Future of Audiobooks

I think the Audiobook industry is going to boom! Or at least I hope it does.

With electronic devices becoming increasingly more popular, it is my hope that Audiobooks will continue to become more popular. You might wonder why I'd want this...

Well it's mostly because of the narrators. There are many things that make up a good Audiobook, the story, the writing, the characters - all these things are true of a good book too. But what makes a GREAT Audiobook is the narrator. I've listened to books that are wonderful! And while I can honestly say that the books are really great, I must give credit where it's due. The narrators of the following books are what do it for me the most:

• The Highlander Series by Karen Marie Moning Narrated by Phil Gigante
• The In Death Series by J.D. Robb (Nora Roberts) Narrated by Susan Ericksen
• The Help by Kathryn Sockett Narrated by Janna Lamia, Cassandra Campbell, Bahni Turpin, and Octavia Spencer
• The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling Narrated by Jim Dale

There are also many, many books I've started listening too and then decided that I just didn't like the narrators and couldn't listen to anymore. Two series in particular that I LOVE, and really had a hard time listening to on audio would be The Twilight Saga, and The Hunger Games Series. In both instances, I found the narrators to be stiff and not convincing. I mean, I want the story to be read as if it really IS the characters. They have to act out the part, not read and change the voices slightly for character changes. I really hope that eventually there will be a competitive market for Audiobooks, and that the productions will be a competition for who does it best. Wouldn't that be fun?

Of course that will likely mean they will cost more, and that is something I DO NOT want to happen!