News from Live Oak Media

There has been a great deal of interest in evolving technology and the new electronic formats. But we'd like to focus on a format that we continue to support and sell - cassettes! Debra & Arnie Cardillo share their thoughts:

What are your thoughts on audio downloads?
We have our older audiobook titles available for download through Overdrive and Audible, as well as on Playaway units. We think these formats make sense for the older listener. Younger listeners, however, continue to do well with the tried and true, old fashioned cassettes. The cassettes are durable, and the format is easier for smaller hands to manage.

Do you think listening habits are changing?
Clearly, more people are listening to books on audio, even in our young market. Three year olds are on computers and kids are growing up far more techno-savvy than we did, and even more so than our young adult children did, so that certainly means change. But there's still a vast number of children holding books in their hands, looking at the illustrations while being read to by a person, or listening to the story on cassette or CD while reading along. We don't have statistics, just feedback from teachers and librarians who work with this age group and are quite loyal to the formats. And, many don't have the budgets to convert hundreds of books & audio in their classrooms and libraries to the latest technological trend.

How do you feel about hearing computer-generated voice reading of text as in the Kindle?
We think it has application for adult listeners who are interested in hearing informational material, like the news, rather than listening to a good book. The narrator's performance is one of the most important criteria in creating a good audiobook - listeners are expecting (and deserve) an effective and entertaining narration of the book. A computer generated voice is no match for a great narrator.

In the case of readalongs, the need for a professional narrator or actor to read the text becomes even more essential for a good reading & listening experience. Children's books, especially picture books and beginning readers, have multiple characters, often from all genus of the animal kingdom, and part of the fun for young listeners is having the opportunity to hear the various characters come to life on the illustrated pages of the book. We don't think children will be too excited about reading and listening to picture books if a monotone computerized voice is reading to them; rather, they need a voice that captures the nuances of the characters and readalong pacing that is designed to hold their interest.

How do you think your authors feel about the technology?
We think authors are interested in new ways to get their books out to readers, listeners, moviegoers, etc., just like the publishers are. It's exposure, and nobody minds having a new revenue stream, as long as it's expanding their markets and not reducing them. And, as long as it's not compromising the quality of what they've created.

What impact will these new formats have on children's book and audio publishing?
It's probably too early to tell. Book and audio publishers continue to grapple with new technologies and try to understand their places in the market. At Live Oak Media, we do our best to accommodate our customers, and as long as they continue to request the traditional formats, we'll continue to offer them. At the same time, we are venturing into the world of technology -- as long as whatever format we put out there enables us to keep our high standards of production and delivery intact. We owe that to our ultimate customers - the children who are reading and listening.