Audiobooks News

• Audio Books News
• Audio Book Rentals
• Audio Book Downloads
• Audio Book Downloads UK
• Audiobooks at Amazon

Building an Audio Book Library

February 9th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Provide Your Family with a Library of Audio Book Entertainment and Education

An audio book library provides your family with a valuable source of entertainment and education in all forms. The popularity of audio books has increased greatly in the last decade. As many people’s lives have been increasingly filled with commuting and other tasks in which the brain is only partially active they have discovered that they are able to put that time to more beneficial use by listening to an audio book. For people who spend several hours a day commuting to work or driving for a living, an audio book library is of enormous benefit, listening to an audio book will make the time pass more quickly, aid concentration and reduce the feeling of wasted time.

Modern technology means that it’s easy to listen to audiobooks anywhere you can use an MP3 player, CD or cassette tape devices which are affordable to most people. When building an audio book library MP3 format audiobooks offer the most convenience as a large number of audio books can be stored on an iPod or other MP3 player and taken on long journeys or on holiday. Some people prefer to build a library of audio books on CD or cassette tape as they like to have a tangible item.

The range of audio book titles available is as broad as the range of paperback books. As well as best selling works of fiction in every genre, you will find biographies, poetry, comedy and educational audio books covering every subject imaginable from languages to business skills. Nothing beats the frustration of sitting in a traffic jam like knowing that you are using the time productively by listening to an educational audio book! If you’re on a long family car journey, sharing the experience of listening to an entertaining or humorous audio book will make an otherwise grueling journey a joyous occasion! A good audio book library should of course include a variety of different titles to suit all tastes and circumstances.

An Audio Book Library Benefits the Whole Family

Providing entertainment and education whilst on the move may be the most obvious benefit of an audio book library but other members of the family can enjoy the audiobooks at home. Elderly members of the family may have failing eyesight and will benefit hugely from being able to listen to a variety of audio books and magazines. Other family members can make use of your audio book library whilst doing domestic chores, exercising or walking the family dog! Whether for educational or entertainment purposes a library of audio books is something that generations of a family can benefit from time and time again.

When it comes to education, audio books are a powerful tool. As well as the convenience of being able to listen anywhere audio books present the subject being learnt in a way that that many people find far easier to digest than a printed book. This is particularly true where learning a language is concerned as pronunciation can only be properly learnt by hearing the words spoken. A well presented audio book can also bring to life a subject which may otherwise be tedious and difficult to learn so an educational audio book library is of benefit to every member of the family.

To help get you started building your audio book library here are some special offers from some of the best audio book services.

Rent or Download Audiobooks - 2 Weeks Free! - www.jiggerbug.com

$5 Off Audiobooks at Jiggerbug.com! Use code MB5605 at checkout.

Get an Audiobook for FREE from Audible.com

Get 50% off any Audiobook @ audible.com.

20% off your first month at Booksfree.com. Use coupon code: CJ86

French Audio Books

January 28th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

French Language Audio Books

Worldwide literature is so rich and varied. There are so many different types of books for us to discover, read, enjoy and share. The great thing about literature is that it comes in so many different forms, different colors, and in every language. There are books about anything, books written in several different languages, and books that you can read in many different ways. One of the various forms books take are that of audio books, which allow people who can’t read or people who don’t have time to read to be able to still enjoy the stories. A French audio book, which is something that comes in many forms, can introduce you to a whole new world of literary delights.

The term French audio book covers a number of different types of french language books in audio format.

Audio Books of French Literature

This category covers any audio book recording of a book which was originally written in the french language. These recordings maybe of the author reading their own work, a reading by a professional actor or a full dramatization with sound effects and soundtrack. In fact the range of performances and format availability - you can get these french audio books on CD, cassette tape or MP3 download - is just the same as for an english language audio book. Experiencing a novel in it’s original language is a far more rewarding experience than reading or listening to a translation of the work and for people trying to improve their french language skills listening to a french audio book of a literary work is an invaluable experience. Many french learners find that following the text in the printed book whilst listening to the audio version of the novel to be both fun and highly educational.

Audio Books - French Translations

You can find many popular books, originally written in english or other languages, which have been translated into french. So to there are many french audio books available of literary and academic works originally written in other languages. Best selling novels are routinely translated into french and other languages and their french audio book counterparts are never far behind, usually available on CD, cassette tape and even downloadable MP3 formats.

