Why do publishers decide to record a book?
Not every book can become a good audio book. So how do publishers
choose a book for audio recording?
Audio books have become the most promising sector of modern media
technologies. At present they have formed a gigantic industrial branch
with a turnover of billions of dollars. Millions of people download
audio books to their players or buy CDs with books every day. Once it
was quite different and we have already told you how it started.
Audio books are advantageous for people with poor eyesight and
dyslexia but an ordinary person can also diversify one’s weekdays by
listening to an exciting story while going to work.
An audio book can be invaluable, for example, for a long-distance
truck driver who has to listen to repetitive repertoire of various FM
radio stations which can drive anybody mad, whereas a long arresting
story in an audio book can last for many hours and will not be boring.
But what makes a book a good candidate for audio recording? Why is it
in demand on the market?
First it should be carefully edited and professionally delivered. The
production of audio books is rather costly but at the same time its
price is higher which is profitable both for the writer and the
publisher.
Eddy Jones who works as an editor for Lighthouse Publishing Carolinas
says that they concentrate on popular items: the books with high
circulation and those that are sold well as Amazon electronic books,
having 4-5 star review.
LPC puts its hopes in mystery books with strong women as the main
characters and in political thrillers that target men. This choice has
paid off but at present the company is moving away from fiction and
passing to scientific literature, the interest in which is constantly
growing.
Such decisions are made on carefully studying the market, people’s
interests, various target groups. For example, businessmen prefer
audio books to polygraphic ones because of their lifestyle, besides,
they are more interested in books on marketing and business
development than any love stories.
Tom Corson-Nouls, the founder of TCK Publishing, prefers romance and
books on development because they are easy to sell as distinct from
books for children. He pays great attention to the book format, as
books crammed with pictures, diagrams, visual training programs are
not in line with the audio book format and can hardly make a good
audio book. In this case the book should be changed and abridged.
Jack Jordan, the founder and CEO of Jacquie Jordan Inc says that
their policy is to turn all scientific books into audio books. When
recording texts, they usually invite the book’s author to do it. But
certain books are still voiced by professional voice-talents. In such
cases readers can enjoy the mastery of voice talents voicing audio
books.
