Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
Many tradpubs were counting on audio to grow indefinitely to balance out their (intentional) ebook decline. It wasn't going to happen before, and it's not going to happen now. Even after things start to slowly phase back to normality the economies of the world are going to be tight for a while and unemployment high. Price sensitivity is going to be higher than before. (Hence the gains for streaming subscriptions.)
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From my perspective, audiobooks can be put into one three categories of quality:
* LibreVox;
* Library of Congress Talking Books for the Blind;
* GraphicAudio;
LibreVox is pump and dump, except instead of stock, it is audio. Use a screen reader, for all of the excitement that the reader conveys. The audible books I've listened to, are as exciting as the voices that were available for Window Eyes.
I don't know what the Library of Congress does, but even the duds are much more interesting to listen to, than anything from either LibreVox or Audible. Part of it is that voices are matched to the lead character of the book. Part of it is that the readers sound as if they have read the book at least once, prior to recording their reading of it. (Audible readers, as a general rule, only read the book, when they are doing their recording. Which is why they flub so many proper nouns.)
I don't know the history of GraphicAudio, but I'd guess it was started by either a frustrated movie producer, or a Foley Technician. Their sound effects library is a thing to behold in awe and wonder.
All of which is a roundabout way of saying that people with limited budgets won't pay for trash, and most audio books are trash, in terms of the quality of the listening experience.