The NOs of Audiobooks

Shelf Respect

In this episode of Shelf Respect, the hosts dive into the frustrations and pet peeves surrounding audiobooks, from narrator choices to indus

Key takeaways

Many listeners prefer physical books for deep reading but use audiobooks during commutes or multitasking.
The audiobook industry is growing rapidly, with a 9% increase in sales and a 43% rise in titles added to audio formats.

Main topics

Audiobook industry growth
Narrator authenticity and gender casting

Notable quotes

"I don't think I want a man narrating any fiction." – Erin Mirren

Conclusion

The hosts agree that while audiobooks offer convenience and accessibility, poor

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:10) Hello and welcome to Shelf Respect, the book podcast focused on both the craft and chaos of fiction. I'm Knox McCoy. Join me as always. They both refused $40 million NDAs after giving birth to Elon Musk's children. It's Jamie Golden and Erin Mirren. Speaker 2 (0:21) Gross. Would Speaker 1 (0:22) I do Speaker 2 (0:22) that? No. Ashley St. Clair Speaker 1 (0:25) did. She's in the news because she did turn that down. So I'm like, if you're going to have the baby, Speaker 2 (0:30) just Speaker 1 (0:31) go and take them 40 million, you know, like you already had Speaker 2 (0:34) a Speaker 1 (0:34) baby with them. Speaker 2 (0:35) If you've laid down with the devil. Yeah. Speaker 1 (0:38) Yeah. I actually, I think the devil is more impressive. You know, I think there's more of a, like the, I believe in a version of the devil that's like kind of compelling and interesting. Yeah. Speaker 2 (0:48) I know. Kind of hot. Do you think the devil is hot? Like, let's hear him out. Let's hear him out. Yeah. Speaker 1 (0:52) And Speaker 2 (0:52) Elon Musk by nature is clammy. Speaker 3 (0:55) I was just about to say Speaker 2 (0:56) the exact same thing. He feels moist. He's so damp all the time. Speaker 1 (1:01) Moist and clammy. That's a terrible Speaker 3 (1:04) combo. Like a cold hot dog. Speaker 1 (1:06) Hot Speaker 3 (1:07) dog water. Brutal. Brutal. Speaker 1 (1:10) Cold and clam is the MJ, Scottie Pippen reverse of duos. Like, don't do that. So in this episode, we will be talking about the nose of audiobooks. Speaker 2 (1:18) But before we do that, if you ever want to see, are you like, hey, where are all these books listed? Where can I find a fun list? Does Erin like to read? What are her favorite books of the 21st century? Well, guess what? You can find them. You can find all the books that we love sorted into an organizational dream scenario. And bonus, you get to support a local indie bookstore by going to our bookshop storefront. You can go to bookshop.org slash shop slash. Shelf respect. The link is in the show notes. And look, the great thing is the order is filled. This is actually a great concept because your order is filled by the distributor of Bookshop and then the full profit. from your book, 100 % of the profit goes to the bookstore that you select when you shop there. So it's a great way to support an indie bookstore. We have lists like our Shelf Respect school reading list recs, books that defined each decade of our lives, the good, the bad, and the annoying in historical fiction. So if you're looking for like, you're like, I want to add to my TBR, it's empty, I made it, I got to zero, then head again to the link in the show notes, and you can add any number of books that we've left to your list. Speaker 1 (2:26) Okay. Knows of audio books. Let's do a little ground set here. What percentage of your reading, Erin, is audio books versus physical books? Speaker 3 (2:37) It's probably 50-50. I'm not doing anything in my car other than listening to audio books. So I'm Speaker 2 (2:45) taking kids to practice. I'm coming to work. I'm listening to an audio book. So I can motor Speaker 3 (2:50) through those pretty Speaker 2 (2:50) good. Speaker 3 (2:52) But I am