Learn French Audio Books

The other main category of french audio books is that of french language learning tools. It is of course far easier to learn a language from hearing it spoken than it is to learn from reading a book so most people use learn french audio books to improve their language skills. There are many different french language learning audio books available for all ages and to suit all budgets. A learn french audio book can be used anywhere that you can play a cassette tape, CD or use your MP3 player - this means that you can make use of any available time whilst traveling or at the gym for example to improve your french language skills.

Pimsleur Quick and Simple French for English SpeakersUnderstand and speak French starting with these eight quick and simple audio lessons…

French Ultimate Year 1 Adventure Course Parlez-vous Francais? Learn French Fast! Power-Glide!

Eragon Audio Books Mixed Reviews

January 26th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Erqagon Dividing Opinion

It is clear that Eragon audio books polarise opinion, there are those who adore the series and those who consider the Eragon books to be inferior and a waste of time. However nearly everyone who has read the books or listened to the Eragon audio books series agree that it is impressive that one so young should have written an entire series of books. The Eragon audio book series was begun by author Christopher Paolini when he was only 15 years old, and the first book was published within three years.

What is Eragon?

The Eragon series of audio books are a fantasy adventure story following a boy named Eragon who on finding a dragon’s egg discovers he is part of a hidden world and the fate of an entire empire may rest in his hands. The series of audio books, known as the Inheritance Trilogy, consists of three titles - Eragon, Eldest and the as yet unpublished Empire. A movie based on the first of the Eragon books has been released and is available on DVD, movies based on the other books in the series will follow. There is also an Eragon video game available.

Eragon Fans

Many people who love the Eragon audio books are impressed first and foremost by the fact that he is so young and has written an entire trilogy of books. Some have also considered him an inspirational author, as he was home schooled, went into public school to graduate at the age of fifteen, and transformed from a person who hated to read to an author in a very short period of time. Many people find the Eragon audio books engaging and entertaining; these books are also highly recommended reading for the younger age groups.

Eragon Critics

Critics of Christopher Paolini’s, Eragon audio books claim there is a great lack of originality in the work; many go further to say the only reason the work is acceptable to such a large audience is strictly because of the author’s age. Many detractors also note that much of the Eragon audio books plot and characters, are borrowed an dthinly disguised from other authors, movies and popular culture. On this point even many fans of the Eragon audio book series agree, almost everyone who has read this work has noticed a familiarity in plot, settings or characters.

Is The Eragon Audio Book Series for You?

Regardless of critics or fans polarised opinions, the Eragon audio books remained high in the New York Best Seller’s List for many weeks in a row; this indicates that enough people were sufficiently interested in the book to purchase it. While according to the online reviews it was a regrettable purchase, it was purchased by many others that were happy with their decision to buy the Eragon audio books. Whether the series is something you will enjoy is a conclusion only you can come to after reading the series or listening to Eragon audio books.

BBC Audio Books - A Treasure Trove of Delights

January 25th, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Audiobooks from the BBC Archives

The BBC has an archive of audio delights stretching back to the dawn of radio. BBC audio books present classic radio shows, plays and dramatizations of books in the high quality you would expect from the BBC. From classic gems such as The Goon Show to the latest like Little Britain, there is a wealth of talent available to suit all tastes whether you want to relive a childhood favorite or try something new you’ll find plenty to choose from in the BBC’s catalogue of audio books.
Rather than merely being an alternative to reading, audio books, especially those presented by the BBC, offer an entirely different experience and one that many find far more relaxing than reading. Furthermore the pace of many peoples lives allows far more opportunities to enjoy an audio book, when traveling or exercising for example, than to sit down and read.
Audio books have taken the whole world by storm as you can now listen rather than read any of your favorite books while doing other things that don’t require your undivided attention, for example when doing laundry or walking the dog or even when exercising. It is multitasking to relax while you are working; what else can you ask for.

Buying the Latest BBC Audio Books

Fans of the audio books produced by BBC will love the BBC shop where you can find the latest BBC audio books from top publishing houses of best selling books and more. All you need to do in order to shop for BBC audio book is to log on their official web site and search for BBC audio books and you will be prompted with the latest BBC audio books available. Another great feature you can access online is downloading BBC audio books directly on to your MP3 player or ipod after selecting and purchasing it.
The BBC website is the best place for information about the titles available in the BBC audiobooks catalogue but the titles are also available in high street stores and numerous online audio book sellers where you may well find better prices. Additionally you can rent BBC audio books from a number of audio book rental services

BBC Audio Book Updates

If you want to know as soon as a new audiobook is available from the BBC you can subscribe to their free newsletter to be alerted of new releases by email or mobile phone. BBC audio books are available in CD, cassette tape and MP3 download formats.

