Audiobooks, the future Hardback? Ebook + Audiobook Bundles?

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

Audiobooks are pretty good while on a driving trip. But that's about it for me, it's just far easier to just read a book (or e-reader). Too easy to get distracted and miss something

I have about a 40 minute journey to and from work each day, and I make fruitful use of that time by listening to audiobooks - it makes enjoyable use of some 7h a week that would otherwise be wasted. I find, though, that the iPod is a lot better for audiobooks than a book reader - much more storage space, and better navigation.

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I have about a 40 minute journey to and from work each day, and I make fruitful use of that time by listening to audiobooks - it makes enjoyable use of some 7h a week that would otherwise be wasted. I find, though, that the iPod is a lot better for audiobooks than a book reader - much more storage space, and better navigation.

I feel the same way Harry. I listen to ebooks when working here at home or when I am in the mood if at the grocery store or on a walk...though I often prefer the quiet when on a walk. But there is no doubt that my MP3 player is far better to use than my Kindle. Yet in a pinch I have tired out my Kindle a couple times as it was all I had handy. That was how I learned I preferred my MP3 player. I would hardly want to use my Kindle (or other reader with an MP3 function) as a primary player unless at home where I would connect to a power source as well as my wireless stereo headphones but am still more likely to use my MP3 player.

The problem with using the reader is it's size. Just too awkward for me. I would love a player that worked with my Bluetooth stereo headset though, I might use the player feature more often when out and about since no cord would be needed. Yeah one can buy a dongle for the headphone jack but it's just more hardware to carry, more power drain and the cost is not much less than a decent Audible compatible MP3 player, even a Nano if willing to buy a 3rd generation or so version. A couple of the 8GB - 16GB Sandisk players can be had for under US$70 which is worth it for my needs as I am not a music person and use my player only for audiobooks, either Audible or ripped CD's.

For me it's sort of fun to have someone read to me. Even at night I set the timer on my MP3 player and drift off to sleep and of course usually miss 3/4 of what plays before the time turns the player off. hahaha....

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by JeremyR

Audiobooks are pretty good while on a driving trip. But that's about it for me, it's just far easier to just read a book (or e-reader). Too easy to get distracted and miss something

Oh, I have that happen to me all the time. Suddenly I realize my mind was wandering and I missed the past 20mins or more of what was being read...d'oh!! hahahaha...but the nice part is I bookmark where I start the player for that session and just return to that point then fast forward to the last part I remember.

But I think of it as background noise to break the monotony when working or for other activities, even doing the dishes.

And think of it this way, spacing-out during a listen only makes the bundle "better" as parts of the book will be "new" when you read it!

[brecklundin]

Originally Posted by MikeFromHC

I listened to few of them several years ago. Non fiction is OK but I found fiction lacking.
I switched to Old Time Radio shows.
Books are designed to be read and OTR is designed to be listened to.

Hey Mike,

If you like them I would suggest giving newer audiobooks another shot. Today's readers are very professional. I like to use the Harry Potter books as an example. In the UK there is Stephen Fry as the reader and here in the US we have Jim Dale as the reader. Both are different and do a wonderful job of managing voices and such. almost like a one-person OTR...btw, I LOVE OTR which was what pushed me to audiobooks years ago.

Audible has access to some books with superb readers, many such as Ender's Game use multiple readers. Some of the books with a cast of readers are just like OTR these days. True performances rather than dull monotone readers of years gone by. It might be worth a try again if you find a title you think you would enjoy.

A hint though is I stopped spending the time to rip older CD's into MP3's a few years back because with my Audible subscription I will bounce between their various subscriptions all year long depending on how much reading time I will have. But with the subscription the cost stays between $12-$15/title which is usually cheaper than the cost of the DVD's and with the Audible software it lets us, here in the US anyway, burn CD's. If I do have to buy a CD version I always buy used on eBay or a couple times Amazon where you save a TON. And to be honest I likely never would have "read" Harry Potter were it not for the audiobook versions.

I also liked having the Audible version of Spin, Pandora's Star, Shantaram and a few others...oh, Into Africa (about Stanley & Livingston's adventures in Africa) was a wonderful listen the reader is a joy, for me anyway. And Einstein. And as I mentioned I often like to listen to the audiobook version during the day while working, listening to a book I might be currently reading.

Oh, David Ogden Stiers is a surprisingly good reader. He was the reader of the very first exposure I had to an audiobook. It was Tom Clancy's "Clear and Present Danger" and I used to listen to it while on long drives from where I was attending college to home or wherever. But for short drives audiobooks are not that great...

[Steven Lake]

Originally Posted by MikeFromHC

I listened to few of them several years ago. Non fiction is OK but I found fiction lacking.
I switched to Old Time Radio shows.
Books are designed to be read and OTR is designed to be listened to.

That depends on the reader. With some books, the readers make the experience ten times more fun than if you were to read it yourself! Dramatic audio presentations of books also help out by making some books exciting to listen to where they might not be so if they were an audiobook. Case in point. The Left Behind series. The guy who read most of the series did a bangup job and made the experience for me better than reading the book! But when the dramatic audio books came out, they even outdid the audiobook for awesomeness.

