Comments for Don't be Silly - The Kindle 2 is No Threat to Audiobooks

Don't be Silly - The Kindle 2 is No Threat to Audiobooks

2009-02-25T18:03:36Z

A few weeks ago, just after the introduction of the new Kindle 2, the Authors Guild complained that Amazon's eBook reader had a text-to-speech function. According to Paul Aitken, the Guild's executive director, this meant that Amazon would have to pay for audio rights for every book downloaded onto the device. Today, Roy Blount Jr., the Guild's president, echoed this sentiment in an op-ed piece in the New York Times.

]]> This somewhat odd piece by Blount opens with a comment about how the author's father died because he was the president of too many 'well-meaning organizations.' While it is not clear that this has anything to do with the Kindle 2, it is surely meant to set the mood for the rest of the article.

Blount argues that the Kindle is sold and marketed as a "new, improved, multimedia version of books." That is a strange statement, given that Amazon barely mentions the text-to-speech functionality on its own site (though, granted, Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos does mention it whenever he talks about the Kindle 2 in public).

Bout also argues that the voices of the Kindle 2 are "quite listenable." And indeed, the text-to-speech function of the Kindle 2 represents the current state-of-the-art when it comes to commercially available screen readers. But nobody would want to listen to these voices for a long period of time. They still can't replace the work of experienced voice talent and can become rather annoying if you have to listen to them for too long.

As Henry Blodget points out, authors are already getting paid for the sale of the book on the Kindle, and now they (or the Guild members that represent them) also want to get paid for the audio rights on top of this. Maybe more importantly, it should also be acknowledged that most users might never make use of the text-to-speech feature in the Kindle, so Amazon would have to charge users extra for a right they might never make use of.

Sadly, instead of lauding Amazon for bringing the book into a new era (or at least trying to do so), the Authors Guild has decided to focus its efforts on arguing about what is essentially a non-issue.

Comment from Jeff on 2009-02-25

2009-02-25T18:41:42Z

but the kindle is a threat to home libraries and print books.

Sign the petition to bundle e-books with print versions: http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?key=p8mHGojrK_KP7Zm0eEFS6Gw

Comment from andjules on 2009-02-25

2009-02-25T19:32:59Z

unfortunately, part of your argument is that the voices aren't very good. The guild is right to ignore that point: if they don't fight it now, in 5 or 10 or 15 years, text-to-speech may become so fluent and properly-inflected that it really does pose a threat to the audiobook industry.

I do, however, agree that I shouldn't be charged for audio-rights if I may/probably won't use that function, and if I've already paid the literary rights. Audiobooks are sold without the printed material, usually.

Comment from Andrew Hedges on 2009-02-25

2009-02-25T20:26:40Z

This is reminiscent of the music industry, which had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the digital age. Surprisingly, despite the incredible success of online music sales, they still resist. The Authors Guild needs to get out of the Middle Ages and discover ways to embrace the changing role of textual media.

Comment from Scott on 2009-02-25

2009-02-25T20:51:01Z

Perhaps the Guild would also like to see a levy on parents and teachers who read books aloud to their children...

Comment from Bob on 2009-02-25

2009-02-25T20:52:40Z

I think this fight is premature. Sure, the voices on the kindle are better than, say, the old speak and spell. But, they're still not pleasant to listen to.

I'm sure a few people will try to save a few bucks by buying the kindle version of a book and using the text to speech function rather than purchasing the audiobook. But, I'd bet they'd only do it once.

At some point, the voices on the text to speech function will improve to the point where they'll be a viable alternative to an audiobook. And, at that point, they should start discussing whether or not to charge for audio rights. But, that time isn't here yet.

Comment from Chris R on 2009-02-25

2009-02-25T21:32:11Z

This is the cost of technology. How many outside of the newspaper industry are crying about the Internet taking over newspapers?

Comment from Phil Dunn on 2009-02-25

2009-02-25T23:15:08Z

Hey - here's an idea. Why don't we charge music fans to read the lyrics to songs? And a premium charge to decipher backwards played vinyl with lyrics like "Paul is dead." And maybe we could bundle Broadway plays with their movie versions... or force movie-goers to buy the book the movie was based on. Wow - the layers to this are dizzying.

Comment from D on 2009-02-28

2009-02-28T16:54:52Z

Couldn't this be framed as an issue of accessibility for the visually impaired? Braille doesn't appear to be an option for the kindle and operating systems such as OS X can already have text-to-speech options. It doesn't seem right that as a consumer you need to be charged twice to receive the content communicated in two different ways (i.e. visual or auditory)

Comment from Fred P. on 2009-06-02

2009-06-02T17:58:25Z

Cigars

"Hey - here's an idea. Why don't we charge music fans to read the lyrics to songs? And a premium charge to decipher backwards played vinyl with lyrics like "Paul is dead." And maybe we could bundle Broadway plays with their movie versions... or force movie-goers to buy the book the movie was based on. Wow - the layers to this are dizzying."

Haha... Yea, there's no way Kindle is going to replace books. That's just absurd. It is pretty neat though and it'd be nice if all of your college books came with it.

Comment from Jemmy Bryant on 2009-08-16

2009-08-17T04:40:31Z

Kindle 2 is a good device. That will definitely help people who have eye problems they can use it to read books, novels, and even news paper.The sound quality is good.The size of Kinddle 2 is also big. It's even 3 times bigger than a small digital camera.Also according to me very soon Kindle 2 will be replaced by something else which will have some other features as well.