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 ]
A bunch of new tech sales cropped up at the start of the week for things like robot vacuums, game controllers and more, and many of them are still around today. A trio of iRobot devices remain discounted, with the most affordable of the bunch coming in at $179. Some of Amazon's Fire tablets are... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-01-21 16:45:26 UTC ]
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Interviews Weina Dai Randel burst onto the literary scene a number of years ago with her duology about Empress Wu Zetian, China’s first woman leader. After winning the prestigious Rita Award in 2017 and seeing her novels translated into seven... Continue reading at World Literature Today
[ World Literature Today | 2022-01-20 14:33:49 UTC ]
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Today’s edition of SFF Daily Deals is sponsored by the audiobook Cold the Night, Fast the Wolves.`the audiobook Cold the Night, Fast the... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-01-17 14:13:35 UTC ]
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A narrator can make or break the listening experience. Over several related novels, they can become friend (or foe). Continue reading at The Washington Post
[ The Washington Post | 2022-01-16 13:00:49 UTC ]
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This week brought deals on Apple devices, gaming gear and more. The Mac Mini M1 remains on sale for $600 while the 3rd-generation AirPods are back down to a record low of $140. Nintendo's Ring Fit Adventure is back in stock and $25 off, while you can still get a one-year Switch Online family... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-01-14 16:45:01 UTC ]
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If you’re looking for a great LGBTQIA+ audiobook to listen to in the first half of 2022, here are 12 recommendations. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-01-13 11:38:00 UTC ]
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Manchester University Press (MUP) has launched an audiobook pilot programme, following claims students with 'screen fatigue' are increasingly turning to the format. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-13 00:08:43 UTC ]
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Your first audiobook of the year sets the tone for the rest of the reading year. So how do you make sure to pick the right one? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-01-11 11:30:00 UTC ]
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Today’s edition of SFF Daily Deals is sponsored by the audiobook edition of The Starless Crown. `the audiobook edition of The Starless... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2022-01-10 13:52:42 UTC ]
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Storytel reports good momentum for its audiobook and ebook streaming services in Poland, Russia, and Turkey—and less so in the Netherlands. The post Sweden’s Storytel Cites a 20-Percent Gain in 2021 over 2020 appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2022-01-10 12:45:40 UTC ]
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Filippo Bernardini is accused of stealing manuscripts. For money or just a good read?The theft of books occupies a complex place in our moral judgment, depending on motive. In Markus Zusak’s 2005 novel The Book Thief, the actions of the title character are heroic – she steals books to save them... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2022-01-09 09:30:16 UTC ]
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RBmedia has entered the German audiobook market using a two-step approach: forming RBmedia Verlag and acquiring German audiobook publisher ABOD to supply titles to the new unit. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2022-01-06 05:00:00 UTC ]
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A new unabridged audiobook of James Hilton’s Goodbye Mr Chips (Hodder & Stoughton) will be narrated by actor Robert Bathurst. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-05 18:00:24 UTC ]
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Audiobook giant RBmedia has acquired leading German publisher ABOD and is making it's first foray into the German-language market under the new brand RBmedia Verlag. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2022-01-05 13:45:12 UTC ]
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Regardless of how 2021 went for you, 2022 is another chance for all of us to make the new year better than those that came before it. We set New Year’s resolutions with the best of intentions, but it’s no wonder that so many people fail after just a few weeks – old habits die hard. Just as it’s... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2022-01-01 14:34:42 UTC ]
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Dolly Parton will headline the audiobook cast of her debut novel Run Rose Run (Century) along with singer and songwriter Kelsea Ballerini in the role of protégée to Parton’s character. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-21 02:34:41 UTC ]
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Clemency Burton-Hill’s audiobook of Another Year of Wonder (Headline Home) will be narrated by Academy Award winner Eddie Redmayne, with an introduction from Elizabeth Day. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2021-12-20 14:20:56 UTC ]
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It was a chance to finally get around to Tolstoy or Proust, but the charts tell a different story. Which books did we actually turn to in the lockdowns? • Let us know in the comments what you were reading Back in spring 2020, when it became clear that coronavirus wasn’t going away, book lovers... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-12-11 09:00:06 UTC ]
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Apparently, J.K. Rowling’s bruised reputation has not lowered the value of her books. Yesterday, a rare first edition of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone sold at auction for $471,000, which Heritage Auctions says is “the highest price ever paid for the boy wizard’s debut... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2021-12-10 18:27:50 UTC ]
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Alongside Richard Osman and JK Rowling, figures show huge successes for relative unknowns Ellery Adams and Brenda ChapmanThe UK’s library users are widely seen as a traditional bunch when it comes to choosing their next read, but while Richard Osman might have topped the list of the year’s... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2021-12-08 16:34:37 UTC ]
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