Audio Book MP3 Downloads

January 22nd, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Downloading Audio Book MP3’s

Downloading audio book MP3’s is easy, you don’t need any specialist software, if you’ve ever downloaded any type of file to your computer from a website then you already know how to do it! Once your audio book mp3 downloads have completed you can easily transfer them to any mp3 player or burn them to audio cd for personal use.

The fees audio book mp3 download services charge are usually in the form of monthly fees or by purchasing pre-paid credits. Costs vary depending on the number of downloads per month (usually one to four); also the cost of downloading audio books is generally higher than a rental club because mp3 downloads don’t have to be returned.

Download Clubs and Download Credits

There are benefits to both clubs and credits; clubs require a monthly fee, and limit the number of downloads per month the more downloads allowed generally the higher the fee will be. In addition to the selected monthly download some companies offer bonus weekly pre-chosen selections.

Credits are available through certain companies at a price of around ten dollars for each MP3 download and will often need to be pre-purchased by the dozen; for a person who travels a lot or has impaired vision, purchasing credits to download may be more economical then paying a monthly fee and supplementing their collection with additional purchased audio books.

MP3 Audio Book Downloads or Audio Book Rentals

The style of reader/listener a person is will be the deciding factor as to which type of audio books a person should purchase; downloading MP3 audio books is essentially purchasing them as opposed to renting which is just borrowing the audio book.

If you are uninterested in creating a collection of audio books renting is definitely the best way for you to enjoy audio books; if you are interested in building a personal collection of audio books to enjoy over and over as often as you like, downloading MP3 audio books is the logical choice for you.

Benefits of MP3 Audio Book Downloads

Downloading MP3 audio books is an economical alternative to joining a book of the month type club; MP3 audio books are also less expensive than purchasing an audio book on CD. MP3 audio book downloads are faster than renting as they may be downloaded from the internet there is no waiting for a selection to become unavailable or for shipping times to change from the time of ordering. Audio book MP3 downloads are faster, easier, and a greater value than any other form of audio book purchase.

Unabridged Audio Books

January 21st, 2007    Subscribe To Our Feed

Unabridged audio books are complete, word for word, readings of books from cover to cover, as opposed to the abridged type which are shortened versions of the books in question. These unabridged books are often dramatised rather than simply read and may include more than 1 reader, sound effects and a musical background. Unabridged audiobooks of this type offer a completely different way to enjoy novels and provide the listener with a completely immersive experience. The audio book industry even has it’s own awards which include categories such as performance, production and soundtrack and cover many different genres of audio books.

Until recently it has been more common for audio books to be available in abridged versions rather the preferable unabridged format. An unabridged audio book can consist of many cd’s or tapes, so the cost of production and the resulting cost to the consumer has previously been prohibitively high. Technological advances have now reduced the costs of production to a point where unabridged audio books on cd are now affordable and consumers no longer have to make do with abridged versions.

The biggest change, however, has come with the advent of the downloadable audio book which has considerably lower costs and allows for a much broader range of material to be made available in the format of unabridged audio books.

Increasing Demand for Unabridged Audio Books from the iPod Generation

The worldwide boom in personal MP3 players, especially the iPod, has opened up a whole new market for the unabridged audio book. People who have never previously considered listening to an audio book are realising that they can do more than listen to music on their MP3 players! Whether it be for learning or pleasure people are finding the enormous benefits of being able to listen to an audio book wherever they go - in the car, at the gym or whilst doing the housework. Demand for unabridged audiobooks is at an all time high and continues to rise.

Audiobooks may be found in a variety of different formats and quality levels to suit different tastes and budgets. There are a large number of classic books which are in the public domain, this means that anyone can make a recording of the work and sell it without paying royalties or asking permission. This has resulted in a new industry producing unabridged audiobooks of public domain works, these range from books read by a computer through readings by amateurs to more professional productions. Make sure you know which type of production you are buying before you pay.

At the other end of the spectrum are the lavishly produced unabridged audio books of bestselling novels, which will usually include well known actors, stereo sound effects, an appropriate soundtrack and all round high production values right down to the packaging and extras.

With all this talk of production values, sound effects and actors you’d be forgiven for thinking that the audio book industry revolves solely around novels. This is far from the case as there is a potentially much larger market for unabridged audio books as learning tools, whether it be language learning, children’s education, business guides or any other area of knowledge which can be taught through the medium of an audio book. In the online business market alone there are thousands of business guides available in audio format, some of these can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars and many are only available as unabridged audio books.

— Next Page »

Copyright © 2007 Audiobooks News