In many respects, appeal factors for e-books are the same for print: tone, setting, pacing, and so on. There are traits of the format that go beyond those factors. E-books are so portable and convenient; users with devices and Internet access can get and read books anywhere at any time. They can carry them almost anywhere; several of my older patrons who receive home delivery and could no longer physically hold books rely exclusively on e-books.
The format also offers readers more choices. E-publishing allows writers a format for distribution that would otherwise not exist. I have noticed many romance and erotica requests I received have only been available in a digital format.*
Audiobooks are different than print books because readers are relying on narrators to relay the story to them. Cadence, accents, tone, and pitch must be considered in an audiobook. Jim Dale's narration of the Harry Potter series has received many accolades, and readers who consumed the series in print also enjoyed it in audio because of the narrator. There are books that my patrons can't get into because the narrator was poor; one patron who had already read and liked Slaughterhouse Five couldn't handle listening to Ethan Hawke's voice.
The voice gives life to characters that readers would otherwise create in their imaginations. If those are too dramatically different, it will alienate readers. Multiple narrators, varying in age and gender, like with Emma Donoghue's Room should be taken into consideration. Hearing a five-year-old character in the voice of a child (really an adult female voice actor, but still) made quite an impact and gave Jack's story an urgency that I can't say it would have had in my head.
*There is a market for dinosaur erotica. I am as surprised as you are.
Hi Darcy,
ReplyDeleteI thought you were kidding until I Googled: dinosaur erotica. I'm glad that wasn't a genre option for this class! Your really sound like an enthusiastic digital reader. I would love to know your sources for readers' advisory.
Suzanne, I actually don't read many e-books, though when I'm in a bind for book club, I will read in my browser on OverDrive. I really like NoveList Plus and Fantastic Fiction for readers' advisory. Fantastic Fiction will list all of an author's work, including exclusively digital formats.
DeleteFull points on your prompt. Also, if you want the giggles for hours read up on ebook author Chuck Tingle, there is literally a market for everything. Also, I hope there never comes a day when dinosaur erotica is so prevalent that it needs to be a genre discussed in this class :)
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