Yes. Listening to the audiobook counts just as much as reading the book.
I used to debate this idea.
If I am listening to an audiobook – rather than reading the book – does it still count as reading the book?
One argument is that – no, it doesn’t count. You didn’t read – you listened. How is that the same?
I have an answer for that. It’s the same because listening to the reading of an audiobook impacts the brain the same way as doing the reading yourself.
How does this work?
Okay, first and foremost – I am not a scientist. I do not know and cannot explain the science of how the brain processes auditory input versus visual input.
My knowledge is from experience as both a reader of books and a regular audiobook listener.
I read at least 1 chapter each of 2 books per day. One fiction, one non-fiction. Every morning, after I get out of bed, I start my coffee, sit on my couch and read. Thus far, I have read over 40 books in 2021.
I take a few road trips a year (fewer, of course, since the pandemic hit). For those road trips, I love listening to audiobooks. And as such, I probably listen to another 5 or 6 books on a drive-heavy year.
Whether I am reading a book – or hearing it read to me – the same thing happens in my brain. I envision the scene like a movie, experience the same need to know what will happen next in a well-written story, and retain the book and various aspects of it.
For example – I have both read and listened to Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist. This is one of my favorite books – and one of few I relisten to regularly.
While I don’t often reread books – I do relisten to certain audiobooks. Why? Because of their value to me and my mind.
The impact of a book on me is the same whether I read it or listen to it.
Hence why I firmly believe that listening to the audiobook counts just as much as reading the book.
Audiobooks are not films, nor full-cast productions
With a few exceptions, audiobooks are just like the reading of the book.
Sometimes the author reads for you (I love when Neil Gaiman and Jen Sincero read their works). Other times, a different narrator does the reading (RC Bray, for example, originally read Andy Weir’s The Martian, Infinite, Infinite 2, and is brilliant. Likewise, Wil Wheaton fantastically reads Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One. And don’t even get me started on Jeremy Iron’s read of The Alchemist).
Each reader varies with the use of voices, accents, styles, and the like for characters. A really good audiobook narrator gives life to the story – without taking away from your imagination of it.
Whether I read or listen to a reader, I get the same impact and have the same appreciation for the book.
Film has interpretation. I love the film versions of The Martian and Jurassic Park – despite how they differ from the books. Unlike the books – read or listened to – the film is interpreted by the director, actors, and alterations to the story often necessitated by the 2-hour timeframe of most films.
Likewise, full-cast productions can also alter the elements of what you listen to. I love the ongoing, full-cast production of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman graphic novels. The added actors voicing the numerous characters and music helps create the visual picture inherent in the graphic novel’s story.
The experience of reading a graphic novel – and seeing the art that goes with the characters and stories – is very different from listening to it.
Listening to an audiobook can be a great use of time
When you are on a long road trip, listening to an audiobook is an excellent use of your time.
Hours of highway go by a lot faster when your inner mind is being entertained, enlightened, or otherwise engaged.
Of course, you can’t get too immersed while driving. Nobody should put themselves in danger if it’s a distraction from paying attention to the road.
For some people, audiobooks are the only way they can enjoy a book. Finding time to read otherwise might be challenging. A great way to deal with a long commute on a train or bus is by listening to an audiobook. (I can’t read in a car. Trains, boats, planes – no problem. Cars and buses? Motion sickness).
If you don’t have the time to read – and some people legitimately don’t – listening to an audiobook is still reading the book. Also, it can be a great use of the otherwise unoccupied time that might be variably given to nothing.
Additionally – the sight-impaired can’t read, in the traditional sense, at all. I would imagine that for those with vision issues audiobooks are a goldmine.
When it comes to my writing
For some of my nonfiction work, I dabbled once or twice with audiobooks. For the Forgotten Fodder series I recorded all 4 novels as audiobooks.
I spend most of November recording and editing the audio for book 4.
For the audiobooks, I am making use of my previous experience as an amateur actor and college radio DJ. Since I podcast, I have the equipment for recording and editing.
I chose a few voices and accents to differentiate various characters. I am aware that my dialects and accents have their limitations – and at least the one accent is an amalgam of Irish, Scottish, and English (look, the story takes place 550 years from now. Accents will be different. That’s my excuse and I am sticking to it).
Still, I put the time and effort to not just read my story – but rather, to engage my listener and breathe life into the characters and situations.
As a writer – it doesn’t matter to me how you choose to read my work. Listening to the audiobook counts just as much as reading the book. Either way – I appreciate you reading or hearing what I’ve done.
Thank you for being part of my ongoing journey, for joining me, and for inspiring me and my craft.
This is the one-hundred and thirty-seventh article exploring the ongoing creative process. Please take a moment to check out the collection of my published works, which can be found here.
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