So I downloaded Audible today, mostly because I'm getting into affiliate marketing and I need to know what products I'm recommending. So in my free time, I check out trends, and products.
Audible is books which are read out to you, sometimes by the writer which is really cool. It also has audio shows which sound exactly like podcasts.
So since I've been podcasting for a year now, I thought I'd look at the Audible vs Podcasting and how they are different or the same. First off, both are audio mediums but where podcasting content is episodic listening to books which have already been published means the content is much more fixed (unless you count chapters as episodes).
The Audible link is an affiliate links, I may earn a percentage (at no cost to you) this goes to support my writing work, video and content creation online
With Audible because I love audio, especially when I'm cooking or working. There is something very powerful about listening to someone reading out to you. I love that much of the content is read by the original author. Sometimes, the author voice can emote and emphasise what they want to say in the case of Lily Singh — I love that I had read the book and then I hear her speaking her book— it sounded more impactful and powerful.
But, Audible makes you lazy and hearing is NOT reading. It's cutting all this amazing skill you would otherwise use— of using your eyes to read words and then imagine what the author was saying and then interpreting it. I know that I'm really one to talk because audible would have been helpful during my MA Exams but the journey I took reading Old Man and the Sea may get lost listening to someone reading it out to me. Just my opinion. My books stay with me forever, and I wonder if audible can replicate the same deeper connect one has to book than when you read it. I wonder if Screwtape Letter's would be more fun because in my mind it was crazy cool!
How Podcasts are different is that podcasts make you think on your toes a lot more than audio books. Podcasts are people's thoughts, feelings, opinions, and not just written word. It's far more interactive than audible because you follow the journey, the path that the podcasting is setting on (sometimes the podcaster themselves doesn't know the path). I feel podcasting is like LIVE TV which is giving you a glimpse of people's lives (what they choose to show you atleast). A book is a slice of that glimpse but it may not be as dynamic in listening as a Podcast would be.
It's definitely a personal preference thing— there are people who NEED to read, and they can't live without the process. Audible is great for a new generation, but the question will also be, is this what we want to hand over to the next generation? But that's another topic altogether. I like podcasts because they are shorter also and I can't get lost in it's content — a good book will be hard to put down even if its an audio form. Maybe harder when its in the audio form.
Imagine a husband and wife having a fight and the wife is listening to her book and the husband thinks she's hearing him lol that would be funny. Will try that soon! (lol)
Now that I'm plugging Audible, I may as well plus my podcast too, reading a book or listening to a book is much more interesting than listening to my weekly rantings in my podcast, but incase you're interested you can hear it here on my website Planetsang | Home or else Planetsang | Spotify or else Planetsang | iTunes Or on Anchor (my host)
which will direct you to Listen to my Podcast on your preferred podcasting service.
In conclusion, Audible is amazing for people who don't have time to read which unfortunately is almost everyone. We travel so much, spend so much time listening to empty spaces that including Audible is a nice medium that you can relax and 'hear a book' that you've been wanting to hear. A podcast keeps you on your toes and when your'e already on your toes in a Bombay local train maybe a book is all you need.