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Back in 1877 when Thomas Edison set out to create the first ever phonograph, he envisioned that one day, phonographic books (p-books as they would have probably been called nowadays) will come to the aid of the blind. Little did he know back then that he was actually setting the stage for a future prosperous business sector that would not only help the visually impaired, but further address the needs of many others, compliment e-book libraries but also challenge them in revenues. Behold the Audiobook industry. First called “talking books” and later referred to as “books on tape”, given the age of audio cassettes of the 70’s, the official term of ‘audiobooks’ was coined in 1994 by the Audio Publisher Association. Around the same period, the internet was also beginning to pick up momentum (albeit slowly) as the major source of global communication. This was bound to be a match made in heaven. Fast forward 20 years later and we have the emergence of e-book stores. By now, the e-book industry has already rocketed to sky-high proportions. The revenue for downloaded e-books has increased by 41% in 2012 alone and, according to a recent study made by PriceWaterhouseCoopers, it is bound to reach 8.2 billion $ income revenue by 2017, surpassing print book sales. As e-book stores show no signs of slow growth, audiobooks became an additional revenue stream for publishers and authors alike. A recent survey made by the Audio Publishers Association (APA) places the value of the audiobook industry over the 1.2 billion $ mark. A quick glimpse into the APA’s study should bring light into why this industry has become so lucrative and also of the attitudes and behaviors of some of the audiobook consumers. The growing trend of the audiobook industry is reflected in the aforementioned survey as 46% participants admit to have listened to an audiobook at some point, with 24% stating to have listened to an audiobook during the past year. This figures show a steady growth from the 37%, respectively 29%, of a similar survey made back in 2010. The study further points out that audiobooks appeal to well-educated adults aged around 44, whose incomes average around 76.000$ a year. Top reasons respondents have stated for their inclination towards audiobooks reflect the ease and flexibility of use, the relative low prices in relation to other formats and the ease of buying. 62% of respondents have stated that they enjoy listening to audiobooks while driving while another 31% of listeners have praised the fact that they can multitask while ‘reading’ an e-book. Moreover, with the uptick in e-book malls, audiobooks have also seen price-cuts which have further appealed to consumers. The benefits don’t reflect only the consumers’ needs but also the providers. If people come to love your audiobook, they might very well decide to buy a hardcopy or go online to an e-book library and download it. Revenues are bound to increase. Finally, the prices related to recording and distributing an audiobook have drastically decreased during the past years. What the survey and general observations confirm is that audiobooks represent a convenient way for both authors/producers and readers to enjoy the benefits of “reading” while also keeping active and multi-tasking. As peoples lifestyles tend to become more dynamic, audiobooks are responding to consumers’ needs in ever-increasing efficient ways. Mary is a blogger since she started her career in journalism and an e-commerce specialist. Here she shares her review on digital books.For more information please visit -www.download-mall.com
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