When is a book not a book? When it is performed by a starry cast of hundreds. Except it has always been more complicated than thatNews this week of a 17% hike in the UK’s audiobook sales might seem like a niche business story, but it raises an existential question. What exactly is an audiobook today? Is it a book? Is it a play? Or is it becoming something else entirely? What is clear is that a jostle for market dominance is driving it into new dimensions. The streaming platform Spotify followed its move into podcasting two years ago with the launch of an audiobooks business. Though it has yet to start making its own recordings, last autumn it made a deal for 200,000 audiobooks to be available to its premium users.Not to be outdone, Amazon-owned Audible – accustomed to being the market leader – upped its game, hiring the Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes to record multi-voice versions of the Dickens novels Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, and announcing last month that it had reached an agreement for a recording of JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series, voiced by more than 100 actors and featuring a “groundbreaking new soundscape”. The new Potter audiobooks, it said, would not usurp but “sit alongside and complement” conventional recordings by Stephen Fry and Jim Dale, which Audible also hosts. Continue reading... Continue reading at 'The Guardian'
[ The Guardian | 2024-05-10 17:25:03 UTC ]
Mariane Féged, director of Spanish markets at Bookwire, highlights three titles that have been especially popular on the service. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Audiobook publisher Sean McManus provides tips on how indie authors can benefit from the audiobook boom. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-02 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The Audio Publishers Association finds in its annual report that audiobook sales generated $1.8 billion in the United States in 2022. The post APA Report: US Sees Double-Digit Audiobook Sales Growth for 11th Year appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-06-01 15:27:14 UTC ]
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The Audio Publishers Association’s annual sales survey revealed an 11th straight year of double-digit growth in audiobook sales, with 2022 revenue from reporting publishers up 10%, to $1.8 billion. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-06-01 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter publisher says in challenging economic times books are seen as cheap form of entertainmentBloomsbury Publishing, the home of Harry Potter, has revealed a rise in annual sales as it said people were turning to books as a cheap form of entertainment as finances were squeezed.Sales of... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-31 13:38:54 UTC ]
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'AudioFile' has named the three winners of its annual Golden Voice awards, which honors voice actors who have made significant contributions to audiobook publishing. The recipients are Kevin R. Free, Marin Ireland, and Nicholas Boulton. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2023-05-31 04:00:00 UTC ]
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America’s second-most-popular play at high schools is a very unauthorized wizard story. Continue reading at Slate
[ Slate | 2023-05-26 09:50:00 UTC ]
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HBO Max is completing its transformation into Warner Bros. Discovery's "Max" streaming service today, and it's launching with a new tier especially made for 4K ultra HD viewing. The Ultimate Ad-Free tier will set you back $20 a month or $200 if you're paying for a whole year, making it the... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-05-23 09:27:56 UTC ]
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It wasn’t just luck that steered the Guardian columnist to Oxford and into a media career ... She reflects on the subtle mechanics of class (and an early encounter with a naked future PM)Children know. They breathe it in early, for there’s no unknowing the difference between nannies, cleaners,... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-05-20 12:00:56 UTC ]
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Google’s annual developer conference not only delivers on the software and web-based announcements but also on whatever hardware it’s been cooking up. In the past, that included smart speakers, phones, Chromebooks and everything else. For I/O 2023, we’re expecting lots of Pixel things. Rumors... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-05-08 11:15:42 UTC ]
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Arachnophobic Harry Potter fans, rejoice. Developer Avalanche Software has added a new accessibility feature to Hogwarts Legacy that removes spiders from the game. The update coincides with the title’s arrival on PS4 and Xbox One today.The Hogwarts Legacy update (build 1140773) launched Thursday... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-05-05 19:42:15 UTC ]
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Bush's Beans gets a spot, a fake pizza brand pops up, Harry Potter gets Wes Anderson treatment and more. Continue reading at Advertising Age
[ Advertising Age | 2023-04-27 09:30:00 UTC ]
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BuzzFeed changed the way news was reported for the digital age. But it became a casualty of its lopsided relationship with FacebookThe announcement of the demise of BuzzFeed News last week felt unlike the cavalcade of media closures and layoffs of the past decade. In a sense, it represented the... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-26 03:36:53 UTC ]
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SYNC, an annual summer audiobook program for teens, is back to provide 28 free audiobooks from April to August. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-04-24 10:37:00 UTC ]
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Just like that, a new Harry Potter game is on its way. On Monday, WB Games revealed Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions, a title the Hogwarts Legacy publisher is billing as a “fast-paced, competitive multiplayer” game that will be available on PC and consoles. According to the company, Unbroken... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-04-17 22:37:36 UTC ]
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A Publishing Perspectives exclusive: Beat Technology's newest platform is an audiobook and ebook app for Sweden's Adlibris book retailer. The post Norway’s Beat Technology Partners With Sweden’s Adlibris appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2023-04-13 16:52:02 UTC ]
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Ten years—ten years!—reliving JK Rowling’s journey from underdog pastiche to problematic bajillionaire seems like a lot, doesn’t it? And yet Max (formerly HBO Max) plans on sinking millions into a long-running reboot of the YA property. Obviously a lot happens in the books—frogs are eaten, naked... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-04-13 15:26:29 UTC ]
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Service formerly known as HBO Max, rebranded Max, will host live-action showThe Harry Potter TV series is officially a go at Max, the streaming service known until today as HBO Max.The Warner Bros Discovery CEO, David Zaslav, announced the new service, which combines the original HBO Max with... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2023-04-12 19:48:47 UTC ]
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Max is coming to market. Following months of streaming rumors and speculation, Warner Bros. Discovery is officially combining its streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+ under one brand: Max. Launching May 23 with a new tagline, color and mission, the upcoming service will drop the iconic HBO... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2023-04-12 19:25:11 UTC ]
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Soon, when you go to stream Succession or The Last of Us, you'll no longer be looking for an app called HBO Max. As has been rumored, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is changing the name of the streaming service to simply "Max." The company is folding content from Discovery+ into the platform to... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-04-12 17:16:11 UTC ]
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