Easy Listening

Today, when people say they read a lot, many of them actually mean that they listen a lot.

For many of the people who consume business books, the audio version of their book is more important than any print version or electronic version. Many of the achievers they want to share their information are too busy to read print books. They listen to audio books when they’re on planes, or driving, or working out, or taking a walk.

(I’m something of a traditionalist, so I live in a house full of physical books. But I also carry dozens of books around on my Kindle.)

Should an author read the audio book yourself? It depends what sort of voice you have. It depends whether you can afford a voice actor. It depends what you want the reader to come away with.

If you want them to come away with more of connection to you, read it yourself. If you want them to come away with the content and are not interested in selling yourself, let someone else read it for you.

Personally, I'm a terrible speaker. If I ever write my autobiography, I’d be the last person to record it.