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 ]
Director Alfonso Cuaron is deep in talks to direct a new film based on JK Rowling's Fantastic... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-05-21 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The tournament is currently down to 16 contenders, with everyone from Ron Weasley of 'Harry Potter' fame to Winnie the Pooh's friend Piglet still in the running. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-03-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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JK Rowling, Philip Pullman, Jeanette Winterson and tens of other authors have signed a... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2014-03-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Specs Who Albert Tsai Age 9 Accomplishments Stars as Bert on ABC’s Trophy Wife (Tuesdays at 9:30/8:30c) Base Los Angeles I’ve read that you take all of your classes online. What’s that like? Yeah, I’m homeschooled. When I’m on set, there’s a studio teacher who helps me with my work. I like it,... Continue reading at AdWeek
[ AdWeek | 2014-03-17 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Olivia Colman and Jodie Whittaker hailed for ITV crime drama, while Channel 4 receives more nods than any other broadcasterITV's murder mystery drama Broadchurch is leading the field in the Royal Television Society Programme Awards nominations with a quartet of nods.With 19 nominations, Channel... Continue reading at The Guardian
[ The Guardian | 2014-03-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reports from the UK suggest that JK Rowling has committed to a seven-book series, although her American publisher says the story is 'without foundation.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Reports from the UK suggest that JK Rowling has committed to a seven-book series, although her American publisher says the story is 'without foundation.' Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-02-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In an interview conducted by 'Potter' actress Emma Watson, Rowling said she's wondered whether she should have paired two of the characters, Ron and Hermione, romantically. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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In an interview conducted by 'Potter' actress Emma Watson, Rowling said she's wondered whether she should have paired two of the characters, Ron and Hermione, romantically. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-02-04 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new section of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios is expected to represent the Diagon Alley shopping area frequented by the wizarding world in the books. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The new section of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios is expected to represent the Diagon Alley shopping area frequented by the wizarding world in the books. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2014-01-29 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Wikipedia. It's one of the cornerstones of the internet. It's a global resource which has quite a reputation and has spawned numerous copycats and offshoots; the latest addition to the wiki canon is the Wikipedia Voice Intro Project (or WikiVIP). As you may have guessed from the name, this is a... Continue reading at Betanews
[ Betanews | 2014-01-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The release of the latest Hunger Games film, backlist titles such as Harry Potter and success... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-12-19 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Sprout Pictures, the independent film and TV company run by Stephen Fry, has optioned James... Continue reading at The Bookseller
[ The Bookseller | 2013-11-28 00:00:00 UTC ]
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The group Improv Everywhere sent an 11-year-old dressed as Harry Potter to Penn Station to ask commuters and workers where he could find Platform 9 3/4. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-11-27 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone is named the 'nation's favourite' children's book in a vote by reading charity Booktrust. Continue reading at BBC News
[ BBC News | 2013-11-25 00:00:00 UTC ]
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A recipe for butterbeer, a beverage beloved by 'Harry Potter' characters,' is making the rounds and fans say you can order one at Starbucks locations. Continue reading at The Christian Science Monitor
[ The Christian Science Monitor | 2013-11-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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Rowling wrote her book, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone," when she was a single mother, receiving government benefits. She's now asking the government to step up support for Britain's poor.Without help from the British government, there might never have been a Harry Potter. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-18 00:00:00 UTC ]
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J.K. Rowling will write a screenplay for Warner Bros. inspired by her book "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them."Warner Bros. is hoping "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling has another magic trick up her sleeve. Continue reading at Los Angeles Times
[ Los Angeles Times | 2013-09-13 00:00:00 UTC ]
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