also still... I mean, I have like eight books going on at all times, which is stupid and probably chaotic. But yeah, I love an audiobook situation. I've got every audiobook app that there is. I've got Audible. I have Libero. No? Librio? How do you say it? Oh, Speaker 1 (3:13) Libro. Libro? Libro. Speaker 3 (3:16) Libro. Libro. There it is. I found it. You guys helped. Thanks. Libby. Hoopla. Like all of it. I love them so much. Speaker 1 (3:25) I Speaker 3 (3:25) don't know about Speaker 1 (3:25) Hoopla. Speaker 3 (3:26) Hoopla? Yes. Canopy? Hoopla's like Libby's cousin that nobody talks about, but she's kind of hot. Okay. She's cute. Speaker 1 (3:36) She needs to take her glasses off. She needs to take her glasses Speaker 3 (3:39) off. That's all. I appreciate Speaker 1 (3:40) Book of the Month. trying to do audiobooks, but stop. I don't like what you're doing. No one does. And I Speaker 2 (3:47) also like that they're never the books that are also the main books of the month. They're like, no, no, it's the Edgar Allan Poe thing. You want it? Do you want that? Hey, hey, Speaker 1 (3:57) hey, you want to listen to Absalom Absalom? You want that? What? As I Lay Dying? Speaker 2 (4:03) A new release, Speaker 1 (4:04) please. We don't do that here. But Speaker 2 (4:06) it's read by Kristen Stewart. Speaker 2 (4:10) You're into it a little bit. Yeah. Speaker 1 (4:12) Jamie, what is your breakdown? It Speaker 2 (4:14) would probably be 10%. I don't, I listened to my first fiction on audio in completion for the first time, literally. Speaker 2 (4:24) I've done two in 20 years. Speaker 1 (4:27) Two in 20 years. Thank you for your service. Yes. So I Speaker 2 (4:30) see you've called in dead by John Kenny. The other one was Magnolia Park. The British juicy book. And I liked it, but I was like, I don't want to do this again. This was it was just because I was in the car and I was trying to knock out a fiction. And I was like, and I was having a rough reading month, but it's not, it's only 10%. When I listen to a ton of podcasts, I do like that Erin takes advantage of the field of podcasting, but does not support it with her time or energy. I download, I download so much. Speaker 3 (5:00) You're still Speaker 2 (5:00) like, I download every episode that people have. But I don't, I listen to podcasts. And so, or music, like when I'm at home, like cleaning or whatever, I get to turn up the music on the Allskate. Every speaker in the house is playing Olivia Rodrigo. So it's not my norm. And it's nonfiction. So it's 10 % of my reading. And then 99 % of it is nonfiction. Speaker 1 (5:23) Dang, that's so interesting. I'm probably 65, 35 audiobook. Wow. For the same reason Aaron said. I'm primarily in situations where I can't read. So I'm using that time to do audiobooks. I usually, the only time I'm reading is. in bed at night. I try to, I'm really trying to take the phone out of the bedroom and just like read books so I can sleep better. So I'm doing a lot, but I'm just not able to throw enough time to equate to my audio book listening, pure and simple. Speaker 2 (5:54) Okay. So I was looking at Publishers Weekly did a whole thing that they published earlier this summer on that audio book industry sales grew 9 % in 2025. It's a two and a half billion dollar industry. But what was interesting is that they had a 43 % increase in books added to audio. Like books that were just in print, they had a 43 % increase on, no, no, no, we need it. Because the demand is high. People want, and a lot of people do, what's it called? Someone's already saying it. When you do both, you read with your eyes and your ears. You switch between. Speaker 1 (6:29) Like what? Whisper sync? Page sync? Yeah, maybe Speaker 2 (6:32) whisper. Well, yeah, because some people are like, it's called something. It's like a dynamic read. Like, are we a good podcast? It's a common term. Speaker 3 (6:40) Immersion reading. Immersion reading. Speaker 