The three main ways that books are offered are traditional audiobook formats, podcasts and iTunes Apps.
Audiobook of the Month:
Each month, the audiobook section of the iTunes store offers one audiobook title at a special price. This month, readers can enjoy Eat, Pray, Love written and read by Elizabeth Gilbert for only $9.95. Readers can browse books from a variety of genres, book clubs, bestseller lists, or awards.
Each book has a brief summary and a short preview. Occasionally, titles are offered free. I like to browse through the reviews of the books before making a purchase. Some are more helpful than others, but a book that is panned by all… is a book I will likely avoid.
Book Apps:
This is where it gets interesting. iTunes offers applications that are developed by third party developers. Some are free and some must be purchased. Most audio based book apps seem to be either original works or public domain titles that have been recorded… oh, or the Bible.
I’m not really sure why anyone would pay for a book app of a title that can be downloaded for free from Project Guttenberg, but somebody must be buying them.
Podcasts:
Even more interesting than book apps are book podcasts. Podcasts are free, so the public domain titles offered here seem more appealing. The catch is that they are offered in chapters – separate downloads for each one. This is slightly off-putting in that it takes time to download them, but iTunes is quite efficient.
Several authors have taken to offering their books as podcasts. This helps them build a following and receive feedback from readers. Scott Sigler is the most famous of the “podiobook” authors. I am currently downloading “Infected”, with its freaky triangle shaped eye on the cover…
iTunes U:
Some colleges post audiobook readings of literary course materials from the Bronte sisters to Mark Twain. The literature area of iTunes U also has interesting audio podcast literary discussions. You don’t have to be a student to access some very fascinating content.
All-in-all, my preference is the regular audiobook. They are professionally recorded renderings provided to iTunes by Audible. The convenience afforded by a singular download with superior quality and huge selection appeals to me. I have, however discovered some incredible writing podcasts as I was exploring iTunes U…
Related posts:
