APRIL 2023 News Roundup

April celebrates audiobooks with awards in New York (Audies) and Scandinavian cities (Storytel). The art of audiobook narration is celebrated in the news this month from author reads, to the meaningful use of the pause, to the dynamics of a masterfully produced multi-cast. Read what disabled listeners have to say about A.I. narrators. Also this month; audiobooks and brain development, advertising in audiobooks, to recipe or not to recipe, new subscription offerings, and additional A.I. considerations.

2023 Audie Awards Return to New York, Celebrate Viola Davis

Professionals from across the audiobook industry dressed to the nines convened at Pier Sixty in Chelsea for the awards ceremony. [Source: publishersweekly.com]

FINDING YOUR “VOICE”: AUTHOR-READ AUDIOBOOKS

The soundscape of contemporary author-read audiobooks is varied and dynamic. [Source: publicbooks.org]

London Book Fair 2023: The Art of the Pause in Audiobooks

The pauses between the notes–ah, that is where the art resides. [Source: publishersweekly.com]

Some runners in the Boston Marathon trained while listening to audiobooks

Listening to someone else sharing their story while running creates an innate sense of intimacy with the reader. [Source: npr.org]

A case for swapping your workout playlist for an audiobook

Listening to audiobooks can have a range of mental health benefits, including enhancing our capacity for self-compassion and empathy. [Source: bodyandsoul.com.au]

To book or audiobook? That is not the question

Reading or listening to a text are distinct experiences and serve different purposes. [Source: english.elpais.com]

Are Audiobooks Bad For A Child's Brain Development?

Both audiobooks and physical books offer benefits for neural and cognitive functioning in children. To support a child's overall development, it's important to expose them to both formats. [Source: scarymommy.com]

PLEASE STOP REMOVING RECIPES FROM AUDIOBOOKS!

Recipes in food memoirs are often plot points and reveal a lot about the writer. [Source: bookriot.com]

Could audiobooks be the next frontier for advertising?

Consider the pros and cons from an array of publishers. [Source: marketingbrew.com]

ABC news considers the growing business of audiobooks

ABC News celebrates audiobooks including behind the scenes with Karissa Vacker at the Macmillan Audio studios. [Source: abcnews.go.com]

FEED YOUR EARPODS

Divine Comedy-Inspired Play Elevated by Stellar Cast in Audiobook

A penetrating perspective on the vital role of personal presence, and the threatening, dehumanizing effect of AI. [Source: booktrib.com]

Listening to audiobooks is about keeping the reading spirit going.

“Whenever I was completing tasks that required me to be moving around and using my hands, I pressed play on an audiobook.” [Source: bookriot.com]

BEYOND ENGLISH LANGUAGE

Storytel Awards surpasses the milestone of 200,000 votes - audiobook fan engagement soaring to record levels

Winner speeches evoked joy and emphasized the vital and increasing role Storytel and audiobooks play in the cultural fabric of the markets they serve. [Source: prnewswire.com]

Startups & new offerings

Kobo’s all-you-can-read subscription coming to the US could challenge Amazon

We’re seeing new competition in the book subscription space. [Source: theverge.com]

In Germany: Bookwire Announces Opening a United States Subsidiary

A clear indication of Bookwire’s goal of building a stronger presence in the US market. [Source: publishingperspectives.com]

A.I.

BETTER THAN NOTHING? EXPLORING THE LIMITATIONS OF AI-NARRATED AUDIOBOOKS FROM A DISABLED PERSON’S PERSPECTIVE

For disabled people to truly have the access to books, audiobooks shouldn’t be stripped of the humanity that narrators bring to their performances. [Source: bookriot.com]

He’s Been Dead for Nearly 10 Years. Now He’s Narrating Your Audiobook.

Apple, Google, and others are embracing new AI technology for recording audio versions of books. [Source: wsj.com]

There is no A.I.

There are ways of controlling the new technology – but first we have to stop mythologizing it. [Source: newyorker.com]

Center for humane technology: The A.I. Dilemma (youtube video)

Tristan Harris and Aza Raskin discuss how existing A.I. capabilities already pose catastrophic risks to a functional society, how A.I. companies are caught in a race to deploy as quickly as possible without adequate safety measures, and what it would mean to upgrade our institutions to a post-A.I. world. [Source: youtube.com]