A state-of-the-art audiobook recording studio has been unveiled in the North East as part of a drive to challenge London's dominance in the publishing industry.
The studio, a collaboration between New Writing North and Hachette º£½ÇÊÓƵ, is located at Northumbria University's city centre campus in Newcastle. The development marks a significant milestone in New Writing North's efforts to promote writing and related industries in the region.
The studio is already in operation, with its first project being the production of an audiobook for Andrew Michael Hurley's new novel, Barrowbeck. The folk-horror story, set in a remote valley on the Yorkshire-Lancashire border, is narrated by actors Gabriella Pond and Matt Jamie.
New Writing North and Northumbria University have a long-standing partnership, dating back to 2012, which includes delivering a range of educational, community engagement, and research activities. Their joint initiatives also comprise an MA course in publishing, offered in collaboration with Hachette.
Lucie McNeil, audio development producer for New Writing North and studio lead for Sounds Good, said: "The North East has an incredible array of talent and graduates primed to work in audiobooks, and now we have a central hub where they can be created locally. The studio is right in the heart of Newcastle and all its transport links, so it's easy to get to."
New Writing North has unveiled plans to launch an audio studio in Newcastle in collaboration with Hachette and Northumbria University. Claire Malcolm, CEO of New Writing North, said: "The audio studio is a practical and tangible way of expanding the creative industries in the North East. We're incredibly grateful to Creative º£½ÇÊÓƵ who have supported this venture and associated talent programmes for writers and producers.", reports .
"The studio supports our mission to increase content production in the region which in turn supports Newcastle City's Council's industrial strategy and the creative and cultural ambitions of the North East Combined Authority."
The publishing industry in the º£½ÇÊÓƵ contributes £11 billion to the economy, with audiobook downloads rising by 17% between 2022 and 2023. The audio studio booth was part-funded by Creative º£½ÇÊÓƵ's Cultural and Creative Investment programme with funding from North East Combined Authority. In 2024, Creative º£½ÇÊÓƵ partnered with New Writing North to establish the Sounds Good Audiobooks, which aims to run workshops and training with experienced audiobook narrators.
Carol Bell, associate regional director for Creative º£½ÇÊÓƵ, said: "We were delighted to collaborate on this project to support the creation of the studio, and enable talented writers to have the opportunity to gain new skills and diversify their skills. We're pleased to be supporting creative ambition in the region, and look forward to seeing the opportunities this will create in the future."
Earlier this year, New Writing North submitted a £5m bid to the Government to establish the Centre for Writing at Bolbec Hall in Newcastle. This pioneering facility aims to promote writing and reading initiatives within the community and offer support to professional writers and publishing enterprises throughout the North.