2 (6:42) Thank you. Okay. And immersion reading. And so they do both. Like, I always go, well, okay, big money, big money. Yeah. I can't do that. That's crazy. Audible is so expensive. All the places are so expensive. But let me ask you, there are three reasons that people give. For the number one reason why they read. What do you think they are? You've already said one. Oh, Family Feud? Speaker 1 (7:01) Family Feud style. Okay, Erin, let's put it together. Speaker 2 (7:03) Okay. Speaker 1 (7:06) Reasons why they do audiobooks? Speaker 2 (7:08) Yes, the primary reason why they consume audiobooks. I would say Commute. I like that one. Okay, you would like to say Speaker 3 (7:15) Commute. Speaker 2 (7:15) Yes, so that's number two. Number two opens up. It is bing. That's the ability to listen on the go. We will let that count. Speaker 1 (7:23) Yeah. Okay. Speaker 2 (7:27) They – I Speaker 1 (7:29) was going to say a lack of time. Yeah. I don't know if that's a reason though. Speaker 2 (7:32) I'm going to – I'm going to, Steve Harvey, let you have it. It's the ability to multitask while listening. That's the heart, Speaker 1 (7:40) the spirit of what I was saying essentially. Yeah. Okay. Speaker 2 (7:43) If you get the third one, I will Venmo you each $100 today. Okay. I think it's like – We got this. I think Speaker 3 (7:47) it's like people – like reading makes their eyes tired. Speaker 1 (7:53) Okay. Okay. That's not the pick, but we're just brainstorming. We're brainstorming. Speaker 2 (7:58) We're working through it. Speaker 1 (8:00) Because my eyes are tired. Speaker 2 (8:01) I love that you're like looking at a page in a book. I can't do that. I'm so sleepy. I'm so sleepy. Speaker 1 (8:07) Some version of I want to read salacious stuff, but I don't want people seeing I'm reading Speaker 3 (8:13) salacious Speaker 2 (8:14) stuff. Speaker 3 (8:14) Oh, okay. Like the Kindle thing. But I think that's for Kindle. Because people don't like listening to sexy books on audio. Speaker 1 (8:22) Really? Speaker 3 (8:22) A lot of people have a problem with it. Speaker 1 (8:24) I feel like that would be the best way. If you have a decent, like an above average narrator, Speaker 3 (8:30) that's a better way Speaker 1 (8:31) because you're hearing someone else say it. Speaker 3 (8:33) Okay. I think. Judging Speaker 1 (8:34) off Jamie's reactions, I don't think. Speaker 3 (8:35) I know. I don't think we've got it. Is there something to like. Speaker 1 (8:41) I like eyes tired, to be honest. I like eyes tired. I think that's it. That's our winner. Speaker 3 (8:45) Eyes tired. Fatigue. Just like Speaker 2 (8:47) eyes. Speaker 3 (8:47) Fatigue Speaker 2 (8:48) of reading physical pages of a book. Brain fatigue. Yeah. Speaker 1 (8:51) Yep. I don't like your tone when you said that, Jamie. That is an X. Speaker 2 (8:54) That is an X in the family feud. However, it is. So 70 % of people describe audiobooks as a healthy alternative to screen time. Speaker 1 (9:04) Oh, yeah. Yeah, I believe that. You got to think of the Speaker 2 (9:07) pretentious people, y'all. You got to, Speaker 3 (9:09) pretentious people get Speaker 2 (9:10) surveyed too. Okay. And Speaker 1 (9:11) they respond to surveys because they want to tell you what Speaker 3 (9:14) they think. Speaker 1 (9:14) They want Speaker 2 (9:14) to tell you why they're doing an audio. They're Speaker 1 (9:16) like, I Speaker 2 (9:16) don't, I don't even go on TikTok. What's a TikTok? I don't even know. I drink raw milk and I listen to books. So Speaker 1 (9:24) the people whose eyes are tired are probably in the majority, we agree, but they are just not compelled to respond. Yeah, they're not Speaker 2 (9:29) responding or they're too embarrassed. So they're saying. And let me apologize to the audience. I just suggested that people who drink raw milk read. They don't. Speaker 1 (9:38) My bad. Not because of the raw milk. It's just a correlation. If