Week 11 Prompt

Appeal Factors for E-books and Audiobooks

As a reader of both books and e-books and a listener to audiobooks, I think each of the mediums has different appeal factors.  Dunneback and Trott note:  “The format you use to access the story expands the appeal factors of the context” (Dunneback, K., Trott, B.).  However, I find the medium of audiobooks to be very different from that of reading a book. It is a very enjoyable experience, however; it is not reading, it is listening to someone else’s interpretation of a written book.  The experience of reading in paper format or electronic are unique experiences; however, I find the differences much less than that of reading a book versus listening to an audiobook.

In their article, Dunneback and Trott note some of the different appeal factors that reading in electronic format and specific devices change such as the size, weight, flipping or turning pages vs. pressing a button, covers and accessories.  One thing they note is that you can’t just flip back and find a certain passage or part in the book just by flipping through as easily as you can in a physical book.  When I had more free time in my life, I decided to read David Foster Wallace’s Infinite Jest.  However, it is a huge novel and I’d check it out from the library and then someone would put a hold on it and I finally realized I would never be able to read it unless I purchased the book.  Not thinking about the difference in appeals, I purchased the e-book.  I briefly attempted to read it on my e-reader but it is very frustrating because it is filled with references and appendices and footnotes and while I can deal with that in a physical book, I found it very difficult with the e-book.  However, personally I don’t find that my reading experience is greatly changed by using my e-reader.  I do think I read faster and perhaps reflect less on the process as I am reading because I am not physically engaged in the same way.

I love audiobooks; however, I find the experience completely different from reading a book.  I feel about it almost the same way I do about seeing a movie before reading the book.  If I love a book and I know the audiobooks are also good, I will usually read the book first. I love the Outlander books and had heard the narrator of the audiobooks (Davina Porter) was great, but I hesitated to listen to them for a long time because I didn’t want to change my perception of the characters when I read later books.  However, they are some books I like in both formats, some I have loved when I read but didn’t like the audiobook and some books I have listened to on audiobook because I love the reader but really have no interest in reading the novels.  Mediatore states:  “A fifth appeal factor for the recorded format must also be considered—audible presentation”.  (Mediatore, K.,  2003). 

When discussing pace and narration, Mediatore goes on to say:  “Consequently, a poor match between the pace of the story and the pace the narrator uses can cause a reader to stop listening to an audio book” (Mediatore, K. 2003).  I like Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum books, especially on audiobook.  However, I only like the narrator starting at about book 6 or so.  There were a couple narrators previously that I couldn’t listen to but someone told me the later books were much better, and I found I loved these on audiobook.  The pace of the narrator as well as skill can change the whole experience. 

I guess I love books in all formats and I find them all enjoyable—just a little bit different.

Sources

Dunneback,K., & Trott,B. (2011).  E-books and Readers’ Advisory.  Reference Appeal Factors for E-books and Audiobooks

& User Services Quarterly, 50 (4), 325-9.

Mediatore, K. (2003).  Reading with Your Ears:  Readers’ Advisory and Audio Books.  Reference & User Services Quarterly, 42(4), 318-23.