IS THE FUTURE OF BOOKS IN YOUR EAR?

Print is bruised.  Audio seems to be flourishing.  You never know though.  

I asked my Magic 8 Ball, and all I got were its “Concentrate and ask again” shenanigans.

But things are getting exciting in audio.

 Audible has already churned out 20 original books written specifically for audio, including Metatropolis, a science fiction epic narrated by Star Trek alums, 

and The Chopin Manuscript, a serial thriller by 15 blockbuster authors including Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, and Lisa Scottoline. 

Audible has even commissioned Orson Scott Card to write a new dramatization of his sci-fi classic Ender’s Game with 28 actors! sound effects! music! SEX! (OK, no sex, sigh) 

that Card describes as “not a simple adaptation, it is a new telling of the same story” written in dialogue with ENTIRELY NEW MATERIAL.

How cool is that?

 

(Cover by the genius of Leonora Roy)

{Soon to come to Audio, a SAMPLER of most of my heroes}

 Other writers and publishers are getting into the act, too, producing books that skip print and go straight to audio. 

Take British author David Hewson, who’s written an audio novelization of Macbeth where the bloodthirsty monarch is more, you know, likeable -- sort of a Shakespearean Dexter, 

and an upcoming adaptation of Hamlet featuring a peppy Ophelia and a Hamlet who’s less of a buzzkill. 

 Audiobooks are now being considered “audio entertainment” 

that can hold their own as original works of art; splashy productions with full-cast dramatizations, music, and sound effects. 

Max Brooks, author of World War Z, says “it’s one of the few times in history that technology has reinvigorated an art form rather than crushing it. It opens the door for more creative storytelling.” 

And the audio edition of World War Z is held up as one of the best in the biz — an elaborate production with 40 cast members including Alan Alda, John Turturro, and Martin Scorsese.

Is this progress or going back to the times of Homer 

where the bard spoke his tale in the darkness by the campfire, or Shakespeare writing works of genius to have them played upon the theater floorboards?

There is a lot of commuting to work, pumping on exercise bikes, or jogging while listening to Ipads.

I believe audiobooks may be the wave of the future 

because they allow you to learn and increase your knowledge base without having to sit down and read a book. 

They let you learn while doing other things. And you never know, what you learn might just change your life forever.

 We become what we think about.

What do you think?