The Bookseller.com

4th July 2009

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Nighy backs new audio site

01.06.07 Tom Tivnan

An audiobooks venture, specialising in the classics and backed by actor Bill Nighy, is being launched this week.

The download site, Silksoundbooks.com, will initially focus exclusively on unabridged English classics read by West End and Hollywood actors. In addition to Nighy, who reads Edgar Allen Poe's The Dupin Mysteries, the site's roster of performers includes Judi Dench, Richard E Grant, Rufus Sewell, Jeremy Northam and Jane Horrocks.

A beta version goes live on 2nd June and the site is expected to be fully operational by mid-June. There will be 60 titles available at launch, spanning novels, poetry and plays, and the company expects to build the list to 1,000 titles within three years' time. The files are available in MP3 and iTunes compatible formats and will be priced at a flat rate of £7.95. Nighy said: "The idea is that it's ridiculously cheap and you get to hear some of the greatest books ever written, read entertainingly by some of your favourite actors."

The company was -created "with a considerable amount of private investment" by Nighy, producer Brian Mitchell and Robbie Weston, founder of digital audio production studio Silk Sound. Mitchell, whose voice directing credits include the BBC animated series "Underground Ernie" and the feature film "Babe: Pig in the City", said: "The readings are performances, but married to the spirit of high-quality classics. They're very theatrical. They're showbiz."

Some of the actors have deferred their fees for shares in the company. "The people involved have been passionate about literature. They also like our model, see that we are ambitious, and want to get involved. The acting community is relatively small and word gets around quickly," Mitchell added.

tom tivnan Silksoundbooks.com Bill Nighy