Audiobooks alone are not enough for children, printed books still have a special meaning. Adults who have reading difficulties especially benefit from audiobooks.
From the past more Finns prefer to listen to books than read, and many people who have never read before have found audiobooks to be a good choice. From the point of view of the benefits of literature for adults, it doesn’t really matter whether you enjoy reading or listening to books. Both reading and listening to books improve vocabulary and concentration and can also calm the mind, says the Executive Director of the Lukukeskus Emmi Jäkkö.
“The benefits of listening to audiobooks can of course be prevented if the listener multitasks a lot – loads the dishwasher, cooks or works out – at the same time. Constant multitasking is hard on the brain, and sometimes it would be good to focus on just listening too.”
According to Jäkko, it would still be important for children to read specifically printed books. In terms of linguistic development, the first years of a child’s life are the most significant. Simply listening to audio books does not support a young child’s language development, and the child needs shared reading moments with an adult. Children’s reading skills also develop only through active and versatile reading.
If, on the other hand, we are thinking about older people and, for example, the prevention of memory disorders, the most important thing, according to Jäkö, is to outline the story: the brain connects the events at the beginning of the story with what happens at the end of the story. This kind of brain activation happens equally when reading and listening to a book.
“After all, audiobooks can specifically enable the hobby of reading to continue even in old age, when, for example, your eyesight deteriorates or you can no longer read. Literature is an important hobby for the elderly also in the sense that it maintains alertness. It’s worth continuing the hobby as long as possible.”
According to Jäkko, audiobooks especially benefit those who have difficulty reading due to, for example, disability, illness or dyslexia. In Finland, there is a national accessibility library, Celia, which offers free audiobooks for people with reading disabilities.
A year According to the 2021 Suomi lukee study, choosing an audiobook was often based on situational reasons: many people listen to books in places where traditional paper books cannot be read. Some chose an audiobook because they wanted to listen rather than read for a change. Eight percent of respondents listened to audiobooks because they didn’t like reading. Almost a thousand Finns responded to the data collection carried out by Taloustikkusmas in its online panel.
Jäkkö believes that the choice of a printed book or an audiobook is largely a matter of personality.
“There are many differences between people in terms of how each one processes information or is able to receive it. Some people remember exactly what they read, while others absorb information best by listening.”
According to Jäkö, the background of preferences can also be a habit. If a person has grown up to be a reader, he is more likely to continue his reading hobby throughout his life. If, on the other hand, reading seemed difficult already at school, it can be difficult to get hold of a printed book even as an adult.
“You have to maintain reading skills. It is not a skill that we learn as children and that stays with us unchanged. If you haven’t read in a long time, it’s no wonder if it seems difficult. That’s why it’s worth giving yourself time to get back into reading.”
The writer’s from this point of view, it is very important in which form the consumer enjoys his books. One sold printed book earns the author an average of three euros, but one sold audiobook only earns an average of 70 cents, says the executive director of the Norwegian Writers’ Association Ilmi Villacis.
“Even in 2017, audiobooks were a rather insignificant part of authors’ income. After this, the situation has completely changed. There is a lot of uncertainty in the livelihood of writers, and income consists of many different sources. However, a large part still comes from the sale of books.”
Sales of printed books continued to decline last year. The popularity of audio books, on the other hand, grew even more.
Villacis stresses that authors are not against audio books, as they have brought a huge number of new people to literature. On the other hand, what worries authors is that even though more and more books are being published and their popularity is greater than before, their incomes are only decreasing.
“Exacerbated, the situation could be compared to an employee in a regular employment relationship suddenly receiving only one-fifth of his salary, and he would have no idea with whom he could go to negotiate the matter. It’s hardly in anyone’s interest if, in the long term, high-quality and versatile literature fades away and writers have to look for other jobs.”
Villacis considers it problematic that especially monthly paid reading time services offer literature at a huge discount. He hopes that the audiobook market is just in the launch phase and that there will be more discussions about fair practices and fees in the near future.
Borrowing printed books from libraries is also an important source of income for writers. For example, for library loans in 2021, the literary copyright organization Sanasto paid authors 31 cents per loan.
This year, e-loans have also come under the scope of lending allowances for municipal libraries. However, Villacis does not believe that e-loans will replace, for example, the use of study time services.
“You often have to wait a long time for new books in the library, while in the reading time services you can read or listen to them right away.”
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