Prompt Response: Appeal of eBooks and Audiobooks

Assignment: Ebooks and audiobooks are a part of our landscape. What does the change in medium mean for appeal factors? If you can't hold a book and feel the physical weight of it in your hands, how does that affect your knowledge of the genre? How about readers being able to change the font, line spacing, and color of text - how does that affect pacing and tone? How about audiobooks? Track length, narrator choice, is there music?  For this week, I want you to think about how ebooks and audiobooks affect appeal factors - also think about appeals that are unique to both mediums. Please feel free to use your own experience and that of your (anonymous of course) patrons. 

I’m the first to admit – I’m a physical book snob.  I love the feel of a book in my hands, and yes, the smell of the pages.  I buy books, I borrow them from the library, and I borrow them from friends, but if I’m reading a book, it’s almost always a physical book.  However, I am keenly aware that times are changing and that the number of us who prefer the physical book over other formats are dwindling.  I understand the appeals of other formats. As a new mom, I loved reading eBooks on my Nook because I could read with one hand while sitting for endless hours holding a sleeping child.  (Have you ever tried to turn the pages of a physical book while holding it with one hand because your sleeping baby is lying in the other arm? It is virtually impossible to do.  I tried.) And I am a devotee of multiple podcasts, so I can understand why people choose audiobooks.   

When it comes to appeal for eBooks, a lot of older readers and readers with visual impairments rave about the ability to adjust the text on eBooks to make it easier to read.  From our readings this week, I learned that using a larger text size on an eReader can affect pacing and tone of the book.  Larger blocks of text often indicate a denser, more detailed story that is meant to be read at a more leisurely pace, but adjusting text size can deceive the reader about the size of the paragraphs (Dunneback, 2011). Authors are intentional about fonts and paper as well, using those details to help create the story, and when you change the font or take away the paper, you are taking away some of the details that help create tone.

For audiobooks, audible presentation is a key appeal factor for most readers and includes the factors of appeal as presented in narration.  For most fans of audiobooks, appeal is heavily driven by the narrator and many readers will choose or avoid certain audiobooks based solely on the narrator.  I know a couple of my book club friends are audiobook devotees and they can each rattle off a list of narrators they love.  Audiobooks can also use music and/or sound effects to help set the tone of the story and help with the narrative (Mediatore, 2003).

I can probably count on one hand the number of audiobooks I’ve listened to personally.  I love podcasts that are broken up into easily digestible bits, especially those I can finish in under an hour while I’m on a run or walk or when I’m out running errands.  Having one book last 8 to 10 hours is too long for me to stay engaged, so I can’t offer a lot of personal experience to the appeal of audiobooks. 

I would think that certain books would have a harder time adapting to eBook or audiobook, such as books with illustrations or special formatting.  I know I read several Jen Lancaster books when I was using an eReader and she makes copious use of footnotes, which were a nightmare to navigate at the time on an eReader.   

I think one of the primary appeals for both eBooks and audiobooks is convenience.  EBooks allow patrons to have multiple books in the palm of their hand on a smartphone or other device and allow them to pick up a book almost anywhere.  They’re convenient for traveling, or even reading while you’re stuck in line at the grocery store.  Audiobooks are convenient for readers who want to multitask – reading while they commute, do housework, exercise, etc.  I am in a book club made up of seven very busy women and one of the key factors in selecting our next read each month is in what formats the book is available – can we get it on Amazon, Audible, and from the library in physical form, eBook and/or audiobook?  We all need and prefer books in different formats to meet our needs, so if a majority of those options aren’t available, we pick a different book.

As librarians, our goal is to meet our readers where they are, and eBooks and audiobooks can help reach a lot of readers who would be less likely to read a physical book and expand the reading horizons of all readers.

Readings referenced:

Dunneback, K., & Trott, B. (2011). E-books and Readers' Advisory. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 50(4), 325-9. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.

Mediatore, K. (2003). Reading with Your Ears: Readers' Advisory and Audio Books. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 42(4), 318-23. Retrieved from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database

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