Audio Books’ Appeal and Traditional Readers

The people you know can be defined in many ways. They are good or bad, friendly or not, quiet or loud, maybe happy or sad. And most can be called either readers or non-readers. There’s a pretty distinct line here—most fall into the category of either being an avid reader or a definite non-reader—and even though there are folks who just read occasionally, they are in the minority. In talking about books, people usually will declare either that “I read everything I can get my hands on” or “I read so much in college I swore never to pick up a book again”.

Confirmed readers themselves, too, fall into different but overlapping categories. Some gravitate towards reading mostly fiction—mysteries, romance, historical novels, or short stories. Others may love non-fiction and reading about current events, biographies, or politics. Some people I know enjoy the motivational and self-help or nutrition and exercise books. Many readers go by author, finding a work they love and reading everything else written by that author. Or they pick and choose from all of the above. Most readers, lacking their favorite genres or authors, will choose to read whatever’s at hand rather than not read at all.

And now these readers are finding a new way to satisfy their love of books. A recent study has shown that 25% of the public now listens to audiobooks, and the percentage keeps growing. Once thought of as a medium for those with bad vision, the world of audiobooks has expanded hugely and major publishers now routinely promote their best-selling authors in audiobook format.

Who listens to these books? Researchers found that they have a broad appeal to several diverse groups of readers.
1. Students, who are used to multi-tasking, can listen on their I-pods while running or doing their laundry.
2. Young couples with small children who never seem to have enough time to themselves enjoy listening to a chapter whenever they have a few minutes.
3. Many readers love the fact that they can keep up with their ‘reading’ while driving in their cars, turning a usually boring commute into an enriching experience. Motivation, self-help and fiction are all in demand to these listeners.
4. Some readers appreciate the availability of audiobooks. With many titles now available on the internet, obtaining a new book can be instantaneous with immediate downloads. No shipping or delayed gratification!
5. A number of readers remembers the pleasure of being read to as a child, and just simply enjoys the experience. The fact that some of these audiobooks are read by their authors just adds to the joy they find in listening.

Look for this medium of audiobooks to keep growing and offering more ‘reads’ to this expanding medium. Readers have always loved books, and now listeners can, too.