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Dear Author's Guild.
Apr. 8th, 2009 09:13 amGet over yourselves.
The argument about e-book 'text to speech' features cutting into profits from audiobooks only highlights your assholishness.
1. If there were audiobooks for every book out there, a text to speech feature wouldn't be necessary, but audiobooks are only put out for high-demand sellers and usually not available until months after the print book is available. There are no audiobooks for, say, Lonely Planet guidebooks, and even if there were, there would be no menu to let the listener choose which chapter to go to, which an e-book offers.
2. The person who purchases an e-book and uses text to speech HAS STILL PAID FOR THE BOOK. If there's a loss from sales of audiobooks, even though people are still paying for the same product in another format, that tells me the audiobook prices are way too high.
3. The text to speech is a robot voice. It's useful so the blind can 'read' the book in a timely fashion and keep up with current discussion on it, or so they can 'read' a greater variety of books while waiting for the audiobook to come out. It's not the same as enjoying James Earl Jones reading a new best seller. People who want a soothing voice to listen to will still buy the audiobooks, but it should not be the only choice blind people have.
Way to alienate your audience, Author's Guild.
The argument about e-book 'text to speech' features cutting into profits from audiobooks only highlights your assholishness.
1. If there were audiobooks for every book out there, a text to speech feature wouldn't be necessary, but audiobooks are only put out for high-demand sellers and usually not available until months after the print book is available. There are no audiobooks for, say, Lonely Planet guidebooks, and even if there were, there would be no menu to let the listener choose which chapter to go to, which an e-book offers.
2. The person who purchases an e-book and uses text to speech HAS STILL PAID FOR THE BOOK. If there's a loss from sales of audiobooks, even though people are still paying for the same product in another format, that tells me the audiobook prices are way too high.
3. The text to speech is a robot voice. It's useful so the blind can 'read' the book in a timely fashion and keep up with current discussion on it, or so they can 'read' a greater variety of books while waiting for the audiobook to come out. It's not the same as enjoying James Earl Jones reading a new best seller. People who want a soothing voice to listen to will still buy the audiobooks, but it should not be the only choice blind people have.
Way to alienate your audience, Author's Guild.