An audio book is a recording of the contents of a book read aloud. It is usually distributed on CDs, cassette tapes, or digital formats (e.g., MP3 and Windows Media Audio). The term "audio book" has been synonymous with "books on tape" for roughly twenty years. Cassette-tape sales still comprise roughly 40% of the audio book market, with CDs the other dominant format type. As of early 2006, downloadable audiobooks account for approximately 6% of the market. In the United States, the most recent sales survey (performed by the Audio Publishers' Association in 2004) estimated the industry to be worth 800 million US dollars. Current industry estimates hover at around two billion US dollars per year.

Unabridged audio books are word for word readings of a book, while abridged audio books have text edited out by the abridger. Audio books also come as fully dramatised versions of the printed book, sometimes calling upon a complete cast, music, and sound effects. Each year it the end of May or beginning of June, Audie awards are given to the top nominees for performance and production in several genre categories.

There are quite a few radio programmes serialising books, sometimes read by the author or sometimes by an actor, most of them on the BBC.

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Books, Audio and Video - Twitter Search

RT @imagemakers_uk Fusion of text, audio and video. Is this how books will develop? http://bit.ly/8k4hKr
reellives (Melissa Dopp) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:33:02 -0000
RT @imagemakers_uk Fusion of text, audio and video. Is this how books will develop? http://bit.ly/8k4hKr
Loving this 'illuminated book for the digital age'. Fusion of text, audio and video. Is this how books will develop? http://bit.ly/8k4hKr
imagemakers_uk (imagemakers) Tue, 05 Jan 2010 14:21:44 -0000
Loving this 'illuminated book for the digital age'. Fusion of text, audio and video. Is this how books will develop? http://bit.ly/8k4hKr
@DDsD any audio books/music etc. including with screen off. V Subscribe to Books,_Audio_and_Video RSS feed