Poor beleaguered print books.
I came across a report at the end of December that print books were making a recovery. E-book sales have leveled off, even dropped a little, and sales of print books were having a little rebound. Huzzah!
The tech evangelists predicted the ebook market would eventually be 50 to 60 percent of books sales. Of course one could say these were tech people making these predictions, not actual readers so what did they know anyway? It appears they were waaaayyyy off because ebook sales are pretty much staying steady at around 25 percent of the market.
But just as I begin to breathe a sigh of relief, I come across another article talking about a new threat to print books: audiobooks!
Say what?
Oh yes, MarketWatch is all about audiobooks as the future of reading. They even have a bold header stating “Audiobooks have begun to outsell print.” They go on to toss out some numbers, audiobook sales totaled $1.5 billion last year. Spewing dollar amounts doesn’t really tell you anything really. Audiobooks are expensive, sometimes they cost a lot more than the print books. For instance a paperback copy of the first Harry Potter book can be had at Barnes and Noble for $6.76 but the audiobook costs $28.66! So don’t tell me dollars, tell me how many actual audiobooks were sold. They don’t of course.
What they do is provide examples of titles where the audiobook outsold the print book. We have a debut spy thriller, some supernatural romance novels, a business book. Based on these and the popularity of audible.com, the trend watchers have declared that audiobooks are the future of books.
Oy. I wonder how long this will last before someone else declares the real threat to print books is billboards or bumper stickers or some other crazy format. It’s all starting to sound like The Perils of Pauline with print books tied up on a railroad track. Or maybe it’s more like the boy who cried wolf?
Whatever the case, I’m not worried. Print books are not yet gasping their last breath.
I’ve never like audiobooks because it’s impossible for me to type or write the memorable passages in the book that I want to save. And whenever I’ve listened to one, I have uniformly found the readers rather dull and uninvolved.
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Richard, I’m not an audiobook fan either. They are great for long car trips but I can’t even remember the last time I even took one of those! Even then I find I often lose the thread the of the story while I am staring off out the window or start talking to my husband. And yes, a good reader is very important!
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Anyone who believes the print book is dying has not seen my bulging bookcases!
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heh roughghosts, I suspect many of us can say the same! 🙂
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I continue to cheer for print books! Up with print books!
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Jenny, hooray! 😀
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I used to worry about this endlessly, but it seems as though people still have a a place in their hearts for print books.
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Ocean Bream, yeah, I don’t think we really have anything to worry about 🙂
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I second Rough Ghosts (but of course, speaking only for myself, my bookshelves may not be quite normal).
I’m a bit sceptical about the audiobook marketers’ claim.
I used to listen to audio books on the daily commute, but since my retirement none of my journeys are long enough for that. I never listen to audiobooks around the house. I find that they inhibit conversation with The Spouse. I think that if you care about the other human beings in your life, blocking them out with earphones for long periods of time is not a very friendly way to behave.
I see many people plugged into earphones as they jog, walk the dog, take the train, whatever, but who knows what they’re listening to?
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Lisa, I agree that audiobooks are great in the car but out of the car I find too many distractions and, yup, they inhibit conversation. Plus I find that if the book is beyond a certain level of complexity, I can’t follow it. I also find I have limited recall when it comes to audiobooks. So yeah, very skeptical about marketing claims!
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Yay for Books in print! Audiobooks is not even books really, they are listening to a play….Reading involves visual actions and interactions with your imaginations as to what one speaks and says…audio books are really commentaries and with already managed voice modulations, even your imagination is restricted!
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I actually like audiobooks and can understand their popularity a lot more than I ever could the Kindle. Still not going to replace the print book experience. I suppose retro boosting is a little less irritating than the technoevangelist kind!
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Ian, my husband likes audiobooks too but like you, they are not going to replace print books. But you’re right, it is much better than the technoevangelists!
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cirtnecce, I count audiobooks as “real” books, just a different format, but if you want to talk about prone to distractions? Unless I am locked in a car on a long road trip I have a hard time paying attention and even in the car I often drift away!
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As a profoundly Deaf person, I hope that audiobooks do not become toooo popular.
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purplemoon, ah, yes, that makes a big difference. I am sure we don;t have to worry about audiobooks becoming so popular they threaten print. It’s just more hyperbole from trend watchers who like to say print is dead 🙂
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Though I love Ebooks I do not want to see print books go away
I think that audiobooks only work for relatively accessible works. I find them impossible for certain types of writing.
I believe that Charles Dickens once said something to the effect that his works were best enjoyed read aloud. Thus I think that his works are perfect for audiobooks.
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Brian Joseph, I agree with you regarding audiobooks. There are some kinds od books that work well in the format and others that are pretty near impossible. I think you are right about Dickens being good for listening. Someone like Henry James though? Not a good audio candidate!
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The saga continues! 🙂 I’m not sure I buy that about audio books, though I have noticed that Amazon is making a push for them (but then they do own Audible…). I think now for a slightly additional fee you can get the audio version along with your Kindle version. They are totally milking consumers if you ask me. I want to like audio books, but I have pretty much given up on them. For now anyway….
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Danielle, ha! You got that right! Amazon own Audible? I had no idea! Bookman likes audiobooks but only in the car and he borrows from the library since our car is old and only has a CD player in it. I’ve tried audiobooks in various situations and they just don’t work for me, I tend to drift and also I get bored.
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I tried, too. I have had a few success stories–some really good ones–I tend to like more radio dramatizations. If I am outside walking that is about the only time I really like them. And it depends also on if there is a good reader–if not it is all spoiled for me. And then there are some books I would never listen to–it isn’t properly a matter then of having ‘read’ a book. I am quirky when it comes to audio, but I think I will by and large stick to just plain old books! 🙂 (And I sometimes think Amazon owns everything–a little scary…).
