Another issue I have with them is that I can't quite skim to a paragraph of interest.
I don't think fiction would work this way, too much of the plot depends on what happened on the last page. However non-fiction if you miss point B but get A, D, and part of C you are still better even if you never go back to learn what B was or fully grok C.
It would be DRM if Audible locked the file to their player with a key pairing that only they knew and refused to provide the user or forbade them from accessing via usage terms.
Again, it's great that we now know how the encryption works, and everyone should go ahead and decrypt their books. But DVD's aren't DRM Free just because the encryption format was broken a long ago.
Furthermore, Audible's usage terms do restrict you from decrypting your audiobooks! Whether you want to abide by them are of course up to you.
I’m glad it’s at least straightforward to do so now if it wasn’t in the past, even if it’s against the terms.
When I try to listen to podcasts at home my mind usually ends up drifting. And I can't stand having earbuds with music or anything else in my ears when walking. Separates me from my environment too much.
I wonder if any audiobook apps support that kind of speedup feature?
It helps to only listen to books I am interested in, can learn from. I don't listen to fiction in general because it's harder for me to follow when someone else is acting out the characters.
I’ve had huge issues with zoning out, wearing down the skip back button, skipping back a minute every two minutes, relistening to the same part five times. But it’s gotten better and better.
Now I often have blocks of 20 minutes where I don’t need to rewind.
Also keep in mind that some styles of writing (and narration!) are harder to follow than others. It might be the book/narrator that’s the issue and not the medium
Early on I did more light non-fiction and self-helpy things because I didn’t mind as much if I missed a line or two.
Talky video programs are sometimes OK. I can pay attention to them, at least, it's just that most aren't very good.
I can do the dedicated-listening thing to music but the point of podcasts is supposed to be that you can listen to them while doing something else—almost none are worth dedicated listening time. I can't manage that. I miss too much to follow WTF they're talking about, so it's just noise, and I have enough of that as it is and don't need more.
[EDIT] I also hate—hate—having the TV on as "background noise" so maybe that has something to do with it.
There are two other cases where I'll lose track while walking:
When I need to pay attention to something else like crossing the street, or passing other people on the sidewalk. Just use the skip back.
I have something on my mind that I need to process. Turn off the audio and think quietly while I walk. Sometimes it's just not a good time for books, but music is what I need.
I can't just listen to an audiobook while sitting around. I'll want to do something else, right away.
Sometimes I'll also listen to an audiobook while doing mindless chores, but the book needs to be extra interesting to make up for it, otherwise it's just not worth the distraction.
If a book is really interesting (usually something that I think is going to revolutionize my life) then I'll be listening to it every moment I can.
A little off topic but, I usually get the place I was walking, and the feeling of the book wired together in my brain.
It depends on context though. If I'm driving and listening, my attention is good enough to follow light nonfiction. If I'm washing dishes or commuting, something more conversational like a podcast is better.
Incidentally, I'd be real interested in audiobooks as supplements to books rather than just alternative mediums. Take a book like Sapiens. I like to read a book like that, using my eyes. But.. if each chapter/topic had a conversation between ynh and colleagues, students or somesuch... It makes for a nice supplement. Read the books take on the paleolithic/linguistic revolution.. and then maybe conversationally talk about alternative possibilities or the history of the idea.
Not limited to college course based books (sapiens was "intro to world history," before it was a book). "Classics" could have book club-like companion audiobooks. I'm all in if someone want to make a companion audiobook to George Orwell's essays, for example.
Secondly yes I am also at risk of zoning out but not enough to stop listening.
For example on the treadmill at the gym I have to make an effort to follow the plot sometimes, and other times it's so exciting I forget how long I've been there.
The other time I listen to audiobooks is when going to sleep. And then I do zone out, and fall asleep, that's the point. But it has happened that a book was coming to a conclusion or just so exciting that I end up staying awake for an extra hour or two just to hear it.
So it's not for everyone, just like reading isn't for everyone either. But oh man am I happy for audiobooks. I'm giving my old paper books away by the bag to make room.
Also, why are audiobooks 5 times more expensive than their dead-tree version?
https://www.amazon.com/Leviathan-Wakes-James-S-Corey/dp/0316...
https://libro.fm/audiobooks/9781478998938-leviathan-wakes
That's crazy.
Unlike Audible, it's much easier to subscribe and quickly unsubscribe. So if you want to buy a book: (1) Subscribe for $15 to get one credit (2) Use your credit to buy a book (3) Unsubscribe.
BTW, libro.fm is DRM Free.
Another way to look at it: that's 21 hours of content for $35. Doesn't seem crazy compared to, say, going to the movies or buying a $60 video game that might not even have 10 hours of gameplay.
For physical audiobooks, most of the NYC publishers priced their audiobooks based on the number of CD's the book would go on. Longer books required more recording and more CD's in a box and would be priced higher. They sold, but not that well because the relative pricing was high. You could see physical audiobook sales crater once a book moved from hardcover to paperback. I did the data analytics and was able to determine the pricing formulas that audiobook publishers were using.
Actual printing of books does not cost a lot. the materials are cheap the processes are very efficient at large volumes. That is one reason why ebooks are not always cheaper than the print versions. the print costs are small.
In any case, you may be looking for radio plays. It's sort of a niche these days but it probably takes better advantage of the medium than simply reading fiction does. (I find non-fiction audiobooks to be very hit or miss. You can't have any real dependency on maps, figures, code/equations, etc. and the content has to be simple enough that you can just go through it at a constant linear pace.)
A recent favourite was The Calculating Stars written and narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal, a former puppeteer and long-time podcaster. Her performance was enthralling and fast-paced, so I listed at 1.0x.
Years ago, I attended a Pragmatic Marketing course and the speaker started off by saying he spoke really fast but once you got used to it, you would never be bored or find your mind wandering. I remember that to this day and when I'm speaking in public, I try to keep my pace up.
The problem is that the speed up "breaks" you. Once I started listening to podcasts at higher speeds, I stopped being able to listen to slower-paced podcasts at 1.0x without losing focus.
Try listening with an increased playback speed. Make it slow enough that you can still comprehend the book, but fast enough that it requires constant attention to do so.
But, if I'm walking or driving, it tends to keep my mind more active, alert, and aids my concentration on not only the book, but the walking and driving too.