What was the question again?
I mean, this topic could be do we listen to them or do we like to have the books we write in audiobook format?
My answer to both: YES!
(By the way, the awesome pic above is my superheroine alter ego, provided to me by sister Word Whore, Linda Robertson. Isn't it PERFECT?)
Okay, back to the topic at hand. I love listening to audiobooks. They make doing housework actually pleasurable. I'm always looking for more opportunities to fit in reading time, so being able to listen to a book while I take care of necessary chores is awesome.
I also love that my books are sometimes converted to audiobook format. I wish they all were! So far, of the eighteen books I have out (as of July 13, with the release of my latest erotic romance UNDER CONTRACT), five are available in audio format. I particularly love the cover they made specially for the audio version of THE MARK OF THE TALA. Because I'm working primarily with traditional publishing, whether to produce an audio version of my books is not up to me. I've never gone that way with any of my self-published books, but I'm considering it. At a signing for the THE TALON OF THE HAWK, a faithful reader asked if there were plans to put the other Twelve Kingdoms books in audio. She's already read them all, but she likes to listen to her favorites while walking. I had to tell her "not yet," which is all my publisher will tell me. If they don't do it, I might see if I can get the rights to do it on my own. One thing I notice about my audiobooks, however, is that reader ratings are significantly lower for them than other formats - by pretty much an entire star. I think this is related to the impact the narrator has on the experience. Jen Twimom has a great series on her review blog called Listen Up! where she specifically reviews audiobooks. She tries to split out the story from the narration, which I appreciate. The biggest error in all of my audiobooks - which makes me cringe every time I think about it - is with RUBY. My New Orleans chef hero calls the heroine "chère," which is a common endearment in that region. But it's pronounced like "share," and the freaking narrator pronounced them all as "sharee." Which is French (though it would be spelled "cherie"), NOT New Orleans.
Alas. So it goes.
What do you all think? Do you like audiobooks? Any cringeworthy tales to tell?
