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 ]
Welcome to the shiny new version of Best of Book Riot! Who doesn’t love a glow-up? 💔 Nobel Prize-winning author ... Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-05-15 15:31:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this
How many of these free audiobook sources have you tried, and which ones are your favorite? Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-05-15 10:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
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... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-05-10 17:25:03 UTC ]
More news stories like this
HarperCollins eked out only a small profit in its latest quarter, with a 14% increase in digital audiobook sales insufficient in offsetting softer sales to Walmart and Costco and slowing sales of romance books and children's books. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-05-09 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audiobooks are fast becoming ‘a major route to market for consumers of books’, the trade body saysThe number of UK audiobook downloads increased by 17% between 2022 and 2023, according to new data from the Publishers Association (PA).Revenue from audiobooks rose 24% across the same period to... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-05-07 15:28:43 UTC ]
More news stories like this
'Blood at the Root,' LaDarrion Williams' first novel in a three-book deal — a series that centers on a Black boy in a YA fantasy saga — is the kind of fiction he wishes existed when he was a kid. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2024-05-03 10:00:51 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audible is testing a cheaper subscription tier in Australia that sounds like an answer to Spotify’s audiobook push. Like the more expensive plan, the new Standard membership gives you one free title per month. But, similar to gaming services like PlayStation Plus, you lose access to the books... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-05-02 19:13:47 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Audio platform Spotify made its first appearance at NewFronts week on Wednesday evening, part of a larger bid from the streaming platform to attract advertising to its growing inventory of digital video. While Spotify remains predominantly a music, podcast and audiobook... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2024-05-01 21:11:08 UTC ]
More news stories like this
The books will be released sequentially, starting with Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, with a full cast of yet-to-be-named actors and a ‘groundbreaking new soundscape’New audiobooks of all seven titles in JK Rowling’s Harry Potter series will be released exclusively on Audible in late... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-25 16:37:29 UTC ]
More news stories like this
According to data released by Spotify, users aged 18-34 make up 57% of the platform's audiobook listeners, while television adaptations such as 'Shōgun' and 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' have prompted a surge in demand for specific titles. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-04-19 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
As I was preparing to record the audiobook version of my forthcoming memoir, Other People’s Words, I had some questions: What do five exclamation points in a row sound like? Four question marks? Strings and strings of periods? My publisher, Spiegel and Grau, had booked three marathon recording... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2024-04-16 08:54:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Author’s comments on Monday relating to trans women were posted as new hate crime law came into force in ScotlandComments by JK Rowling that described prominent transgender women activists as “men” will not be recorded as a non-crime hate incident, Police Scotland has said.The Harry Potter... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2024-04-03 19:08:34 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Ebook and digital audiobook use by kindergarten through 12th grade students has exploded in popularity, up 20% since 2022, 286% since 2019. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2024-04-03 14:54:32 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Fish swim, birds fly and streaming services increase their prices. That’s (mostly) the way of things. After maintaining the same pricing for Premium for a long time, Spotify looks set to increase it twice within a year in some countries. According to Bloomberg, Spotify Premium will be around $1... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-04-03 14:30:13 UTC ]
More news stories like this
As Bologna Book Plus prepares to stage its first Audio Forum, Spotify's audiobook catalogue jumps from 200,000 t0 250,000 titles. The post Spotify Expands Its Premium Audiobooks Offer: Canada, Ireland, New Zealand appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-04-02 20:34:05 UTC ]
More news stories like this
Spotify Premium users in Canada, Ireland and New Zealand will have access to 15 hours of monthly audiobook listening at no extra cost starting on April 9. Subscribers in the US, UK and Australia have had access to this perk for several months. The Premium audiobook catalog now includes more than... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-04-02 18:24:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this
OpenAI just announced that it recently conducted a small-scale preview of a new tool called Voice Engine. This is a voice cloning technology that can mimic any speaker by analyzing a 15-second audio sample. The company says it generates “natural-sounding speech” with “emotive and realistic... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-03-29 19:03:56 UTC ]
More news stories like this
'One hour of listening to an audiobook on Storytel emits 2.3 grams of CO2e,' the Swedish subscription streamer today reports. The post Storytel’s 2023 Report: The Sound of Sustainability appeared first on Publishing Perspectives. Continue reading at Publishing Perspectives
[ Publishing Perspectives | 2024-03-28 21:37:15 UTC ]
More news stories like this
A shift of focus on libraries to retail channels and an aggressive acquisition of new titles—including, recently, works by John LeCarré and Jon Fosse—led to nearly $30 million in revenue in 2023, a 39% jump for the Ohio-based audiobook publisher. Continue reading at Publishers Weekly
[ Publishers Weekly | 2024-03-21 04:00:00 UTC ]
More news stories like this
There’s nothing quite like getting into the zone during a run, and for many of us, the right soundtrack is a requirement. Whether you need classic rock, reggaeton or an immersive audiobook to properly settle into your morning jog, you’ll get the best listening experience with a good pair of... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2024-03-20 12:00:44 UTC ]
More news stories like this