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A good reader is imperative! I think for some books audio goes far too fast. You want to be able to stop and dwell on things and reread or just read really slowly and audio can’t accommodate that.
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I completely agree. It’s hard to know the right numbers, because my audible subscription offered me an exchange on any audio book I didn’t enjoy. If you have a picky customer, you could get through dozens of books while only paying for a small handful of them! I think, like you, that print is here to stay, and that books will remain multimedia, just as it has always been.
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Litlove, audible lets you exchange? Wow, I wonder how many people are gaming the system on that one?
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I quite enjoy an audiobook of a novel I have already read and want to revisit, especially if it is narrated by one of my favourite readers. However, I find that they are no use whatsoever if I need a book for discussion purposes. There is no way of lingering over an important passage or going back to find lines that you hadn’t realised at the time were going to be of vital importance. And, as you say, there is the price. Prohibitive where I’m concerned.
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Alex, a good reader is imperative, isn’t it? I agree with you on audio being no good for books you plan on discussing or even blogging about. The format has too many hard to overcome limitations to ever outsell print.
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There have been so many “death knells” sounded for the printed book: television, video games, Netflix, ebooks – all were supposed to be harbingers of doom. Like political pundits, however, they are often proved wrong. I like audiobooks for the car and usually have one going (right know, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix). It’s either got to be a book I’ve already read or something like an Agatha Christie, however. Definitely not suitable for, let’s say, Virginia Woolf or John Banville. Although I did listen to Never Let Me Go on audio and loved it anyway.
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Grad, yes, I suspect that now ebooks are clearly not the threat people projected they would be those same doomsayers had to latch on to something else. I guess we just have to get used to the print book always being in danger from something even though it really isn’t. Oh goodness, I would never listen to a Woolf book! I would be lost in an instant.
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I love audio books (borrowed from the library) for my commute, but it’s rather short, so it takes me a long time to get through one. But I find that I’m much less stressed on my drive with an audio book than music! Go figure.
Anyway, I don’t think print books are going anywhere anytime soon. If vinyl record albums can make a big comeback, print books should be here to stay, don’tcha think?
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Laila, Bookman does the same thing with audiobooks! Borrows older ones from the library because his commute is only 10-15 minutes but he hates listening to the radio. And good point, if vinyl records are still around, print is not about to go extinct!
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You hit the nail squarely on its head…price. No way should they be using dollar totals as a yardstick, especially a yardstick used to make a prediction that print is on the way out. No way.
I do “read” the occasional audiobook, but that’s only in the car when I’m driving alone. I have a Val McDermid mystery going right now, in fact, that will take me at least two or three weeks to finish (12 discs in total).
I think print books have made a healthy comeback and that they will continue to dominate the book market for a long time to come…sure hope so, anyway.
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Sam, my husband listens to audiobooks too but only in the car and only when alone. He borrows them from the library because they are so pricey. Books have made a nice comeback in general and yeah, I am sure too they will be just fine for a long time.
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I’m not worried either – and good for you for picking up poor use of statistics.
I’m not an audiobook user either, except on car trips. I hadn’t listened to an audiobook for a few years in fact as on recent trips I’ve been watching the scenery, looking at my iPad, talking to Mr Gums, or just enjoying some peace. But we do have some audiobooks here – mostly ones I gave my ma-in-law when her sights started failing so we’ve been listening to them on recent drives. But I do want to make notes. When we’re listening and he’s driving I make notes on my iPad but if I’m driving I can’t make notes so it’s a very uneven record I’m making! The reader makes a big difference too.
The English writer Will Self was rather funny on a book discussion show here last year. One panel member talked about “reading” an audiobook, and another talked about graphic novels. He wondered whether he was talking to grown-ups or not! Then they laughed back at him because he said he reads his books on his iPhone! They thought he couldn’t be superior with that record!
Oh, and I’m with Lisa. I don’t go around the house or anywhere with earphones. The only time I use them is on aeroplanes.
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whisperinggums, statistics can be used to gloss over and cover up so many things, can’t they?
I pretty much only listen to audiobooks in the car too and since I take public transit to work every day and haven’t taken any road trips in forever I just don’t listen. I don;t walk around plugged into earphones either. I like to keep track of what is going on around me and if I’m at home I don’t want to cut myself off from Bookman. I’m glad you don;t try to take notes while driving! 😉
That’s a pretty funny story about Will Self. I’m glad the audience called him on it!
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Yes, it’s the cutting off from the people around you if you’re home, or the environment if you’re out walking. Maybe if you were in a group house and needed to “get away” it might be different.
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Yeah, what I wouldn’t have given for earphones when I was living in a dorm in college!
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I am beginning to save some cash from this month, only to buy a bigger bookshelf soon, Stefanie. So, yaaay to ‘real’ books. 😀
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Deepika, heh, you made me laugh 😀
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At my last book group meeting it was interesting that almost all members said they now read pretty much ebooks. And, these are the retired ones which I would have thought they might not enjoy newer technologies as much. Anyway, I think print books are safe and I cannot imagine that audiobooks would over take printed books. I’ve tried to like them and can sort of manage one or two a year but that’s about it.
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Iliana, that’s really interesting! I wonder if it is the instant gratification when buying or that they don’t have to go anywhere to buy the book? Or maybe it’s the ability to increase the font size? Yeah, I can’t imagine print is in any kind of danger from audio. Too many limitations.
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