The Search For Unabridged Audio Books

You must have heard about abridged and unabridged versions of books. You must have wondered too what the difference is between them. Abridged books are condensed ones. They are shortened forms of original manuscripts. Traditionally condensing is done to make any book that's biblical in length sound interesting to readers.

Now that audio books have become fad and traditional books are turned into audio files, you can listen to abridged and unabridged versions of books on audio. Primarily, this is done to cut production costs for audio book manufacturers. Imagine reading the classic Cinderella without an elaborate rendition of Cinderella's plight with her step family? What about reading the Superman series in shortened form?

Most people read books because they want to experience the whole story and its characters or the whole 12 rules for business engagement. They want every detail to be included, not a summary or a general statement of concepts discussed. That's the same thing with audio books. This is where unabridged audio books take the lead. They are for readers who want to have the original manuscripts as if fresh from the hands of the author. It is for those who want to read Gabriel Garcia Marquez's novels in Spanish. A full-length audio book on The Art of War, for example, is not a mere semblance of the real thing. It is the real thing.

Perhaps the best thing that you can get from an unabridged audio book is more listening pleasure for a lower price. The problem resides on how much time people can spend reading; hence, the abridged books and audio books.

There are people who opt to read or listen to the original transcript of famous reading materials; but since most audio books are shortened, they rarely find the audio books that they want. The truth is they can be found in places where traditional books are sold whether online or off. In traditional bookstores, they have a certain section where unabridged book versions are found. Online, you can find new, used, and even rental unabridged books and audio books. There are also online bookstores that hold a vast collection of unabridged audio books in affordable prices.

Most of these bookstores only have the classic tales in unabridged versions of audio books. You look for one that has a complete list of all unabridged audio books whether it's fiction or non-fiction.

For those who thirst for the real thing, here is the complete list of all your favorite unabridged audio books: unabridged audiobooks

When you happen to have an audio book in mind, go search for it here: audiobooks

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Oneil

How to Load Converted MP3 Audio Books Files Onto Your iPod

If you have already completed converting your free audio books download MP3 files into several iPod track files, you will now need to complete the following steps to be sure your free audio book download can be played on your iPod. These are simple steps to help you ensure your audio book will play correcting and in the right order on your iPod.

Once you have converted the MP3 files, you will find duplicates of every track of the book. You can click on the "Kind" column header to sort out these files by file type. This is an easy way to select all of the MP3 files and delete them. After you have deleted these files, be sure to click on the "Move to Trash" button so you can regain the disk space.
Now select all of the AAC formatted files.

At the "File" menu, click on "Get Info". You will see a window entitled "Multiple Song Information". Here you need to enter all the information that is the same for all tracks like the author, free audio books title, and genre. Finish by clicking on the "OK" button.

Select the first part or track of the book. Go again to "Get Info" under the "File" menu. Now you should see all of the individual tracks available for this book. Now comes the somewhat tedious part. You will probably have to rename each track.

Try using the book title followed by the track number and then the number of total tracks. Add an additional zero if your total tracks are more than ten or these tracks won't sort correctly. (3/32 should be 03/32) Abbreviate the title if it is long or your track numbers maybe off your iPod screen, especially if you have an iPod mini.

Now go to the "Options" menu. Check the line "Remember playback" and be sure to uncheck the shuffling options. This probably would ruin the mood of your book! Now continue renaming your iPod tracks and clicking the appropriate playback buttons for your entire free audio books download tracks.

It may take you a little while to complete this, but it's better than having to swap out ten to fifteen audio book CD's. Save your work and you are now ready to sit back and enjoy your new free audio book on your iPod.

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5 Reasons Why Audio Books Are Better Than Paper Books

Audio books have gone crazy in popularity in the last couple of years. The technology involved, number of titles published added to the realization of the benefits that audio books can offer have combined to bring them very much into the mainstream as a genuine alternatives to paper back or hard back books. Indeed in many situations they offer much more than a traditional book could, for example, you can't learn a language from a paper book while walking the dog can you? Of course not, but with an audio book you can!

So it's no surprise that people are going mad for audio books. Here are just a few of the advantages that audio books have over normal hardcover or paperback books:

1) You can make incredibly constructive use of dead time. Time that would be otherwise impossible to fill with a normal book. For example, listen to a section of a hyper motivational audiobook while on the way to work.

