Infographic

A Brief History Of Audiobooks

Audiobooks are becoming increasingly popular and many people are choosing to listen to books instead of reading them. In fact, audiobooks is the fastest growing sector in the digital publishing industry. According to the Audio Publishers Association, 50% of Americans age 12 and older have listened to an audiobook and that 56% of audiobook listeners are actually making time to listen to audiobooks. The market is picking up in India as well with several services, such as Storytel and Audible, entering the market in the past two years.

However, contrary to popular belief, audiobooks are not a modern invention. In fact, ever since Edison invented the phonograph in 1877, they have been around in some form or the other. In this infographic, we trace the history of audiobooks from 1877 to the present day and show you how audiobooks have evolved over the years.

Bibliography

Images

  1. https://blogs.voanews.com/all-about-america/2016/03/16/innovation-leader-us-could-soon-lose-its-edge/
  2. https://www.loc.gov/nls/about/organization/other-writings-talking-rooms/1931talkingbookreaders_555x444/
  3. https://gizmodo.com/the-first-audiobooks-were-invented-for-blind-americans-1620940467
  4. https://200.hc.com/stories/caedmon-records-and-audiobooks/
  5. https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/about-the-library/library-history/history-of-childrens-services.jsp
  6. https://blogs.bl.uk/english-and-drama/2013/08/the-first-audiobook-.html
  7. https://eduscapes.com/history/contemporary/1960.htm
  8. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/a-short-history-of-the-audiobook-20-years-after-the-first-portable-digital-audio-device
  9. https://www.audible.com/about/our-company/?year=1997
  10. https://www.linkedin.com/company/storytel-india/
  11. https://entrackr.com/2018/01/google-launches-audiobooks-india/
  12. https://www.kathacafe.com/products/ouija_board_akhil_p_dharmajan
  13. https://www.audible.com/about/our-company/?year=2018

Text

  1. https://bookriot.com/2016/06/28/a-brief-history-of-the-audiobook/
  2. http://www.silksoundbooks.com/history-of-audiobooks.html
  3. https://www.audiopub.org/uploads/images/backgrounds/A-HISTORY-OF-AUDIOBOOKS.pdf
  4. https://blogs.bl.uk/english-and-drama/2013/08/the-first-audiobook-.html
  5. http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/kochi/2018/mar/21/first-malayalam-audio-novel-ouija-board-launched-1790070.html
  6. https://www.voices.com/blog/_evolution_of_audiobooks_continued/
  7. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/a-short-history-of-the-audiobook-20-years-after-the-first-portable-digital-audio-device
  8. https://www.deccanherald.com/metrolife/audiobooks-slow-pick-pace-720483.html
  9. https://nextbigwhat.com/audiobooks-in-india/
  10. https://entrackr.com/2018/01/google-launches-audiobooks-india/