Do Audiobooks "Count" as Reading?

You're not going to be surprised at my answer, but I brought receipts.

I’m not going to lie, y’all. I have been incredibly busy this week, so this newsletter is going to be shorter in the “thoughts” section and longer in the “updates” section. But it’s all good! Because I hope you come here for the updates as much as you do my chaotic musings. But first…

It’s a high in the 60s here today, and you know what that means. Hot coffee weather. Sweater weather. And I am here for it. I went for a run this morning and wore LONG SLEEVES. If you’re an outdoors enthusiast, you know the joy of the first long-sleeved excursion of the year. And then I came home and took a hot shower and drank some hot coffee. I have some hot pumpkin spice tea in my mug right now. Life is good.

We’re talking audiobooks today, folks! The Write Place audiobook is finished being recorded and is with the sound engineer, which means it is coming at you VERY SOON. I could not be more excited. You all are going to love it.

I know that there are a few people out there who still don’t believe listening to an audiobook counts as reading. My guess is there aren’t many of you in this particular space, but you never know. But even if you’re on this side of the fence (the side where we adamantly believe audiobooks count as reading, in case that wasn’t clear), I think the research is fascinating.

First and foremost, it is important to note that even the question of whether or not audiobooks “count” as reading is an ableist question. Saying the text must be printed excludes anyone who is blind or has any kind of disability related to reading from using audiobooks as an alternate method for consuming written information. There are many, many instances in which someone might depend on an audio version of written material, and the accessibility of that audio version is important. This is actually one of the main reasons I wanted my books to have audio versions. I want them to be accessible to as many people as possible.

Honestly, I think the discussion should end there, but, generally, it doesn’t. So let’s dive a little deeper, shall we?

As a teacher, I use audiobooks and read-alouds often in my classroom. They’re a great tool for students, especially if they don’t read a lot on their own. Expert readers can sort of “hear” the book in their head, using context clues to decipher the intonation the author intended, but readers who are less confident often can’t do that yet. Hearing a book read aloud is one way for students to start to learn how books are supposed to “sound” in your head. This becomes particularly important for life, where we often have to decipher tone from text (in the case of text messages and emails… and even newsletters!).

It also, frankly, makes the text more engaging.

I know, I know, I know. You didn’t come here to learn about teaching. I get it. That’s fair.

But a lot of the research about audiobooks has, unsurprisingly, been done in an educational setting because researchers have been interested in whether or not anyone can retain the same level of information through an audiobook as they can through words on a page. Where better to study this than in a classroom, where students are practicing retaining information?

So, can they retain information from audiobooks? Well, to be perfectly honest, it depends.

This is a great article that breaks down some of the research and has linked citations to studies. Most of the studies do, in fact, say that the retention of information is the same between audio and print.

However, it is interesting to note that students in a classroom setting given technical material in audio form did not retain information as well as if they were given it to read. But that was specific to a technical podcast, and even more specific to the most technical parts of the podcast.

For narrative material, though, the retention of information remains the same whether people read, listen, or read and listen simultaneously.

So why do people continuously insist that listening to a book is not reading? This article suggests that’s because there’s a certain, perceived moral superiority that text-on-the-page readers have. Some people think it’s better to read the words because it’s harder, essentially, (which is probably technically true, considering the decoding readers need to do to associate tone with written text) and so people who read words on the page think that’s “better” than listening to the same exact words.

However, I refer back to my final point about using audio with my students. It’s more engaging. Doing things the “hard” way just because it’s “hard” (or even reading “hard” books just because they’re “hard”) sure is the quickest way to suck the joy out of something. And what is the point of reading if not to find a little more joy in our lives?

The Write Place audiobook is coming out in a few weeks, and I hope that this version not only makes the text accessible to more readers, but enhances the joy of reading the text for everyone. I know Megan, the narrator, pretty well now, and she is such a joyful person. From the samples I have heard, she has infused the text with the same warmth and happiness Mac feels when she reads books, and that, my readers, is going to be a joy to hear.

If you’re looking for even more reading on this subject, here’s one final article worth checking out.

Huh. Maybe that wasn’t shorter on the “thoughts” side than normal. I guess I had good deal to say about audiobooks.

I have a lot of updates, too!! So much has happened in the past few weeks, and I’m excited about all of it.

• I already told you the audiobook recording is done, and it’s now just getting that final polish before it’ll be available later this month. I can’t wait to hear the whole thing!

• Megan Carver (the narrator) and I are doing an Instagram Live event on Monday, October 16 at 7:30 pm Central/8:30 pm Eastern where we’ll chat about the audiobook and other fun things we have coming up. Mark your calendars, and be sure to join us so you can ask us some questions!

  

• Book 3 in the Leade Park series, The Write Choice, is with my editor! (Also Megan Carver. She’s in her Allie Samberts era, y’all.) That’s one step closer to you. Be on the lookout for a cover reveal next month, then preorders and ARC sign-ups!

• I signed with an agent at SBR Media! Katie Monson will be representing me going forward. I’m still an indie author, but she will be handling secondary rights (translation, maybe audio or film down the line), which is really cool. I can’t wait to work with her to expand the reach of my books.

• Starting in January 2024, I’m offering editing, proofreading, blurb, and coaching services to indie romance authors! As an English teacher with close to 20 years of experience, I know I can help authors turn your book into the best version of itself. You can check out my website for more information.

• I blew my September goals out of the water! I still can’t believe how many people have read and loved my books, and that number keeps growing. I’m so, so, so grateful to all of you.

I have just finished my second beta read of the season and… whoah. It was so beautiful. You are for sure going to want Lorissa Padilla’s next book, ‘Til I Reach You, on your radar. I had to wait until I was alone to read the end of it because I was crying so hard. It’s gorgeous, and I can’t wait until I can say more about it!

Stefanie Steck’s next book, That First Moment, was the other beta read I finished recently, and it’s so fun! Utah, snowball fights, rock concerts, fake dating. You’re going to want this one on your TBR too, for sure.

Thanks for hanging out with me this week! Next week, I’ll be back with Megan Carver as she tells us a little more about the process of creating The Write Place audiobook. Until next time!