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 ]
While it's a bit late for most tech gifts to ship in time for Christmas, there are still many deals going on for those looking to buy something nice for themselves. Apple's AirPods Pro, for one, are down to an all-time low of $200, while Sony's WF-1000XM4 earbuds are still at a low of $178.... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-12-23 17:30:24 UTC ]
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Robin Miles was looking for stage and screen roles when she began reading books for the blind. She’s become one of the country’s most celebrated narrators. Continue reading at New Yorker
[ New Yorker | 2022-12-16 16:45:13 UTC ]
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Sony announced the release window today for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, the sequel to 2018's Marvel's Spider-Man and 2020's Spider-Man: Miles Morales. The PlayStation 5 exclusive will launch in the fall of 2023.Insomniac Games’ sequel continues the stories of Peter Parker and Miles Morales as they... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-12-15 18:51:23 UTC ]
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Chances are good you know someone who has subscription fatigue from the many digital services that have become essential in our lives. Or maybe you have a loved one getting a new game console or some other exciting new hardware. In either case, we’ve pulled together a number of digital gifts and... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-12-14 14:18:30 UTC ]
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Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment today delayedHogwarts Legacy yet again, but the most demanding versions of the game are spared. Instead, the postponement pushes the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions back to April 4th, 2023, with the Nintendo Switch variant arriving on July... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-12-13 18:54:21 UTC ]
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The year’s autobiography big-hitters haven’t sold as well as expected, with buyers disenchanted by pricing and lack of feelgood topicsFrom actors and musicians to athletes and presenters, there are no shortage of celebrity memoirs on bookshop shelves. This year has seen new books published by a... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-12-09 10:52:17 UTC ]
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I’m a daily runner. When I run varies, depending on the day’s contours, but I always lace up and head out. Earbuds in, audiobook on, running app ready to track my slow miles along semi-rural roads. Often, I don’t want to go. No matter how much I practice, I find running difficult. When I was […] Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-08 09:53:23 UTC ]
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Listen for the twists, turns, and secrets in ten of the best audiobook thrillers to listen to this holiday season! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-12-06 11:34:00 UTC ]
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BookBeat is ditching an all-you-can-listen-to audiobook subscription in a major market and offering time-based options in six other countries. The post BookBeat in France: ‘Updated’ Audiobook Subscriptions appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-12-05 13:55:15 UTC ]
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Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Actor, author, and film director Lake Bell joins AudioFile’s Michele Cobb to learn more about... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-12-05 09:53:28 UTC ]
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Based in Frankfurt, Bookwire's expansion into the French market includes audiobook production and distribution work with Banijay. The post Bookwire Has an Audiobook Deal With France’s Banijay appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-30 03:03:33 UTC ]
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Bookwire's half-day 'All About Audio' conference highlighted trends in the fast-growing but still-young popularity of audiobooks in France. (Sponsored) The post Bookwire in France: A ‘New’ Audiobook Market appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-11-23 18:44:09 UTC ]
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Today’s edition of Mystery Daily Deals is sponsored by the audiobook edition of Murder at Black Oaks by Phillip Margolin`the audiobook edition of Murder at Black Oaks by Phillip... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-11-14 15:11:26 UTC ]
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The first time I felt possessed by a fantasy series, I was fifteen. It was 2004, and from my family’s small computer room, I spent the after-dinner hours in a web forum devoted to NC-17 Harry Potter fanfiction. This was the same room where my brother had constructed a secret liquor cabinet from... Continue reading at Electric Literature
[ Electric Literature | 2022-11-01 11:05:00 UTC ]
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Colleen Hoover has the #1 book in the country – and so much more – with 'It Starts with Us.' Plus new celeb memoirs include two by Harry Potter movie alums, and Jen Hatmaker and Phil Rosenthal each feed readers' need for new cookbooks. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-10-28 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Spotify launched its audiobook business just last month with 300,000 titles, but is now saying that Apple is engaging in "anticompetitive" behavior that is impinging the new business, the company wrote in a blog post. It said that Apple rejected its audiobook purchasing system three times due to... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-10-26 07:02:10 UTC ]
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Every Monday through Friday, AudioFile’s editors recommend the best in audiobook listening. We keep our daily episodes short and sweet, with audiobook clips to give you a sample of our featured listens. Golden Voice narrator George Guidall compellingly narrates Craig Johnson’s latest Longmire... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2022-10-24 13:48:59 UTC ]
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The former president warned: "We've already hired the lawyers" to sue the prominent journalist. Continue reading at HuffPost
[ HuffPost | 2022-10-22 01:40:50 UTC ]
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Among issues discussed in audiobook market development: more business models and Spotify's entry with à la carte pricing. The post At Frankfurt: ‘Many Different Approaches for Publishers’ to Audiobooks appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-10-20 23:29:00 UTC ]
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In his memoir 'Beyond the Wand,' Tom Felton shares behind-the-scenes tales from the 'Harry Potter' franchise and chronicles his struggle with alcohol. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2022-10-18 20:19:47 UTC ]
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