SOS: Serious Overload of Series discussion

The Wall Street Journal's article, "The New Explosion in Audio Books", discusses the increased interest in audiobooks.

Interesting bits:
* The digital revolution may have dealt a heavy blow to print, but it is boosting literacy in other unexpected ways by fueling the explosive growth of audio books.

* Sales have jumped by double digits in recent years. Shifts in digital technology have broadened the pool of potential listeners to include anyone with a smartphone.

* Using the Netflix model, some audio book producers have even started experimenting with original works written exclusively as audio productions, ranging from full-cast dramatizations in the style of old school radio plays, complete with music and sound effects, to young adult novels, thrillers and multipart science fiction epics.

How awesome! I would definitely be interested in something like that. I'll have to check out WWZ.

* "It's one of the few times in history that technology has reinvigorated an art form rather than crushing it," said Max Brooks, author of the zombie novel "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War," which was released in May ahead of the Brad Pitt movie in an elaborate new audio edition with 40 cast members, including Alan Alda, John Turturro, and Martin Scorsese. It sold 60,000 CDs and digital-audio copies. "Now, because there is such demand and the production value is so inexpensive, it opens the door for more creative storytelling." he said.

* eBook / audio narration
Digital innovation isn't just changing the way audio books are created, packaged and sold. It's starting to reshape the way readers consume literature, creating a new breed of literary omnivores who see narrated books and text as interchangeable. Last year, the audio book producer and retailer Audible unveiled a long-awaited syncing feature that allows book lovers to switch seamlessly between an e-book and a digital audio book, picking up the story at precisely the same sentence.

So far, Audible, which is owned by Amazon, has paired some 26,000 ebooks with professional narrations. The company is adding more than 1,000 titles a month and aims to eventually bring the number to close to 100,000.

* Audio books have ballooned into a $1.2 billion industry, up from $480 million in retail sales in 1997. Unit sales of downloaded audio books grew by nearly 30% in 2011 compared with 2010, according to the Audio Publishers Association. Now they can be downloaded onto smartphones with the tap of a finger, often for the price of an e-book.

* The rapid rise of audio books has prompted some hand- wringing about how we consume literature. Print purists doubt that listening to a book while multitasking delivers the same experience as sitting down and silently reading. Scientific studies have repeatedly shown that for competent readers, there is virtually no difference between listening to a story and reading it. The format has little bearing on a reader's ability to understand and remember a text. Some scholars argue that listening to a text might even improve understanding, especially for difficult works like Shakespeare, where a narrator's interpretation of the text can help convey the meaning.

Sometimes I get more from an audiobook than a written book because it's easier (either intentionally or accidentally) to skim when reading than listening. Whenever I feel like I didn't "get" what was read to me, I just rewind a bit, similar to what I'd do when reading.

What about you? Do you feel you retain more when you read or someone reads to you?

This is a small snippet of bits from the article, so be sure to read it in its entirety, if it's something you're interested in.

Interesting article and video! As a fan of multitasking I discovered audiobooks years ago and have listened to hundreds of them.

Many times, especially if it's been a while since I've gone through a book, I can't remember if I'd read or listened to it, proving the article's claim - "Scientific studies have repeatedly shown that for competent readers, there is virtually no difference between listening to a story and reading it."

Sometimes the narration ruins a book for me, if for example I find a voice or accent annoying, in which case I switch to reading instead. I used to have a problem with slow narrations but I've found a way to speed the audio up so it fits my pace more - problem solved!

Other times the narrator does such an exceptional job that make the experience so much better and the story that much more memorable. I've found that listening to some more "difficult" books makes it easier to get through them, as well.

It definitely is a different experience, especially in cases with multiple narrators and special effects added to the audio book. I think Graphic Audio's tagline sums it up pretty nicely: "A movie in your mind".

An audio book that made an impression was a play that I might have liked had I read it but absolutely loved it because of the audio version - The Importance of Being Earnest. I listened to the LA Theater Works production starring James Marsters, among others, and the actors' interpretations of their roles brought the written word to life, making me feel as if I were in the theater watching them perform! If you haven't listened to it, I highly recommend it!

I listen to audiobooks when I have to do something, such as walking or cleaning, so for me they supplement my reading rather than replacing any print or ebook reading. I think audiobooks are a different experience but no less worthy IMO.

Like a lot of people, I enjoy James Marsters narration (I want to check out The Greyfriar series since he also reads those - though I wonder if I'll like him outside of Dresden). I think being an actor makes a difference and also being good at accents/dialects - he's particularly good at that.

Comparing that to, I think it was either Destined for an Early Grave or This Side of the Grave, I just had to stop. Her interpretation/accent/whatever of Bones was just dreadful. Couldn't go on with it so switched to the book.

I'd definitely be interested in listening to a play (I think Winnie the Pooh was dramatized with Judi Dench narrating and Stephen Fry and other stars). Though if you do get a decent narrator, it's probably not necessary (but probably interesting nevertheless).

Josie wrote: "I think it was either Destined for an Early Grave or This Side of the Grave, I just had to stop. Her interpretation/accent/whatever of Bones was just dreadful. Couldn't go on with it so switched to the book."

I completely agree! The moment she said the first Bones lines I turned it off! The same thing with Strange Angels and Christophe - hated it!

I did The Importance of Being Earnest at school, it was a great play. The various productions I've seen on TV were so-so to great as well. I'd imagine if JM was in/doing it, it would certainly be great :DD

I've just bought a couple of audiobooks cause I couldn't get them any other way for love nor money. Haven't listened to them yet, but really looking forward to them.

The narrator who does Jeaniene Frost really grew on me. At first listen, I hated how she did Bones. However, I ended up loving her interpretation in the end.

Yes, I'm weird. :)

Narration is key for me in my enjoyment of audiobooks. It can make or kill a book for me. I have two shelves that I use on goodreads to track audiobook narration that I loved and audiobook narration that I hated.