Sunday, July 7, 2013

Print, eBook, or Audio book, Whats your poison?

In case you haven't heard yet my book "The Forsaken" is finally available on kindle! Whoo-hoo! The next step is to start recording the audio book version.

I noticed that in the last two months since my book was released that there are all sorts of different kinds of readers. I personally have a thing for traditional printed books. Whether leather bound, hardback, or paperback, I love them all! I try to collect all my favorites. At one point I had a job that was obscenely boring but was fortunate in that they allowed me to listen to audio books on the job. During this time I read/listened to a lot of books! I learned to love audio books almost as much as printed ones. My favorite audio books are "The Outlander" series by Dianna Gabledon, and "Inkspell" by Cornilia Fluke. The second book in the "Inkspell" series was narrated by Brendan Fraser. Let me tell you that he makes a wonderful narrator. Apparently the author invisioned him as the lead character (Moe) while she wrote the book. Brendan Fraser did ultimately play "Moe" in the film version of Inkspell. Cool huh?

Anyhow, I've been going all around town talking to people about my book and passing out bookmark/buisness cards. Half the people I've met were interested in the book only if it was in eBook or Audio book format. I found this curious at first, because I am not one for eBooks myself. However, as I spoke more to readers about their preference in format and why, I started to understand why someone might like their book digital, or audio instead. So here it is, the pros and cons of a printed book, eBook, and audio book.

Printed Books
        Pros:                                                                     Cons:                     
        1.Something to hold on to                                    1. Easily damaged.
        2. Looks pretty on a shelf                                     2. Worse for wear when you lend it out        
        3. You can show it off when people visit             3. Can be bulky to carry around.
        4.You're bookmark lets you see physically          4. Collecting them can turn you into a hoarder
           how far you are in the book, you see                5. Need to be dusted on a regular basis
           your progress.                                               
        5. There's nothing like the smell of a new
             book!


eBooks
            Pros:                                                                 Cons: 
            1. Quick delievery/instant download              1. Rarely have pictures in them
            2. No shipping costs                                        2. Turning pages is more fun than swiping
            3. Portable                                                       3. No new book spell, or glossy cover.
            4. Collect as many as you want and they        4. You can only show off your collection online
                all fit in your pocket                                   
            5. Easy to lend to friend, no bent spines
                or torn pages.
            6. Cheaper than print or audio books
                                        
Audio Books
            Pros:                                                                   Cons:
            1. Available in many formats                              1. No pictures
            2. Can be bought in a store or online                  2. No new book smell, no flipping pages
            3. You can read/listen anywhere                         3. Needs absolute silence, other noises ditract
            4. Hands free, you can read while you drive       4. You might not like the Narrator
            5. Talented actors read it to you                        


Those were all the pros and cons of each format I could think of. If anyone out there has some other pros and cons they'd like to add feel free to list them in the comments below. Now go forth and get "The Forsaken" on kindle (if your a kindler) or else get it in print, or if you like, you can wait for the audio book coming soon!

R.J. Craddock


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