Key Benefits of Audiobooks for all Readers
The dawn of the digital age has brought upon fascinating changes in almost everything, even in the smallest pleasures of daily life such as reading.
Nowadays, books are not only, per se, read but can also be listened to with the availability of audiobooks.
The birth of different book formats has widened the options for readers and authors alike.
When it comes to publishing, authors are now offered various book formats—physical copies in hardcovers or paperbacks, e-books, and audiobooks—that they can choose from, depending on their publishing goal and target readership.
In the recent years, audiobooks have gained popularity both in the publishing industry and book-content consumption.
This could be due to its accessibility and the modern readers’ preference shift.
Here, we delve into the benefits of audiobooks and how it started.
What are Audiobooks?
Audiobooks are recordings of books being read out by a narrator.
The very first versions of audiobooks came out around the 1930s; however, they were not mass-produced until much later.
The first audiobooks were predominantly available at schools and were used as educational tools.
They were first stored in records. Then as the years passed, their format changed to cassette tapes, CDs, MP3 CDs, etc.
Currently, they come in their most efficient form, which is in downloadable digital format.
This means that you could buy and store thousands of audiobooks on your phone or computer.
This easy consumption of books makes audiobooks a very popular medium.
Reading vs. Audiobooks
Audiobooks are a relatively new concept for some readers, and whenever a relative newcomer to the format is introduced to it, they might feel apprehensive.
They will most likely say that they prefer the traditional way. This is understandable because printed books have been around for a very long time.
However, this should not turn you off from audiobooks. They have many advantages to offer, for young and old alike.
Benefits of audiobooks for adults
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Multitasking
One of the best things about audiobooks is that it allows listeners to multitask.
While listening to an audiobook, you could do something else.
One of the setbacks of using a printed book is that you will need to fully focus on the act of reading.
Remember that you will be using your hands to hold up your book. This means that you can’t do anything aside from reading your book.
On the other hand, if you use an audiobook, you will be able to fulfill other tasks while you are listening to an audiobook.
Related: Why Are Audiobooks Gaining Popularity in the US?
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You get to enjoy for longer periods of time
When you read a printed book, there will be times where you’ll get bored with the process of reading.
This is especially true for books with blocky paragraphs and slow paces. It might seem like a chore to scroll through all those sentences.
By using an audiobook, you will not have to fully focus on the printed text.
You could just have the audiobook play in the background, and you could tune in every once in a while if there is anything that catches your attention.
This allows you to enjoy the audiobook for longer periods of time.
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Critical listening
Yet another advantage of listening to audiobooks is critical listening.
Due to the fact that you are listening to an audiobook on a regular basis, there is a chance that your listening skills will improve a great deal.
By listening to audiobooks regularly, you’ll be able to comprehend speech more efficiently.
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Gives your eyes a rest
One of the biggest setbacks of using a printed book is that you might strain your eyes in the long run.
This is especially true for books that have small fonts. If you read a book for an hour or two, there is a chance that you’ll develop eyestrain.
If you use an audiobook, on the other hand, you will be able to give your eyes a rest.
The only danger of listening to audiobooks for long periods of time is that you might damage your ears.
As a precaution, it is best that you don’t use earphones and use headphones instead.
Earphones could cause hearing damage because they go deeper into the ear cavities, which makes the sound a lot more intense.
When you use headphones, contrastingly, the sound will be well-distributed and not cause too much damage to your ears.
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They are a great publishing option
Aside from being a very easy book format to use, you could also publish your own audiobook.
Compared to most publishing methods, audiobooks are so much easier to publish.
However, if you are serious about publishing an audiobook, and you want do it right, you should try publishing with Writers Republic.
With our audiobook premium service, you could self-publish your own audiobook in the most efficient and effective way possible.
Benefits of audiobooks for kids
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Better pronunciation
If there is one pet peeve that booklovers young and old have, it is difficult to pronounce words.
This is especially true for foreign words, because there are words that are spelled very differently from how they are pronounced.
This could make the reading process quite difficult. Audiobooks, on the other hand, will give you the right pronunciation right away.
This will save you the effort of checking a dictionary for the proper pronunciation.
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Improved literacy
Learning how to read is a challenge for some children. Some kids could get the hang of it quite fast while others struggle with it.
By having your child use audiobooks first, he or she will have a better chance of developing a love for literature.
Your child could listen to some of the classics and slowly become more interested with the written word.
It is better to let your child listen to audiobooks than to force your child to learn reading and writing.
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Enhanced interest
Books have a stuffy and boring reputation for kids. This is especially true when they first start reading.
By having your kids listen to audiobooks, you will be able to spark a great interest in books.
Developing a love for literature could be a bit tricky at first, because reading physical books takes a lot of concentration.
However, audiobooks have a certain bedtime story feel to them.
When a child hears the stories being told to them by the narrator, they equate it as a kind of bedtime story and will enjoy it a lot more.
Is listening to audiobooks as good as reading?
When it comes to comparing audiobooks to printed books, it usually depends on the person.
Some people like to listen to audiobook, while some prefer to fully focus their attentions on a printed book.
As a whole, it depends on your preferences. Each format has its respective advantages, and it is up to you to weigh them out and choose.
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