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 ]
Editor of The Bookseller Philip Jones will interview former indie publisher turned audiobook pioneer Mark Pearson at the Frankfurt Book Fair, ahead of the announcement of the shortlists for this year’s FutureBook Awards. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-16 14:44:34 UTC ]
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The audiobook version of “Catch and Kill” features first-rate reporting and some wince-worthy character work. (You do NOT want to hear him do Trump’s voice.) What: The least necessary vocal inflection in recent memory.Read Full Story Continue reading at Fast Company
[ Fast Company | 2019-10-16 14:20:58 UTC ]
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Everything is a subscription service nowadays, so frankly it's a surprise it's taken so long for the Harry Potter franchise to get in on the action, but that it has, in the form of Wizarding World Gold. The 12-month sub includes a whole bunch of magi... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2019-10-16 10:01:00 UTC ]
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The Swedish Company is leading a booming digital audiobook subscription market in Europe. But is the digital subscription business sustainable for publishers? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-10-16 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Are you more of a bookish Hermione or a headstrong Fleur? Maybe even a bold Ginny Weasley? Find out your witchy counterpart in this Harry Potter witch quiz! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-10-15 10:39:30 UTC ]
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The Edmund Kemper, audiobook narrator story is sensational. The work of The Blind Project, though, is vital, important, and worth knowing. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-10-14 10:35:39 UTC ]
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An awesome daily roundup of the most interesting bookish links from around the web. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-10-13 10:30:06 UTC ]
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Visiting Times Square at night can be a pretty overwhelming experience, in part because of the visual chaos of so many massive digital ads vying for your attention. But would it be even more overwhelming if all the ads came together to tell one immersive story? The producers of Broadway's Harry... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2019-10-10 20:54:51 UTC ]
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Revelo persona! Find out which of nine awesome and magical Harry Potter characters you are with this Harry Potter Enneagram quiz. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-10-09 10:34:01 UTC ]
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Exclusive research into the growing audiobook market conducted by Harris Interactive is to presented at FutureBook Live 2019, The Bookseller's publishing conference. The study, along with panels on audiobook recording, commissioning, new technology, retailing, and podcasting will form the basis... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-06 08:41:01 UTC ]
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Actor Anthony Daniels, famed for his role as C-3PO in the “Star Wars” films is reading the audio version of his autobiography – which will also see director J J Abrams narrate his foreword. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-04 15:22:38 UTC ]
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Wizarding World Digital has launched with the Official Harry Potter Fan Club through its first app, a Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts mobile companion, and a new, interactive Wizarding World website. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-10-01 17:45:18 UTC ]
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A federal judge is set to weigh in on whether the controversial audiobook program amounts to copyright infringement—and publishers are feeling good about their chances. But should they? Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-09-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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In a survey of 1,502 American adults conducted from January 8 to February 7 this year, Pew found that 20% of adults listened to an audiobook in the 12 months prior to the time the survey was conducted. In 2011, only 11% of adults said they listened to an audiobook. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2019-09-27 04:00:00 UTC ]
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Warner Bros. Entertainment has leased a large Flatiron District retail space at 935 Broadway for a Harry Potter-themed exhibit that will allow fans to experience the enchanted world of the... To view the full story, click the title link. Continue reading at Crains New York
[ Crains New York | 2019-09-23 17:24:39 UTC ]
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Take this Triwizard champion quiz to find out which of the competitors from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-09-20 10:36:45 UTC ]
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Dark as the Harry Potter books may get, you can always count on a Weasley for a laugh. Here are some of the Weasley siblings' funniest moments. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2019-09-19 10:38:47 UTC ]
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Audials AG has released Audials One 2020, a major new version of its comprehensive stream capture suite. The suite brings together all the tools available separately in three other products: Audials Music 2020 (music and audiobook recording), Audials Movie 2020 (video streams) and Audials Radio... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2019-09-16 13:08:51 UTC ]
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Bonnier Books UK will feature recordings of convicted killers in an audiobook of true crime bestseller Talking with Serial Killers: The World’s Most Evil. Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2019-09-11 20:04:55 UTC ]
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We've seen people turn neural networks to almost everything from drafting pickup lines to a new Harry Potter chapter, but it turns out classic text adventure games may be one of the best fits for AI yet. This latest glimpse into what artificial intel... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2019-09-11 19:39:00 UTC ]
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