Sound books in the modern publishing industry

Audiobooks are one of the fastest growing segments in both the Western and the Russian book market. Today an audiobook is one of the promising formats for replicating literature. The article considers the history of the development of audiobooks in the 20th century. The "historical part" of the article contains a description of important stages in the development of audiobooks, each of which is associated with "technical breakthroughs" in the development of both devices for fixing sound and forms of audio information carriers. The history of the development is also conditioned by a change in the principles of preparing the content of an audiobook in the second half of the 20th century. The logic of changing the quality of audio content preparation is related to the transformation of its functions: from purely practical (books for the blind) to aesthetic (audioshows and modern media projects). The focus of the article is on the audiobook format in the modern book market. The last stage in the development of audiobooks, which began in 2012-2104, is connected with the change in the technical conditions for their replication and distribution. A new "surge" of interest in audiobooks is caused by the widespread use of tablets and smartphones, on the one hand, and by the creation of applications that can easily and quickly buy and download an audiobook, on the other hand. The powerful development of digital distribution caused the growth of audiobooks during this period in the book market and the increase in demand for them. The subscription system, which is now targeted at many large book aggregators (Amazon, App Store, Google Play, Litres), has determined the accessibility of the audiobook format and, as a consequence, its popularity. In the light of forecasts about the growth of the market segment of audiobooks, both foreign and Russian, the article suggests ways to consider the possibilities and limitations of this format for both the publisher and the reader. Firstly, it describes the legal, economic and production aspects of creating an audiobook based on the experience of the Russian book market. Secondly, the audio book format is analyzed in the light of its capabilities and limitations for various types of publications (art, scientific, popular science and educational). Thirdly, the audio book format is considered in the context of observations about the new type of reading, "audio reading", that is generated by it, and the type of the reader, the "audio reader". Fourthly, the place of the audiobook format is considered among the "paper" and "electronic" format of the book. Possible ways of their hybrid interaction are outlined. As a result, the conclusion is drawn on the legitimacy of the popularity growth of this format and on its self-sufficiency in relation to other book formats.

Keywords

Authors

References