Audiobook

Audiobook, audio recording of a person reading a book, story, or other written text. People can listen to audiobooks on cassette or compact disc; they can also access them through the Internet by downloading audio programs to their computers. In any form, audiobooks can be abridged (in which some of the original text is removed to save time) or unabridged (in which the original text is recorded in its entirety). People use audiobooks in a variety of ways. Visually impaired individuals can listen to them to gain access to literary works. People who spend a great deal of time driving can play an audiobook while in the car. And audiobooks can make learning a language easier because they allow students to hear words being pronounced.

General fiction, including novels and short stories, makes up a large portion of the audiobook market. Also popular as audiobooks are works of genre fiction, such as children’s literature, mystery stories, romance novels, and horror tales. Nonfiction available on audiobooks includes religious texts, self-help books, business guides, instruction manuals, and language guides.

The process of producing an audiobook begins with securing the rights to create the recording. Sometimes the company that published the printed book also manufactures the audiobook. But the original publisher can also sell the audiobook rights to another company instead. Once the rights are secured, a producer decides if the audiobook will be abridged or not. The company usually consults the author when a text is being abridged so that his or her approval of the abridgment can be printed on the back cover of the audiobook.

The producer then hires a narrator, who must be able to read the text clearly and without mispronunciations. Some producers hire famous actors to narrate, but not all motion-picture or television stars are skilled at giving sustained readings. On some projects authors may read their own works, and occasionally an author will have the original contract with the publisher state that he or she will narrate the audiobook. However, most producers prefer to use professional voiceover artists—people who read for radio or television on a regular basis.

During the recording process the narrator sits in a soundproof recording studio and reads into a microphone that is shielded by a windscreen. The windscreen helps eliminate noise that does not belong in the reading, such as the sound of the narrator breathing. In another studio, the producer and an engineer record the reading on digital audiotape (DAT). Throughout the recording process the producer works with the narrator on the tone and style of the reading, rerecording segments when necessary. Meanwhile, the engineer edits the DAT from a sound-editing console, listening for the sound of the pages turning or errors in the reading. The engineer stops the recording whenever excess noise or mistakes in narration compromise the quality of the recording. After the narration is completed, music and other sound effects may be added to enhance the recording, especially for transitions from one part of the book to another. The reading is then mass-produced on cassette, compact disc, or both.

In 1934 the Library of Congress produced the first audiobook. Private companies have created and marketed audiobooks since the 1950s. They were originally sold to the general public primarily via direct-mail catalogs. Now bookstores, discount stores, specialty stores such as truck stops and museums, and sites on the Internet offer audiobooks for sale. Many consumers rent audiobooks rather than buy them, and several national audiobook rental chains have started business. Libraries also make audiobooks available to their patrons.

The growth of the audiobook industry was slow until the 1990s, when audiobooks gained greater recognition and status within the publishing industry. Audiobooks even have an annual awards ceremony—the Audie Awards—which recognizes excellence in the audio publishing industry.