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The growing audience of audiobooks is worth noticing and is not detrimental in any form. (Image: Shutterstock)
Over the last couple of years there has been a stealthy rise in the number of people who like to indulge in audiobooks, read on to know what authors think of it
In the early 2000s audiobooks were a foreign subject but that is no longer the case anymore. With each day that passes by, there is a rise in the number of people who find audiobooks extremely convenient and easy, statistically. From 8-year-olds to 80-year-olds, anybody and everybody is using this medium to indulge in stories and more.
Shailesh Sawlani, Country Manager, India – Audible, tells News18, “Audio content has seen a massive uptick in consumption in recent years. Offering ‘listeners’ the flexibility to enjoy content on the go, audiobooks have gained considerable popularity as a screen-free form of entertainment while commuting, working out, running errands and more. Notably, we have seen customers listening to over 300,000 unique podcasts and audiobooks on the IN service in 2023, indicating their strong appreciation for the scale and breadth of our diverse catalogue.”
“With the pandemic aiding audio discoverability among consumers, more Indians are tuning in to explore audio content. As spoken-word entertainment takes centre stage in India, we are seeing a rise in the number of notable authors, creators, and narrators such as Devdutt Pattanaik, Durjoy Datta, Chetan Bhagat, Amish Tripathi, Ankur Warikoo, Rujuta Diwekar, and Vasudha Rai among others, exploring the medium to connect with their audiences in new ways,” he further adds.
While a lot of people might be under the idea that the rise of audiobooks can be extremely detrimental, based on views from the authors, that particular idea could not be far from the truth. Talking about the growing popularity of audiobooks, popular author Durjoy Datta says, “I have been an avid fan of audiobooks for quite some time now, as I think the immersive experience they offer is simply unparalleled, and that’s why more and more people gravitate towards it. Often, we may forget to carry our books or find ourselves on the go, and in such instances, audiobooks fill that void perfectly. That’s where I myself turning to audiobooks.”
He further went onto add, “I frequently purchase both the physical copy and its audio counterpart to seamlessly continue my reading journey, regardless of where I am. I firmly believe that reading a book is reading a book, irrespective of whether you hold a physical copy or listen to it. I can only see the popularity of audiobooks continuing to soar.”
Kevin Missal shares a wonderful anecdote while explaining the positive influence of audiobooks and how much it has helped people engage more and more with literature. The author said, “During the Industrial Revolution, London was going through the horse manure problem. With the rise in job opportunities, a lot of people were moving to the cities, leading to an influx of horses and subsequently, more manure. There was speculation that within five years, London would be buried under five feet of manure. However, what very few people realised was that there was an invention coming along the way, that of the car. It changed the entire game, revolutionising transportation, and no one ended up using a lot of carriages and horses henceforth.”
He further explained, “In the same way, audiobooks offer a modern solution to the clutter of physical books that we have stacked in our libraries and bookshelves. Audiobooks allows us to have all the content in one place accessible through your mobile phones. I think that is a great way to positively influence people to not worry about how books are not available at home, rather, just encourage them to listen to whatever they want.”
Author Devdutt Pattanaik has been actively working on producing audiobooks for a while now, he believes, “For thousands of years, Indians shun writing, and we prefer oral transmission. And I think this is a new form of the old traditional model of oral transmission. So, it is nothing new for me.”
“Audiobooks is another way of learning things. They’re not the complete way and they’re not the only way. But they’re far better than watching social media that lets you taste a lot of things but digest nothing,” says the author of ‘The Pregnant King.’
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