Englishtown

Storytelling on the road

It is an image as old as time: a family or an entire village sitting quietly, listening with attention as the voice of a storyteller enthralls through the power of the spoken word.

It's also an image that seems far from the hectic , on-the-go lifestyle of modern travelers.

Yet as more and more cars and minivans are sold and rented with cassette and CD players, parents, children, and all types of business professionals are increasingly turning to a very old antidote to the stresses of travel: the spoken word. In particular, travelers are rediscovering the joys of the spoken word as it is recorded on audiobooks .

As long-time audiobook listener Phil Landes of Baltimore says, "A Tale of Two Cities can make a 16-hour car trip pass very

quickly."

According to studies by the Audio Publishers Association (APA), a non-profit industry group, annual audiobook sales now exceed $2.5 billion. In the past decade, audiobook sales have grown five times faster than print book sales.

About half of all audiobook listening is done in cars or on airplanes, buses and trains. Increasingly, this listening is done as a family activity on vacations. Dominique Diambois of Miami, Fla. takes audiobooks on trips with her children. "I have complete silence in the car because everyone is busy listening to the stories."

Requests for books about specific travel locations have also become common. Recorded Books - one of the largest publishers of audiobooks in the world -

now maintains lists of books set in popular destinations like the Northeast, the West and the South to suggest for customers.

While most listeners enthusiastically recommend audiobooks to friends and family members preparing for trips, some travelers have pointed to a potential hazard : a good recording can overshadow the trip itself. Keasha Palmer from Rockford, Mich., found her entire vacation to Nova Scotia revolving around the audiobook she took along: "I raved so much about the whole experience when I returned home that my cousin said to me, 'Why didn't you just sit in your driveway and listen to Angela's Ashes-it would have been cheaper!'"

Courtesy of ARA Content, www.ARAcontent.com

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