Ebooks and audiobooks are a part of our landscape.
What does the change in medium mean for appeal factors?
One of the most interesting differences pointed out by the articles this week is that genre appeal factors do not necessarily contribute to whether or not the reader will choose an audiobook or ebook. Audiobooks tend to be more dependent upon who is narrating the book. Interestingly enough when I was younger I loved audiobooks and only really liked ones read by female narrators who had a excited sounding voice or who read at a faster pace to make the story go by. I especially loved the Princess Diaries series because of the pace on audio because I was and still am a slow reader. Another appeal with audiobooks is the mobility factor especially with today's downloadable audiobooks. While I personally don't like to listen to audiobooks in the car others do because it helps them relax while driving. Some people even exercise to audiobooks.
Ebooks can have the appeal fact of mobility also. Now that ebooks can be downloaded on smart phone and tablets people can literally take them wherever they take their devices. Devices can add to or take away from the appeal. Kindle Fire tablets tend to be popular among my patrons because they are lightweight and can be used for things other than just reading. Kindles in fact quickly took over the market and made some other ereaders obsolete. I notice that I help less people each year with ebooks and rarely get a patron wanting help with finding a book on their ebook. Usually ebook questions have more to do with what is wrong with the device or why the book won't download.
If you can't hold a book and feel the physical weight of it in your hands, how does that affect your knowledge of the genre?
I think that physical audiobooks have less of an impact on this aspect than ebooks or downloadable audiobooks. Physical audiobooks can still be weighty. Have you ever seen the bible on audiobook? I have seen one that has about 70 discs before. It was actually heavier than most physical bibles I have come across dues to all the discs and it's leather case. Ebooks can distract from knowledge of the genre because their is no physical weight either than the device. When I read an ebook it is usually from my phone and other than the estimated time left to finish the book given by my Kindle app I don't really know how big a book is. The horror stories of Stephen King seem to need the presence of the large book. Lengthy science fiction and fantasy just does not have the same impact in ebook.
How about readers being able to change the font, line spacing, and color of text - how does that affect pacing and tone?
I always make my font larger which seems to make the reading go much faster when I am reading my Sugar Jamison novellas on my ebook, some of which are only available on ebook (much to my dismay). All of these factors can make reading an ebook easier or harder. Most people will choose to make the book easier to read and will usually speed up the pace of the book. One cool feature available on the Kindle app is the dyslexic font which makes it easier for people with dyslexia to read the book. This can help speed up the pace of the book for those who face this challenge.
How about audiobooks? Track length, narrator choice, is there music?
I have not personally experienced an audiobook with music or at least I don't recall. I would think certain sounds and music could help set the tone. Horror just isn't as scary without the creaky door or steps. I prefer track length to go with the chapters of the books it makes it easier to know where you are in the story.
I never really thought about choice of narrator until this week's lesson. It makes sense that the narrator can make or break the book. As mentioned earlier I liked female voices that sounded excited or that read a little more quickly when I listened to audiobooks. The power of the voice is that it can set the tone for the book.
What does the change in medium mean for appeal factors?
One of the most interesting differences pointed out by the articles this week is that genre appeal factors do not necessarily contribute to whether or not the reader will choose an audiobook or ebook. Audiobooks tend to be more dependent upon who is narrating the book. Interestingly enough when I was younger I loved audiobooks and only really liked ones read by female narrators who had a excited sounding voice or who read at a faster pace to make the story go by. I especially loved the Princess Diaries series because of the pace on audio because I was and still am a slow reader. Another appeal with audiobooks is the mobility factor especially with today's downloadable audiobooks. While I personally don't like to listen to audiobooks in the car others do because it helps them relax while driving. Some people even exercise to audiobooks.
Ebooks can have the appeal fact of mobility also. Now that ebooks can be downloaded on smart phone and tablets people can literally take them wherever they take their devices. Devices can add to or take away from the appeal. Kindle Fire tablets tend to be popular among my patrons because they are lightweight and can be used for things other than just reading. Kindles in fact quickly took over the market and made some other ereaders obsolete. I notice that I help less people each year with ebooks and rarely get a patron wanting help with finding a book on their ebook. Usually ebook questions have more to do with what is wrong with the device or why the book won't download.
If you can't hold a book and feel the physical weight of it in your hands, how does that affect your knowledge of the genre?
I think that physical audiobooks have less of an impact on this aspect than ebooks or downloadable audiobooks. Physical audiobooks can still be weighty. Have you ever seen the bible on audiobook? I have seen one that has about 70 discs before. It was actually heavier than most physical bibles I have come across dues to all the discs and it's leather case. Ebooks can distract from knowledge of the genre because their is no physical weight either than the device. When I read an ebook it is usually from my phone and other than the estimated time left to finish the book given by my Kindle app I don't really know how big a book is. The horror stories of Stephen King seem to need the presence of the large book. Lengthy science fiction and fantasy just does not have the same impact in ebook.
How about readers being able to change the font, line spacing, and color of text - how does that affect pacing and tone?
I always make my font larger which seems to make the reading go much faster when I am reading my Sugar Jamison novellas on my ebook, some of which are only available on ebook (much to my dismay). All of these factors can make reading an ebook easier or harder. Most people will choose to make the book easier to read and will usually speed up the pace of the book. One cool feature available on the Kindle app is the dyslexic font which makes it easier for people with dyslexia to read the book. This can help speed up the pace of the book for those who face this challenge.
How about audiobooks? Track length, narrator choice, is there music?
I have not personally experienced an audiobook with music or at least I don't recall. I would think certain sounds and music could help set the tone. Horror just isn't as scary without the creaky door or steps. I prefer track length to go with the chapters of the books it makes it easier to know where you are in the story.
I never really thought about choice of narrator until this week's lesson. It makes sense that the narrator can make or break the book. As mentioned earlier I liked female voices that sounded excited or that read a little more quickly when I listened to audiobooks. The power of the voice is that it can set the tone for the book.
Fantastic prompt response! You hit the nail on the head. Full points!
ReplyDeleteI have only ever listened to one audio book with music. I specifically bought the audio book for that reason because I was using it to teach a 5th grade Bible class. It was a lot of fun to listen to because of the music and dramatic effects.
ReplyDeleteThis is a very thorough response! I always really enjoy little additions to audiobooks. Music can really set the tone, and I listened to one James Patterson book that had multiple narrators and sound effects. I don't care for Patterson, but the sound effects and creepy narrator kept me listening to something that I would not have picked up to read.
ReplyDelete