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 ]
Fifteen years ago, we reported on the publication of the final installment in J.K. Rowling’s megaselling Harry Potter series, which sold 8.3 million copies in the first day after its release. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-29 04:00:00 UTC ]
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The digital publisher Podium Audio has acquired Bookstat, the data subscription service that tracks online book purchases in physical, e-book, and audiobook formats. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-26 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Julia Whelan is one of the most in-demand audiobook narrators working today. With her novel, “Thank You for Listening,” she’s telling a story of her own. Continue reading at The New York Times
[ The New York Times | 2022-07-22 20:12:04 UTC ]
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A full cast of narrators brings an audiobook to life in totally new and unexpected ways. Here are some of the latest you can't miss. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-07-21 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Quidditch, a sport invented by Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, is rebranding as “quadball” amid controversy over the author’s comments. Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-07-20 13:42:04 UTC ]
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If you're new to audiobooks or unsure if they're for you, try a mystery, thriller, or true crime audiobook to get you started. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-07-20 10:32:00 UTC ]
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The best YA book deals of the day, sponsored by the audiobook of Wake the Bones by Elizabeth Kilcoyne. `the audiobook of Wake the Bones by Elizabeth Kilcoyne`https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250855992/wakethebones?utm_source=BookRiot+Hey+YA!+Deals`` Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-07-16 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Finding audiobook narrator jobs for beginners can really be hard especially if you don’t know where to start. Here’s where to find them. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-07-13 10:37:00 UTC ]
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In the wake of the Supreme Court’s June 24 ruling on abortion, Macmillan Audio is publishing an audiobook edition of three key cases. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-12 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Audiobook publisher RBmedia has acquired the audiobook business of Upfront Books and the French company Éditions Thélème. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-07-07 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Text-to-speech automated audiobook narration arrives at Bookwire, amid the company's insistence on its respect for human narration. The post Germany’s Bookwire Now Offers Artificial Narration for Audiobooks appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-06-27 12:12:31 UTC ]
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What makes an audiobook stand out? Is it true that narrators can make or break the story? Some experts offer perspectives. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-06-17 10:36:00 UTC ]
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Spotify has completed its acquisition of digital audiobook distributor Findaway. The Swedish streaming giant has 422 million monthly active users, and will use the Findaway purchase to speed its growth in the audiobook market. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-06-17 04:00:00 UTC ]
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From the best fantasy narrators to YA audiobook narrators, find the best audiobook narrators by genre to narrate your reading! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-06-16 10:35:00 UTC ]
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People who turned to books during Covid lockdowns continuing to buy them, company saysBloomsbury has reported a record year for sales, as the Harry Potter publisher said the increase in reading during the pandemic had become “permanent” after lockdowns eased.The company benefited substantially... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-06-15 08:09:40 UTC ]
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The best YA book deals are sponsored by the audiobook edition of We All Fall Down by Rose Szabo. `the audiobook edition of We All Fall Down by Rose... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-06-11 10:30:00 UTC ]
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Audiobook sales are up for the tenth straight year. Here are the results from a few studies detailing audiobook listener habits. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-06-08 17:45:20 UTC ]
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Whether you’re looking for romance, sci-fi, history, contemporary fiction, or fantasy, these queer narrators have you covered, like Avi Roque in Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-06-08 10:32:00 UTC ]
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Growth in audiobook revenue by genre was led in 2021 by romance, self-help, and science-fiction per the Audio Publishers Association. The post Audio Publishers Association: US Audiobook Revenues Reach $1.6 Billion in 2021 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-06-07 15:41:05 UTC ]
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'We're in a good position,' says Storytel's Yasmina Jraissati, after the audiobook service Storytel's first five years in the region. The post Audiobooks: Storytel’s Yasmina Jraissati on the Format’s Progress in the Arab World appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-06-03 20:27:27 UTC ]
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