Originally Posted by JeremyR

Audiobooks are pretty good while on a driving trip. But that's about it for me, it's just far easier to just read a book (or e-reader). Too easy to get distracted and miss something

Yeah, I use them when I don't have time to read a book. They work well when I'm coding, cooking, cleaning, or any of a variety of other things.

[Andrew H.]

I listen to audiobooks commuting and driving around town, which is about an hour a day; I also use them while cleaning or doing something else tedious. They don't replace reading, but sometimes I have more time for audiobook listening than for actual reading.

And I agree that narrators have become much better since the old "Books on Tape" days - I can often distinguish between 5 or 6 characters just based on the narrator's intonation.

I don't listen to them on my Kindle, though; I use my iPhone, which plugs into my car's stereo.

[Steven Lake]

The reader who did the Belgariad series did such an incredible job. One of the best I've run across in ages. He did unique voices for all 14 main characters in the book, and kept them straight, which is an accomplishment in and of itself. I actually did my own audiobook recording of The Oort Perimeter back before I got it published, and I can tell you that having even 5 unique voices is a challenge. 14 is nearly impossible for all but a few.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by brecklundin

A couple of the 8GB - 16GB Sandisk players can be had for under US$70 which is worth it for my needs as I am not a music person and use my player only for audiobooks, either Audible or ripped CD's.

My preferred audiobook player is a Sansa Clip+. It's highly rated, quite small, and handles Audible, OverDrive WMA, and OverDrive MP3. That covers all my bases. It also has an FM radio, voice recorder, and a mSD card slot.

It's available in three sizes 2GB ($40), 4GB ($50), and 8GB ($70). Amazon and Walmart frequently sell them for up to $10 below retail.

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

My preferred audiobook player is a Sansa Clip+. It's highly rated, quite small, and handles Audible, OverDrive WMA, and OverDrive MP3. That covers all my bases. It also has an FM radio, voice recorder, and a mSD card slot.

It's available in three sizes 2GB ($40), 4GB ($50), and 8GB ($70). Amazon and Walmart frequently sell them for up to $10 below retail.

Another nice feature of the Sansa Clip+ is that they have a slot for a micro SD card so they're expandable. I have 2 of the original Sansa Clips and a 4 GB Clip+, and I use them all pretty much on a daily basis. I actually like the way the controls are set up on the original Clip better than the Clip+, but not because there's anything wrong with the controls on the Clip+, just personal preference, probably more because I've been using that one longer than for any other reason.

[Steven Lake]

tubemonkey, I actually did a review on the Sansa Clip+. It's easily better than the iPod nano in leaps and bounds, despite what the Apple fanboys/cultists think. I've now owned two of them, the first I sorta killed by pure user stupidity. But other than that, it's been top notch and I recommend it to all my friends.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by KarenH

Another nice feature of the Sansa Clip+ is that they have a slot for a micro SD card so they're expandable. I have 2 of the original Sansa Clips and a 4 GB Clip+, and I use them all pretty much on a daily basis. I actually like the way the controls are set up on the original Clip better than the Clip+, but not because there's anything wrong with the controls on the Clip+, just personal preference, probably more because I've been using that one longer than for any other reason.

It's my favorite gadget and one I carry everywhere. I have charging cables scattered all over. House, car, and work.

I got the 4GB version because of the price and keep an 8GB card in it. I have a mix of music, audiobooks, and podcasts on it.

Thinking about getting another one.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Steven Lake

tubemonkey, I actually did a review on the Sansa Clip+. It's easily better than the iPod nano in leaps and bounds, despite what the Apple fanboys/cultists think. I've now owned two of them, the first I sorta killed by pure user stupidity. But other than that, it's been top notch and I recommend it to all my friends.

Cool. I always recommend it too and have had several friends get one as a result. It's the best bang for buck out there and the perfect device for people into audiobooks.

[SeaBookGuy]

I'm an anti-iPodder myself: 8 Gb Cowon D2 (plus SD card). Finally found a device that handles Audible, Overdrive, Netlibrary and CD-ripped books equally well.

[Catlady]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

It's available in three sizes 2GB ($40), 4GB ($50), and 8GB ($70). Amazon and Walmart frequently sell them for up to $10 below retail.

Another place to check is Dell.com/home--earlier this year the 8gb Sansa Clip+ was on sale there for only $40. I bought one from Dell, then got a 16gb micro SD card from Amazon for $25, and now I have plenty of space for music and audio books (but I stick to the public domain recordings from Librivox).

I would be unlikely to purchase an e-book/audio book bundle, but I definitely would buy a e-book/hardcover bundle for a lot of backlist books that have stood the test of time--I'd like to replace some tattered copies of books I love.

[Crowl]

I think the only way I would be interested in any kind of audiobook and ebook bundle would be if the ebook reader could seamlessly switch between your position in the ebook to the same place in the audiobook i.e. you had the benefit of a TTS feature while not losing out on the quality of the narrator.