I also read a lot so these aren’t exclusive activities. Sometimes I even read the book and listen to the book at different times. Audible syncs up pretty nicely.
I also listen to some material at 1.5x or 2x.
Since my words/min while I'm driving or at the gym is 0 for reading and 150 words/min (I listen at 1.25x or 1.5x), this makes complete sense to me.
> Anyway If you can't innovate litigate.
They are literally suing because Amazon is recreating the text versions of the audiobooks. Text was invented 5000 years ago. The only innovation is HOW Amazon is recreating text versions of the orignal books.
Sounds like an innovation to me. When Amazon is going to do text-to-speech on normal books they are even going to put more pressure on the publishing business.
But I'm pretty sure you understood my original point.
It is ridiculous to expect people to pay the same price for a digital book as the printed version.
The distribution costs are not only a fraction, the business risk in publishing was originally ending up with an obsolete stock of books.
Publishers are profiting as much as Amazon from these new printing presses.
Sounds like an industry with a business model begging for disruption.
Would be awesome if I was able to actually lend out ebooks to friends with a similar restriction as with a physical book.
That's innovation, adding value to the customers experience and securing business survival.
In other words, the idea that digital books should cost significantly less than a printed book doesn't account that digital books require similar amounts of effort and labor, plus additional formatting labor.
"Sounds like an industry with a business model begging for disruption."
This already exists in the form of wattpad and other self-publishing mediums. There are plenty of authors who make a living off of these mediums. But it's a different ball game and requires someone to manage their author career like a business, not as a traditional writer. (hiring an editor, a cover-producer, and doing one's own marketing) Thus, it's not really something that authors are generally enamored by.
As an example of the value of audio books: several years ago I read James Joyce’s “Ulysses” and I did not totally follow the story. The language he used is interesting. A year later I bought the audio book, narrated by four or five excellent actors, and even with the strange language, the story really came to life for me.
I also like to listen to audio books while walking.
BTW, I try to buy books on different platforms so if, for example, I lost my Amazon account, then my entire library would not go away.
Nuances in the dialog can really change how you perceive a character.
Sex being a good example.
It's important to remember that just because you don't understand something doesn't mean it doesn't have merits, or other people won't understand it either.
That being said I prefer books too, and I'm a slow reader by design (I've discovered the slower I go the more I enjoy the journey)
Also, they work great for a commute.
Sometimes when I'm working offsite I have a long commute by hired car or train. Reading on a moving, bumping vehicle makes me feel really nauseous after about 20 minutes, so it's a no-no for me.
So, I find audio books great for commutes/land-based travel.
Back when I used to exercise, I enjoyed listening to audio books too.
Also, a good narrator can really bring books to life - it's a totally different experience than reading.
Using otherwise dead time multiplies my 'reading' time.