This site is an ongoing feature of the AudioBook News Service to help
encourage and familiarize new audio book listeners with the benefits and
options of using audio books.
A few of the advantages of audio books:
According the a survey by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the average driving time per day for all drivers is one hour and 13 minutes. This translates into over 440 hours a year. This is the equivalent of a typical eleven 40-hour workweeks! Most people could learn a new language, job skill or simply enjoy listening to current bestsellers in this period of time.
- You can listen while doing a variety of other tasks, such as cleaning, exercising, driving down the road, waiting in line at the post office, etc.
- Most well-known books are also available in audio.
- There is no eye strain and it usually takes less time to get through an audio book!
- Allows users to experience action and sound effects (theatrical performance).
- Provides reading and education to people who are not be able to use the printed text such as the blind or disabled.
- Only requires simple, inexpensive equipment (cassette player).
"The tape cassette is the greatest innovation in learning since the invention of the printing press. It's effortless, yet so effective. When you listen to the human voice, you're learning in the way you learned most of what you know. It's the most natural way to learn. And while a book is often read only once. Tape cassettes can be easily listened to over and over, months and years later. You can listen to them while you're doing other things- dressing in the morning, driving the car, having a snack, or sitting at the dinner table, so that the entire family can soak up some information," said Earl Nightingale.
Resources:
How to start an audio book discussion group- This is a free publication we have written that explains some methods and techniques for starting an audio book club. (click here)
AudioFile Magazine- The primary magazine for audio book lovers. This monthly magazine has lots of reviews, feature articles and much more. (click here)
The Audio Publishers Association- This group provides surveys of the audio book industry along with other resources. http://www.audiopub.org
Audio book clubs. Here are links to several book clubs for audio lovers. (click here)
History of audio books: An interesting article about the general history of audio books along with many other interesting topics, such as how to select audio books, links and a bibliography of other sources of information. (click here)
Audio book publishers and related companies:
Here are several
of the audio publishers and related services who offer audio book products.
If your product or service is not listed here, send it to us and we will
be happy to include you. (List updated 9/07).
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation)
CareerTrack/Fred Pryor Seminars
Center for Continuing Education (CCE)
Hachette (formerly Time Warner)
HCI- The Life Issues Publisher
Independent International Travel
Poor Yorick - CD & Video Emporium
The do-it-yourself publicity column: One of the common needs for audio book publishers is information about marketing and distribution. In each issue of this column, we will include specific marketing information about some aspect of audio books. Some of the columns include: how to sell books to catalog houses, marketing to libraries, and how to distribute audios to airport bookstores click here
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