NEWARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Audible Inc., the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken word entertainment, today announced the release of Sincerely, X, an original series from TED and Audible. The series allows speakers to share important ideas in TED’s signature format, but anonymously. Sincerely, X provides a new approach that lets vulnerable speakers share raw ideas honestly, many for the first time. The episodes are curated, vetted, and prepared in the same fashion as TED Talks, but instead of being shared in front of a live audience, they are recorded privately, following a series of intimate, exploratory conversations with host June Cohen. The first three episodes of this ongoing series are now available within the Audible Channels experience with additional episodes releasing on a weekly basis. Additional information can be found at audible.com/sincerelyx.
Sincerely, X offers speakers a chance to share ideas away from TED’s public spotlight. Episodes include speakers who need to separate their professional ideas from their personal lives; those who want to share an idea, but fear it would hurt others in their family or company if they did so publicly; and idealists whose solutions could transform lives. Hosted by June Cohen and executive produced by Deron Triff, both TED veterans, each episode is shaped to bring out the importance of the idea.
The first three episodes of Sincerely, X, available today, feature:
- RESCUED BY RITUAL: This self-described “Midwestern mom” found a way to heal the trauma of a violent marriage entirely on her own. She created a ritual, which her doctor now recognizes and recommends as a tool for recovery from abuse.
- DR. BURNOUT: This doctor says she committed a fatal mistake with a patient, leading her to a disturbing diagnosis: the medical field pushes for professional burnout. She unveils a powerful perspective on how doctors must deepen their self-awareness.
- EX-CON: “Federal prison was good for me,” says this white-collar criminal. But living with his fellow inmates who came from far less privilege has left him with an idea for how we might redefine the workforce.
“The reach of TED Talks has expanded wildly over the years,” said Cohen. “But one question always nagged us: How many ideas worth spreading remain hidden because people can’t speak publicly about the very thing they feel the world needs to hear? It’s an exciting moment for us to now have Sincerely, X as a vehicle for unearthing and sharing just this kind of idea.”
“We are thrilled to have Sincerely, X join the innovative, original programming available in Audible Channels,” said Audible Chief Content Officer Andy Gaies. “Offering these talks on audio provides anonymous protections for speakers to share genuine stories in an intimate listening space. We are thrilled to combine the thoughtful, sound-rich experiences that Audible is known for with TED’s impactful platform to produce truly meaningful talks for our listeners.”
“The anonymity of Sincerely, X has opened up a category of talks that simply wouldn’t have been possible previously in TED’s more than 30-year history,” said TED curator Chris Anderson. “It’s a thrilling project that has already resulted in some of the most moving story-telling we’ve ever had the honor of sharing.”
Introduced earlier this year, Audible Channels features a consistently refreshed, thoughtfully organized selection of original programs, lectures, and audio editions of standout articles and news from The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Foreign Affair, Charlie Rose, The Onion, and other leading periodicals. Audible Channels also showcases 20 hand-selected Audible Playlists, from essential stories of the day, meditation and commute-sized comedy to compilations on science, history, technology, and more. Audible Channels is free with an Audible membership and to Amazon Prime members, and also available to purchase as a standalone offering for $4.95 a month.
Additional new original series and shows are announced and added to Audible Channels regularly. For more information about Audible Channels and the wide array of shows found therein, visit audible.com/Channels.
Audible invented and commercialized the first digital audio player in 1997, and has since been at the forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. Audible members downloaded an average of more than 17 books over the course of the year. More than half of new Audible members are first-time audiobook buyers.
About AUDIBLE, INC.
Audible, Inc., an Amazon.com, Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 325,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.
About TED
TED is a non-profit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or fewer) delivered by today’s leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED’s annual conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, its TEDWomen conference and its TEDGlobal conferences—then made available, free, on TED.com and other channels. TED speakers have included Bill Gates, Jane Goodall, Elizabeth Gilbert, Chimamanda Adichie, Nandan Nilekani, Philippe Starck, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Sal Khan and Daniel Kahneman.