January 7, 2008

The Audio Advantage

A co-worker of mine was talking to a gentleman on the phone the other day. Just chatting about who we are and what we do. He was inquiring about which titles we carry were available in audio/CD format. Turns out, he likes the CDs because 1) he travels alot and 2) reading usually puts him to sleep (it helps that you can play audio virtually anywhere nowadays). Of course , his request makes perfect sense, but audio is a strange beast.

Sure, books that are popular (in the top 20 or so) usually get an audio version made, but exactly how long they remain in this state of production is a bit of a mystery. One part of the quirks is that some publishers do not have the control over what other media the book may come out in. This means another company/publisher has rights to it. Another nuance is popularity. Either the book looses popularity or gains it later on...sort of like a 'too little-too late' scenario.

Here's what's available in audio in our recent top 25!:

Meatball Sundae - #1

It's Not About the Coffee - #5

The Speed of Trust - # 8

The Starbucks Experience - #13

Juggling Elephants - #15

Basic Black - #19

Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science - #20

What Got You Here Won't Get You There - #21

There you have it! Now, this little listing may change in time due to many factors. My advice is get these while stock lasts! And if you are on-line and want to see if a book is in audio, just type the title/ISBN of the book and there should be a listing. If you don't find it there, it may still be in audio - so, just give us a call and we can check up on it for!

Posted by Roy at January 7, 2008 12:57 PM | TrackBack
Comments

Thank you. This is a great post. I am a college professor, author, speaker and father of three young daughters. I love to read but I have very little time to sit down with a book. Fortunately, I can use my time in the car to listen to great books. Your list will be helpful, since I'm always looking for recommendations that are available in audio format.

I'd like to offer an additional recommendation for your readers that want to listen to books. Audible.com is a great source of audiobooks. I've used them for the last two years and have downloaded almost 100 books right to my Ipod. It is a great service for people that listen to a lot of books.

As you mentioned, it is surprising that more books are not available in audio format. When I wrote my first book, The Four Factors of Effective Leadership, I also created an audiobook. I've sold a lot of those to people who wouldn't have had time to read the book but listened to it within a few days.

Posted by: David Rendall at January 8, 2008 12:14 PM

Thanks David!
I will keep posting updates on current top selling audios! It is frustrating when some books do not come in other formats - audible.com is a great alternative place to look for books on CD as is highbridgeaudio.com -

Posted by: Roy at January 8, 2008 4:21 PM
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