You'll not only learn but also save the time spent reading such a book. More than that though, a book is a passive device that you have to draw information out of.

An audio book by contrast pushes it at you. In the example of motivational audio books that's a massive advantage as you can get the worlds best motivators giving you a pre work pep talk every day. That will, I absolutely guarantee you, energize you for the day ahead.

2) Audio books are much more cost effective and environment friendly than hardback and paperbacks. Very simply they don't need trees to be cut down and greenhouse gases released to produce them.

3) With mp3 player functions such as mid track resume, bookmarking or simple visual chapter selection you can flip through them easily and quickly. Pick up where you left off or find a place easily again just like that.

4) You can listen to an audio book when it's dark (example - walking the dog at night when you have no lights). So, with an audio book you can still 'read' no matter what the time or situation. I find them great when out fishing at night when you don't want to use a light but do want to have a book going.

5) Get the kids to sleep easier - With an audio book, unlike a normal book you can simply play it for them until they fall asleep. Plus with audio books specifically for children the narrator(s) are expert actor/speakers trained to read children's books so they make them loads of fun and then there are extras like the sound effects that really bring it to life better than you can (sorry to say but it's true!)

So why not go and check out some audiobooks today and find out for yourself how useful and how fun they are. There are loads of free audio books as well so you can test the water for free as well.

From London, Nick now lives in Sweden Lena his wife, and Gunnar a fluffy Border Terrier. He likes long walks which he combines with learning Swedish from audio books. He runs http://www.myaudiobookshelf.com where you'll find 8000+ audio books to download, monthly special offers http://www.myaudiobookshelf.com/specialOffers.aspx and links to a vast but little known network of free audio book websites. Sign up to his email list or download an audio book and you'll get access to his full list of free audio book sites!

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Why Are Mp3 Audio Books So Popular?

Blame it on Apple the creators of iPod or the makers of its predecessor the MP3 player or old Mr. Jim Harris, a computer programmer in Memphis, who landed on the pages of New York Times who was able to read rather than listen to about 54 unabridged audio books. Guys, he only read four books, but calls himself a lifelong bookworm.

So what have really made people get hooked to MP3 audio books? Let us try to review first the concept of reading. Is it in any way superior to listening? That's not right; think again. The modern world just discovered that there's an easy way for a book to get along with the "cool" concept. It made itself not just hip with its sleek design device; it made itself more portable. Oh come on, would you rather bring a hardbound Harry Potter Volume 6 than your iPod where you can actually hear great Dumbledore as he reigns over Hogwarts?

It might be why the National Endowment for the Arts said that fewer Americans are reading than a decade ago. A third of them they say are listening to MP3, iPod, CDs and DVDs. It is said that audio books have redefined reading. Where it used to be an activity that requires devoted time; it can now be a part of your daily routine. Digital audio that can be downloaded on MP3 has led into numerous converted readers. Why it might suffice that the smallest iPod can hold up to four books. You might even like the latest version where you can speed up narrations without increasing pitch.
Technology has a way of changing things, but of course what do the literati think? They still are loyal to the written word, saying actors' breathing on audio might not lend justice to it. But if this is the only way for common people to understand and appreciate literature, then let people listen to the word than never to read it at all.

Deep reading as critics say has fairly diminished, as it requires the inner and outer ear. The truth is, reading can still be there, but when it's almost rush hour and you're in bottle-neck traffic, who would like to open Gabriel Garcia Marquez's thick paperback of One Hundred Years of Solitude? Not Mr. Harris who has the latest iPod.

For those who thirst for the real thing, here is the complete list of all your favorite audio books: unabridged audiobooks When you happen to have an audio book in mind, go search for it here: audiobooks Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jim_Oneil

Advantages of Audiobooks

With advancements in technology came the new arrival of what are now known as audiobooks. Audiobooks are downloadable and come in many different formats, the two most dominant are MP3 and WMA formats.

Audio books can be played on all sorts of media from MP3 players, computers, or other devices that support either or both these formats. Audiobooks have many advantages over normal books as they don't take up room in your house. You can store hundreds if not thousands of audiobooks on a device like an MP3 player and the only room they take up is megabytes space on the hard drive of the device. Whereas say 1,000 normal books would take a lot more space in your home than 1,000 audiobooks would.

