters, and I’m excited to bring more depth and authenticity to stories that deserve to be heard in our voices too.

3. As an author and voice actor, how does Spoken fit into your creator journey?

As an author, I’m always searching for ways to immerse readers deeper into my storyworlds. Narration was my first bridge into that. But producing a full-length audiobook on my own is time-consuming. Spoken opened up new possibilities, layering multiple voices, adding emotional nuance, and letting me create projects I can take and share wherever I want.

I recently ran my Oya Warrior Goddess Lore Book through Spoken. It wasn’t flawless, my Alicia Speaks voice carried the main narration, and there were a few glitches. But what I loved was the concept and the freedom to experiment. My husband especially enjoyed all the dramatic voices! Spoken isn’t replacing my own narration, but it’s adding a powerful new layer to how I deliver stories.

Alicia McCalla writes badass speculative fiction featuring Black women with skills, swords, and superpowers. She’s the author of The Oya Lore Book and creator of the upcoming Sentinel vigilante series. Through her digital voice clone “Alicia Speaks,” she also produces affirmations, meditations, and immersive audio projects. Alicia is passionate about reclaiming voice, building storyworlds, and creating empowering narratives for readers and listeners.

To hear her voice in action, check out Alicia’s book, Talons in the Shadows.

Spoken is exactly what we had imagined it to be, and we're doing it DIY, just like you.

"Startup life can be tough, and it can make your hair grey, but the team at Spoken did it. We officially launched our V1 and users are climbing onboard to make the future of audio storytelling Spoken." 

Wow. What a wild week. 

One week ago today Spoken launched our V1, after a year learning what authors need to create great audio of their stories. The response has been incredibly gratifying. Yes, we’re still smoothing out a few glitches, but we’ve been overwhelmed by your enthusiasm and support. Thank you.

There's a lot that goes into a startup. From our team to our users to the tech and how it addresses such a rapidly changing market, to our pricing and our brand. I am so grateful that it has all culminated in this moment. I’m right there with you. I held off on preparing the final multi-voice version of my debut novel, Taming the Perilous Skies, until we were on our V1 stack. I couldn’t be happier with how it’s turning out, and I hope when it launches you’ll find it a great example of what’s possible with Spoken.

So what happens now? 

We're going to focus on delivering for you. That's how we define our business success. Not by investors. Not by hype. Not by some lofty board of directors. We have an insatiable desire to stay true to our mission, and to the promise that we make every day to our author users. That means more releases with more improvements to the platform (we pushed a change to the multi-voice emotional cues today which should tamp down some of the model's over-exuberance). We have passage editor changes, LPF file downloads, and retail sample downloads, all coming within the next several days. I'm a user, just like you, and I share your expectation that Spoken be the best product in the market to bring stories to life. 

I'll end with this. 

When you hear "Made with Spoken" on Spotify, on indie audio platforms, and eventually even on Audible, I want you to take pride in knowing you were here first. You were here at launch, you trusted us to grow, and you’re helping shape what Spoken becomes. When you hear your narrator, your leading character, or even your own AI voice say "Made with Spoken", that signature represents our partnership with you.

My sincerest gratitude to you for being a part of this incredible journey.

Phil Marshall

Founder, Spoken

P. S. Have You Claimed Your FREE NARRATION Yet? 

Every creator receives 5,000 words to kick off the first upload + 25 percent extra narration edit credits to help you get that project perfect. Start a project today and claim your free narration!

Spoken V1 Release Notes – Official Launch, Integrated Pricing & Payments, Multi-Voice Upgrade, and the Brand Sheds Beta!

Spoken V1 marks a truly defining moment — our official public launch and the transition out of beta. This is the version built for everyone, everywhere, with the stability, features, and polish to back it up and arm authors with the absolute best in AI audio narration.

With V1, we’re introducing an integrated pricing system that gives authors complete flexibility: pay per project when you need us, or subscribe for maximum creative output. Our Multi-Voice upgrade delivers the most accurate and natural-sounding AI full-cast narration ever produced, and is getting better each and every day.

This release also brings a sleeker, faster, more powerful platform, a refreshed UI, and the debut of Spoken’s first full brand image rollout — a bold, unified look that reflects who we are and where we’re headed. Spoken V1 is more than a feature update. It’s the start of Spoken as a fully realized product, ready to transform how authors create and publish their work.

Integrated Pricing & Payments

Spoken sets a new industry standard. A seamless way to budget for your audio projects, with two flexible options:

Pay Per Project – $10 per 5,000 words
(Rounded up to the nearest 5,000)

• Includes edit credits equal to 25% of your word count for refining passages, changing voice selections, or correcting AI hiccups.

• Unlimited voices at no extra cost.

• Custom voices generated via Spoken’s prompt analysis or your own prompts, including reusable personal voice clones.

• Full Studio access to control speed, padding, volume, and emotions.

• Free mastered downloads to monetize anywhere.

• Optional free streaming on Spoken for reader discovery.

Monthly Subscription – $50/month

• Includes all Pay Per Project features plus 50% off narration costs.

• Ideal for prolific authors, backlist revival, serialized content, and creative experiments when the words are flowing.

Multi-Voice Upgrade

Formerly known as Multi-Character Multi-Voice, our updated Multi-Voice system delivers pinpoint character analysis and dynamic pacing that naturally adapts to the rhythm of your story. This is our most expressive, most precise full-cast AI narration to date — ready for complex dialogue, subtle tone shifts, and vivid character performances. It has been built to capture the awe of all of your fanbase, and all of your future listeners.

UI & Branding Take a Bold Step Foward

• Redesigned Create page for clearer navigation and workflow.

• Updated banners, visuals, and layout to align with our V1 brand direction.

Platform & Performance Improvements

• Greatly optimized servers for faster parsing, sharper character recognition, and smoother narration generation. This is Spoken with the best engine under the hood. 

• Greater stability and reliability for large manuscripts and complex projects.

• Improved multi-tasking Studio workflow, for narrating individual installments while passages of the work are still being generated.

Spoken Brand Image V1

Spoken V1 doesn’t just perform differently — it presents differently. This release marks the debut of our first fully-realized brand identity: a bold, cohesive visual language that reflects the creativity, sophistication, and impact of the stories our authors tell.

From sleek UI updates to striking banners and promotional materials, every touchpoint with Spoken now feels polished, deliberate, and unmistakably ours. Beyond the platform, our V1 brand campaign is live — showcasing expressive multi-voice narration and positioning Spoken as the definitive home for authors who want their stories to be heard, remembered, and shared.