With the popularity and proliferation of digital devices like the iPhone and iPad, audiobooks and their close cousin, the podcast, have become uniquely convenient for those multitaskers looking to fill extra time during their commute or workout. This does bring up the question of whether or not this practice of listening rather than reading is a legitimate method of comprehension.
Digital
Making Casting Decisions for Audiobooks
By Selena Harris
Imagine you are listening to an audiobook. The story takes place in the South, and you’re immersed in a scene of intense action. Suddenly, you hear the voice actor say “you all,” rather than the “y’all” you have been hearing up until this point. You pause, and suddenly you’re not thinking about the story. You’re removed from the world you spent the past half hour in, and now you’re thinking about the actor, maybe picturing them in front of a microphone, watching them as they make the fatal mistake. It takes you a few moments, and maybe a quick rewind, to get back into the story. How do publishers avoid these mishaps in an audiobook recording?
Fiction Apps: Storytelling for the Digital Age
By Vivian Nguyen @vivqnguyen
The basic premise is a Choose Your Own Adventure storybook for the digital age. These are short, mobile stories that bring the reader right into the crux of the situation. You role-play as one of the characters and are faced with multiple choices consistently throughout the story. Some choices can affect your character’s morality or change their relationship with others. These stories span a myriad of genres, from period dramas to contemporary action to medieval fantasy and more.
Self-Published Authors’ Ebook Success
By Courtney Young @courtlbunny
More and more writers are becoming published authors. Some start with blogs, writers’ groups, and lifelong dreams. Traditional publishing can be difficult to break into, especially if you’re not already an established author. So how are new authors getting their books into the competitive market without an agent or a supportive publishing house?
Reproductive Pairing: Books, Podcasts, and Taboos
By Elle Klock @elleklock
It’s helpful to have a fictional way to explore the potential fallout that faces us when our government makes decisions about our bodies. These novels offer context and shine a beam of empathy into a situation that has become highly politicized. Ravenous for more information, I took a dive into digital conversations surrounding health, reproductive rights, and motherhood.
Ebooks: The Prophecy That Never Came True
By Siri Vegulla
Nearly a decade ago, ebooks were on the rise, and it was believed that this would lead to the imminent death of the print book. Some experts went as far as stating that the market for print books would plunge into oblivion. These prophecies turned out to be both true and false to some extent. While the market for ebooks soared at an unprecedented rate, the print book still holds its place with its head held high.