|
Why are people so cynical about audio books? Perhaps for the same reason my buddy who worked at the college radio station was so cynical about Kurt Cobain. Nirvana was popular; ergo, their music couldn't be very good. Those sellouts! But, more charitably, it might be that certain book lovers really cherish reading, which is quite distinct from being read to. Someone once said that that the secret to books, as a medium, is that they give you the illusion that you and the author are sharing a private experience. You're alone in your own little space, concentrating and free from distraction, along with someone who has never met you, who might be hundreds or even thousands of years dead, but who is nevertheless speaking to you one to one. Even the person sitting across from you has no idea what you and the author are sharing as you read. And even if you read something as mind-blowingly popular as, say, Pratchett or Wodehouse or Gaiman or Rowling, there are still going to be moments where it will feel as if the author is sharing a private joke directly with you. The medium does that. I suspect that audio books break that illusion for many people. Suddenly a reader, a bunch of Audible.com sound engineers, whoever happens to be within earshot of your car radio, and a potentially huge number of visual distractions (such as cars rolling by on the highway) are packed into that imaginary space along with you and the author. It's kind of like the difference between a quiet dinner for two and your junior prom. This explains why it's often a good selling point to have an audio book read by the author, despite the fact that most authors do not have years of experience as professional book readers. Hearing a book read by its author helps to preserve the illusion of intimate conversation. Though I suspect that the rise of personal media devices -- for personal listening, home recording, and cheap distribution -- are changing the feel of the listening experience. Back in the early days of TV, watching TV probably felt like going to a show -- people did it in groups, with families or in bars, and even the shows on TV were based on vaudeville, theater, and big public events like wrestling matches and baseball games. But in the era of YouTube, you can have a video-watching experience that feels much more intimate, although perhaps never quite as intimate as silent reading. I have to admit that I've liked the few audio books that I've listened to, but I don't seek them out. Given the option, I'd rather read. |