It’s a fact that audio books are rapidly growing in popularity. It has been estimated that in 2008 sales in the UK alone could reach £125 million; year on year growth has been running at 20% across the UK and Europe, and is reckoned to be even faster in the USA who still tend to be 1-2 years ahead in online trends and uptake of technology (come on Europe!)

But what explains this explosive growth of audio book versions of thousands of previously mainly paper only books? What is it that makes them more than just a convenient way to "read" a book? Why are they so much more popular than cassette and CDs audio books which were around for years but never really went beyond best sellers in terms of book availability?

1) TIME - You save time, because you can listen to an audio book anywhere and everywhere, even while doing other things at the same time, for example when driving to and from work,  walking the dog, cycling, jogging, working around the house or at the computer, gardening, working out, and so on…… The list is endless.

You Kill dead time! A recent survey indicated that in the USA the average person is driving an average of 73 minutes daily; this equates  over 440 hours per annum, or 11 full-time working weeks.

Just imagine how many books you could read in that time, simply by having an MP3 player and a supply of audio books! Imagine as well that you use this time, at least in part, to listen to educational audio books? Maybe start to learn a language or improve work related skills. Wow – Think of the hundreds of hours that can now be turned to potentially very profitable or emotionally fulfilling use.

2) LOVE READING BUT...We all know the saying that time is the great enemy and it’s true! Many of us love reading but find we don’t have enough time to read as much as we’d like.

If you love reading but don't have enough time, audio books can give you the opportunity to read many more books than you would otherwise have time for. We’ve covered some of the occasions above; audio books are just a great way to fill those” dead" or wasted periods we all have in our daily lives.

Plus, unlike CDs and Cassettes, audio books on Mp3’s are tiny. There are so many more situations they can be used where CDs used to jump about, were too big or just couldn’t deal with the environment e.g., you can even get waterproof Mp3 players now or players built into Sunglasses! 

3) People who find it hard to read Audio books are ideal for older people who may find reading tedious or tiring; equally for sick people, those recovering from sickness or disabled, and can be a wonderful gift for someone in a nursing institution. This is a gift they can remember and enjoy time after time.

4) Audio books can be a blessing for blind or partially sighted people. Everyone should have the chance to experience and enjoy books and in many cases, this is the only way for such people to do so.

5) Among the most important skills a child can ever acquire is undoubtedly the ability to read, and audio books can be easily used to stimulate literacy in children; for example they can listen while following the story in the paper book, or even simply listen just to gain and improve vocabulary and communication skills. If you want to instill in your child the love of reading, audio books can be an excellent aid.

These are just a few of the many benefits , but even these few provide many good reasons for entering the exciting world of spoken books.

Want to get some? My sources here -

Free audio books and Cheap audio books

Tags: audio books, cheap audio books, free audio book, mp3 audio books

20 years ago if you were searching for a particular book you would have had to visit the Library and spend hours searching through a huge collection of books, files and catalogues – with no guarantee of finding what you wanted, even with the assistance of the librarian.

BUT THOSE DAYS ARE GONE! Now you can simply use the Internet to find whatever information you want.

If you are looking for a particular audio book, you can just visit any of the major search engines like Google and type the book title you are looking for with the word "audio book" included. This will immediately steer you in the right direction.

Alternatively, you can get the particular audio book you are looking for by going directly to audio book store websites. My very own one is -- Myaudiobookshelf-- http://www.myaudiobookshelf.com

When there use the search facility which will enable you to find the specific title you are searching for.

The procedure is very similar to using the search feature on your favorite search engine. However it is more focussed, and probably faster, as it is searching only the database of the store rather than the wider and less focussed search across the entire database of websites.

To try it just visit my shop and enter the title and/or author name you are looking for; for best results also include the term "audio book".

If you exhaust these options and are unable to find that audio book that you are looking for, visit one of the many book forums on the Internet and ask for the advice of other book enthusiasts. You will be astonished that there are many people out there who know a lot and are willing to share.

Tags: audio books, audiobook, free audio book, mp3 audio books
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