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A Literary Culture

11/01/08 12:25 Filed in: Audio Book Trends
A Literary Culture

"Busy adults have turned increasingly to audio books, Smith says, which fit into their commuting schedules better than a traditional book."

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Audio books can be family fun

26/11/07 15:01 Filed in: Audiobooks
In today's fast-paced world of hundreds of television channels, millions of Web sites and iPods in every kid's backpack, sometimes it seems that entertainment is becoming a solitary experience that each family member enjoys alone. One innovative form of family entertainment that is becoming more and more popular with parents is the audiobook - stories the whole family can listen to on CDs, at home and in the car. Particularly popular, these days, are fantasy and magicoriented tales that can be engaging for both parents and children alike. Audiobooks are being used by parents as a great way to get kids to use their imagination, and as innovative tools to get children interested in reading. As many parents can attest, audiobooks make for wonderful diversions on those long family car trips. "We all like a good story. It's no wonder more families are turning to audiobooks, as nothing beats having a great storyteller read one to you," said Jennifer Feldman, Publisher, Scholastic Audio Group.

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Former Truck Driver and Author Releases Audio Book for Free as Podcast

26/11/07 14:56 Filed in: Audiobooks
(PRLEAP.COM)

Looking to make his book available to the most people, author AR Horvath is striving to make his book available in the most formats. To this end, an audio book version of his book is being worked on. Each new segment is released as a free podcast which means that subscribers to the feed will be able to eventually have the whole audio book.

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Radio's 'Oprah' signs with Harlequin

11/10/07 12:52 Filed in: Audio Books
From the Globe & Mail

Torstar's Harlequin to publish three books by Delilah Rene, based on listeners' stories

NANCY MORAN

Torstar Corp.'s Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., the seller of romance novels, will publish three non-fiction books by popular U.S. radio host Delilah Rene, based on the personal stories shared by her listeners.

The books are the first "major" acquisition for Harlequin's non-fiction franchise, Torstar, owner of the Toronto Star, said yesterday.

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Like the Show? Then Download the Audio (Before Buying the Book)

11/10/07 12:47 Filed in: Audio Books
From the NY Times

“Hi, I’m Stephen Colbert, and I am no fan of books.” So opens the audiobook version of that late-night-cable comedian’s “I Am America (And So Can You!),” which Mr. Colbert and his publisher definitely want fans to buy — in several versions.

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Audiobooks bring new dimension to novels

11/10/07 12:42 Filed in: Audiobooks
From the Daily Herald

"I love audiobooks," he said. "For me, the audio version of a book is like hearing Beethoven's Fifth Symphony rather than reading the score. Hearing the book makes it come alive."

He went on to say, "I was an English major in college but I realize now I never really enjoyed leisure reading as much as I do now. Perhaps it's because I am a slow reader. My wife can read four times faster than I can read or listen and she does not share my enthusiasm for audiobooks."

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Local experts say electronic age hasn't killed books, just given readers choices

27/08/07 11:20 Filed in: Audio Books

From Wyomingnews.com
By Cameron Mathews
People are reading their fair share of written material here, local book store owners and county library staff said.

But because they are using a variety of media, it is tough to estimate how hungry readers actually are.


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Amazon Acquires Audio Book Publisher

01/06/07 15:47 Filed in: Audio Book Industry News
Acquisition of publisher Brilliance Audio should allow the web shopping giant to offer customers a greater selection of audio books.

Amazon.com Inc. said Wednesday it has acquired independent audio book publisher Brilliance Audio. The purchase will allow Amazon to expand the number of audio books produced and offer customers a wider variety of audio selections to choose from, Amazon said in a statement.
For the full article please click here ---> PCWorld.com

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Roadtrip with kids? Audiobooks needed!

05/04/07 20:26 Filed in: Audio Books
by: Juli Brant
From: Yourhub.com
How do you survive a road trip with three kids? Having done this many times I know I will be reaching for the juvenile audio books at the Roxborough Library. Not only has Hank the Cowdog by John R. Erickson made Nebraska's I-80 seem shorter, it has been filled with laughter and conversation which are now part of our memories.



As the kids get older they bring their own reading material and I have succeeded in finding just the right family story to listen to. Jeanne DuPrau's newest trilogy, The Books of Ember, includes The City of Ember, The People of Sparks and The Prophet of Yonwood.

For the full article please click here ---> Yourhub.com

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Borders break from Amazon

26/03/07 11:55 Filed in: Audio Book Industry News
Borders Books is breaking ties with Amazon.com and going solo by bringing together its bricks and mortar stores with an internet presence all of its own.

From BizReport.com
By Helen Leggatt

Books are big business online and Amazon.com has been the driving force for quite some time. In 2001, Borders Books (BB) made the decision to work alongside Amazon.com rather than develop its own web store. Now, in a recent announcement, made after disappointing Q4 2006 results, BB has confirmed its intention to go it alone and “mesh the in-store sales with online”.

BB’s plans include developing its own website, closing many of its bricks and mortar stores abroad and revitalising its 499 existing superstores.

A new store concept is in development which includes a digital center where customers can purchase various digital products, including music and audiobooks.

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Bookworms! like what they hear

18/03/07 21:01 Filed in: Audio Books
Commute makes Bay Area a prime market for audiobooks
By Marton Dunai
From the CONTRA COSTA TIMES

Simon Vance is not claustrophobic. He spends eight hours a day in a sound isolation booth.

He can touch all four padded walls without leaving his chair. Inside, it's dark, save for a desk lamp and a single tiny window that connects him to his garage, where the booth is set up. It's a quiet spot -- though often not quiet enough for Vance.

Often, he waits for a neighbor to finish mowing the lawn. When the buzzing stops and the Walnut Creek suburb falls silent, Vance retreats into his black hole and begins reading aloud. This time, he starts with the first chapter of "The Quest," a new book by Wilbur Smith, due out in April.

His voice flows in a pleasant, measured baritone.

"Two lonely figures came down from the high mountains. They were dressed in travel-worn furs and leather helmets with ear-flaps strapped beneath their chins against the cold. Their beards were untrimmed and their faces weather-beaten ..."

The flat screen flashes in front of him as the $1,000 microphone transmits his words onto a nearby computer's hard drive. Twenty-three more hours of this, and an audiobook will be complete.

Vance, an actor and now an award-winning professional audiobook narrator, is in high demand. Audiobooks have reached new millions lately as they migrate from the home to the car to the iPod, and from tape to CD to digital files, available for download over the Internet.

"Business has really taken off, and iPods" helped, Vance said. "I turned down offers (to record) every day last week."

The audiobook market has grown to nearly $1 billion a year, mostly a result of the popularity of downloading centers such as Audible.com, according to the latest research. Offering books, speeches, lectures, sermons and all sorts of spoken word recordings, Audible alone registered revenue of more than $82 million in 2006, nearly tripling its results since 2003, when it first broke even.

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Tastemakers: Literature - Forbes.com

15/03/07 12:41 Filed in: Audio Book Industry News
From Forbes.com;


"Paid downloads of audio books have also increased markedly in the last year, and the Audio Publishers Association reports that sales in 2006 jumped 50% from the previous year.


All in all, the American publishing industry made nearly $35 billion in revenue in 2005, up almost 6% over 2004, according to the Book Industry Study Group, a trade organization based in New York. The organization also recorded a rise in the sales of children's books--thanks in part to the continuing popularity of the Harry Potter series--and religious books, which brought in $3.3 billion and $2.3 billion, respectively."


For the full article please click here ---> Tastemakers: Literature

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