Does listening to an audiobook count as reading? This is a question I have been grappling with for quite sometime. This blog post has been on my mind for months and months, and once I started digging and reading about the history of audiobooks, I knew I had to share with you.
But first things first. I’m definitely biased towards audiobooks (sidebar: they are one of my favorite things about living in 2018), as I plow through a handful each month, I’m immediately going to say HECK YES! Audiobooks should absolutely count as reading.
But it’s also tough, because let’s say you listen to Plato’s Republic, should that count? Is listening technically cheating? Now we’re getting into a grey area…. let’s start with the history (oh my god, I sound like my husband).
HISTORY OF AUDIOBOOKS
Did you know that audiobooks were originally produced for the visually impaired? The idea first originated in the United Kingdom when the Royal National Institute for the Blind tested different ways to produce “talking books” in the 1920s.
Fun Fact: In the United Kingdom, on November 7th 1935, the RNIB delivered the first talking books to blind and partially sighted people. Their first recordings were Agatha Christie’s The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.
Fast forward to today. There is currently a booming market for audiobook companies. Amongst the top contenders are: Audible, Books on Tape, Blackstone Audio, Simon & Schuster, Harper Audio, Caedmon Audio, and Recorded Books.
If a person with visual impairment listens to the complete set of Sherlock Holmes novels, is it fair to say said person hasn’t really read it? I think not!
But for those who aren’t visually impaired, what’s the deal?
Well, for me, I listen to audiobooks while I commute (either walking or driving), cook for my clients, and sometimes to pass the time while I clean and organize the house. I love music but I love books even more. So when I’m scrubbing the shower or folding laundry, or even putting on makeup, I’m going to have a audiobook playing in the background.
STATISTICS
- Audiobook sales in 2016 were over $2 BILLION, that’s right — billion, with a capital ‘B’
- 2016 was the third consecutive year audiobook sales have expanded by 20 percent, which means it’s rapidly growing industry
- 48 percent of audiobook listeners are under the age of 35
- There were over 50,000 titles produced on audio in 2016, the most popular genres were mysteries/thrillers/suspense; science fiction/fantasy; and romance
HEAR ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?
WHY PEOPLE SEEM TO LOVE AUDIOBOOK SO MUCH
- They can do other things while listening
- Audiobooks are portable and people can listen wherever they are
- They enjoy being read to
My main point that I really want to drive home: If I understand the narrative, feel the emotions, grasp the underlying message and tone of the book, know the characters, and can have a discussion about the book, then it counts as being read. Regardless of what format it was consumed.
Pssst! Two audiobooks that you’ll love!