Audiobooks can be downloaded straight away from the internet. You can go straight to a website find the audiobook you want and simply click to download the file. Depending on the size of the file depends on the time it takes to download but in all it should not take more than a few minutes to download. As well as instant download you can almost certainly start listening to the audiobook straight away as long as the device you have plays either MP3 or WMA. On a computer you can play them with your standard media player, it's that simple. Once the audiobook is on your computer you can start listening to it. There’s no waiting for it to arrive in the post or at your local bookshop.

The audiobook can also be copied over to other devices like MP3 players or copied onto a disc to be played in your stereo system. Once you have downloaded the audiobook file you can make multiple copies of the file and store it on the other devices. Since audiobooks come in Mp3 or WMA format they never get torn, wear with age or get damaged by other substances. They do not get scratch or become unplayable like compact discs do. You can make extra copies or multi copies it makes no difference to the quality of the audiobook.

Audio books are fantastic for people with any visual impairment. They can listen to books without the need to read via Braille. As well people with vision impairment can listen to any book they have ever wanted to read as most publishers are making available new releases plus older books in audio form. Audio books are great for little children as well as older juveniles. Younger children don’t need to be able to read to listen to a great audiobook and older juveniles can listen to audiobooks more advanced for their age as they listen and don’t need any comprehension of the written text which is more advanced for their age.

Audio books can be enjoyed while doing other tasks such as washing, exercising, jogging, sitting, sitting in a waiting room or while lying on the beach. Audiobooks give you the ability to do more than one thing at once. As you can see from just these few examples audiobooks have a lot more advantages over normal books and audiobooks may well be the way books go in the future.

Jia Hunter is an avid audiobook follower and listener. He runs an information website that provides download able audiobooks from the world leading publishers’ titles. He offers regular special bonuses and offers as well as free download able audiobooks. So take advantage of this and go to the online audiobook store at http://www.heartmagik.com

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What are Audio Books?

Technology brings us new products every week and sometimes keeping up with the trends can seem to be a full time job.

In the next few paragraphs I will answer a few of the most common questions to do with audio books, what they are and who can use them.

Firstly, what are audio books??
Audio Books are quite simply a book that has been recorded as an audio version so that you can have the book read to you, rather than you having to read the hardcopy yourself.

Where can I get an audio book from??
You can buy audio books from the bookstore, as you would a normal hardcopy book, but the more popular option these days is to buy one online and download it straight to your home computer.
There are several advantages to this. The most obvious one is the convenience of not having to leave the house and fight with other customers. The other is that, quite often, downloadable audio books are cheaper than store bought ones.
There are many websites that you can download audio books from. My favourite is http://www.spokenword-audiobook.com
They have a huge range of titles.
The download process is simple.
There is no extra software to install and best of all…
No membership that you have to sign up for. (Many sites charge a monthly fee to be a member of their site)

What do I use to listen to an audio book?
If you buy an audio book from a store it will already be on cassette or cd.
If you download one from the internet, you will be able to listen to it straight from your computer, or you can copy it onto a cd yourself or onto an mp3 player.
Both of these are easy processes and mean that your book is now very portable. You will be able to listen to your book wherever you can take your cd player or mp3 player, in other words, pretty much anywhere. In the car, walking, at the beach, doing housework, traveling interstate or overseas, etc…

What is a dramatized audio book?
A dramatized audio book is a book that is narrated using a full cast, music and sound effects so that you get a real life dramatization of the book.

What is an abridged audio book?
An abridged audio book is one that has been shortened to read more like a story. It is not read word for word.

What is an unabridged audio book?
An unabridged audio book is one that is read word for word from the original hardcopy.

These are a few answers to questions people may have on audio books. Audio books have so many advantages especially if you are able to download them off the internet yourself.
They can make excellent gifts if you were to copy a book onto cd and make a personalized cover for the case.
Not only are you giving the gift of reading, but you are introducing them to the world of audio books and all its advantages.
So start browsing the endless list of titles today. At http://www.spokenword-audiobook.com they even have a FREE audio book available every month so you can trial their easy 3 step system risk free.
Catch up on your reading today!!

Angela Bryson is a registered nurse, wife and mother of 3 young children. She has a strong sense of family values and enjoys sharing her ideas and advice on how to find that balance between work, family and down time.

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