they read, they would drink Speaker 2 (9:45) pasteurized milk. It's Speaker 3 (9:46) a Speaker 2 (9:46) correlation. That's right. That's right. Speaker 1 (9:49) Okay. So we've got a lot of great lists of comments we're going to talk about. Let's do our personal no's first. Jamie, what's a personal no of audiobook that you have? Speaker 2 (9:56) Okay, so mine is historical romances, because I've tried this a few times, even in the last year or so. Historical romance with posh British accents. First of all, I don't even like a posh British accent at all. Speaker 3 (10:09) Like when I have to Speaker 2 (10:10) hear- You prefer a Cockney? Speaker 1 (10:10) More of Speaker 2 (10:10) a Cockney gal? Yeah, I want a Cockney. I do not want to listen to the Queen's English. Listening to Prince Charles is like- nails on a chalkboard. Like it's so painful. Is that a dated reference? Yes, my Speaker 1 (10:23) darling. I like when you touch me like that. You don't want that? I Speaker 2 (10:26) don't like it. I don't like it. But my example of this is I was like trying, I was on a road trip. I was actually going to the bookshelf in Thomasville, Georgia, front of the show. And it's a five hour drive where you see nothing. And I was like, I'm going to knock out a whole book out in the. Going and coming. I will figure it out. I'll listen fast. There is nothing on that drive. Speaker 1 (10:46) You're right. There's nothing Speaker 2 (10:47) on that drive. We've all been there. But India Holton has a series of books that it's all set in academia in Regency, England. And I was so excited. And I turned on that. And I'm going to do a perfect reenactment of this narrator. She was like, and Speaker 3 (11:03) with the wind, we went to the garden. Speaker 2 (11:06) And she stayed at that pitch the whole time. Speaker 3 (11:11) And Speaker 2 (11:12) when she did a man, it would be like, I am a man and I'm at this pitch. So don't worry. That's how you know that I'm a man. And I was like, I'll murder this lady. I'll murder. Now I've gone. She's been a narrator of more than 250 bucks. I went and listened. She does not do that voice. So she chose that. That was her acting decision. She made a Speaker 1 (11:32) choice. She may Speaker 2 (11:33) have been directed. To be fair. That's not all. I mean, who did it? Who did it? Who do I get to blame then? I like that. You're like voice actors are only, they have no agency. They're just, they're just, Speaker 3 (11:46) yeah, Speaker 2 (11:47) we, Speaker 3 (11:47) we do what the, what the person says. It's why I do that. Speaker 1 (11:50) Aaron is getting at something that is important. And for the rest of this episode, a lot of people's issues. I don't know if that's the choice as much as the direction was here. And that's why we got what we got. Speaker 2 (12:01) Well, if it was India Holton's choice, the author, then. Poo-poo on you for making that choice because the books are excellent. I've now read two of them. I have the third on my TBR. They're so good. It's like the ornithology books. You'll know it when you see them. Birds? Well, yeah. One's about birds. One's about archaeology. I don't know what the third one is. Maybe Speaker 3 (12:24) the third one's about birds. Speaker 2 (12:26) Anyway, The Ornithologist's Guide to Love. You know, it's like when an economics... scientist becomes an economic nutrition economic nutrition that'll make sense no it does make sense you listen to that episode last week if you're a hardback become a hardback the way Speaker 3 (12:41) it's Speaker 2 (12:42) great over there um but anyway i i just don't like sometimes the choices but but i see that when i go so what i did was i went to listen to samples of other historical romances that i love it comes up a lot like a lot they're using like and i'm like this isn't even a posh person this is This is a spinster on the shelf. What are we doing? Speaker 1 (13:03) Spinsers can be posh