[2004-01]
Audio Books: The Other eMedia To Explore
Audio versions of a good story or non-fiction piece have one advantage over the eBook downloaded version: you can listen to them while you drive back and forth to work.
Suddenly slow traffic becomes less of an irritant, and more an enjoyable chance to hear the rest of the chapter. Nobody seems to mind that they have to leave a little earlier --- we're just in a hurry to turn that electronic page and find out what happens next in the story.
They're great company on long trips, too. Behind the wheel, riding the rail, or even flying -- it's nice to be able to choose a title rather than sit through whatever is offered.
And who wouldn't prefer to hear the story all the way to the end even if you arrive at your destination before it's finished! In this case, your "talking paperback" goes with you.
Audio Media and Sticker Shock
While the retail price of your favorite novel presented in Audio format might cause you to wonder what gold mine you're buying, they still enjoy a sizable base of customers.
Audio rentals are one source. The rental fee is often about the same as purchasing a DVD (we haven't figured that one out yet!), but it's usually a third of the purchase price of the Audio recording.
There are friendship groups and quasi-clubs who pool funds to rent or purchase a title, then circulate the discs or tapes among the members. Some rentals are available for only 30 days, so the members need to budget their time as well as their contribution fund.
Fortunately for most of us our local library has a sizable collection and that's about the most affordable a good story can get. So before you rob the cookie jar to feed the need, do remember to check the library catalog.
And when you decide a purchase is the only way to get the title you want, consider the charity benefit of donating it to your community library after you've finished it.