too, I think. Spinsers can be posh, but I Speaker 2 (13:07) just don't need that accent in my... Plus I want to go B word. I know it's set in... Do you need the narrator? If a book is set in a place, do you need the narrator to have the accent of the person set in that place? Yes. So if it's Demon Copperhead, they better have an Appalachian accent. Speaker 1 (13:26) Yes? Yeah, I think so. Okay. Yeah. I do think it's why like there's a commercial aspect where it's like, if you've got a TV show in Paris, do I need establishing shot Eiffel Tower every time we're in Paris? No, I don't. But I know the flyovers, they might need that. Speaker 2 (13:43) So if it's set in Philadelphia, you want the narrator to be like, water, water. Speaker 1 (13:48) Show me. Number one, show me that goddamn Liberty Bell. Number two, someone say water. And what's the convenience store that they get sandwiches from or whatever? There's a specific like convenience store. Speaker 2 (14:00) Oh, geez. Somebody knows it and say it. I'm Speaker 1 (14:04) gonna Speaker 2 (14:04) look it Speaker 1 (14:04) up. I'm gonna look it up. I'm gonna look it up. Keep going. I will find it. I Speaker 2 (14:07) don't know that I need a Boston accent in a book set in Boston. Wrong. Wrong take. Speaker 1 (14:12) Incorrect. Speaker 2 (14:14) And obviously that might be wrong, but my beef is really just all posh British accents. I don't want them at all. You don't Speaker 3 (14:20) want Speaker 2 (14:20) them at all. Even when they, even when the person Speaker 3 (14:22) is posh. Speaker 2 (14:24) Well, if you're going to switch to that, like if this narrator had switched to like the dean of the school or the financier of the school and changed it just for that. Yeah, sure. Okay. There was not a lot of nuance in this performance. Not a lot of that. I'll tell you that. Yeah. The Speaker 1 (14:39) gas station is Wawa. I should have known that. I'm stupid. So sorry, everybody. You Speaker 3 (14:43) know, Jamie and I have been to Philadelphia and we went on a tour, a very cool museum tour of a prison. And it was amazing. In case you're Speaker 2 (14:54) wondering, if you've always thought, I bet it would be fun to travel with JV and Erin, just know we are going to go to weird museums. We are going to take you to the prison museum. Speaker 1 (15:03) Was it like Alcatraz, but in Philly? Like what made it so cool? Was it just an old prison? It's Speaker 2 (15:07) old. Speaker 3 (15:07) It was one of the oldest prisons in America. Okay, Speaker 1 (15:10) what else made it cool? And you can't say old. Go. Three, two, one, go. Speaker 3 (15:14) It was kind of outdoors. It was set outdoors. It was kind of? Like Speaker 1 (15:17) at the Speaker 3 (15:17) prison. Speaker 1 (15:18) Okay. Speaker 3 (15:18) Yeah. It was just old. The cells were outdoors? You don't understand because it was old and it was cool to see. Aaron, you can't. No, Speaker 1 (15:24) I know. Speaker 3 (15:25) But there were like arrow Speaker 1 (15:27) slits. Speaker 3 (15:27) Three, two, one, go. Speaker 1 (15:28) Can't say old now. Speaker 3 (15:29) Arrow slits. Speaker 1 (15:30) Arrow slits. And across the Speaker 3 (15:31) street is a Speaker 2 (15:32) bar. It's just in the middle of Philadelphia. And we know that because one of the people traveling with us did not want to go into the prison museum. And they're like, I'm going to the bar. Speaker 3 (15:41) I'm going to the bar. Speaker 1 (15:42) Yeah. Was it like, this is like, was it like a drunk tank? Like we'll put the drunk tank people here. So we don't take them far. Or was it like, no, this guy is like doing life for murder. I think Speaker 2 (15:50) everybody went to this prison. I think it was the Philadelphia prison of choice. Speaker 3 (15:54) Yeah. Of choice. It's the Eastern state penitentiary. Penitentiary. What a great Speaker 1 (16:00) name. I can see why you guys jumped at the opportunity to visit. It's historic.