Re: An audiobook as the definitive form

> Make no 
> mistake - it was and always will be written by Frederick Forsyth. 
> But Alan Maitland's performance makes it his own. Its just like 
> "My Way" *is* Frank Sinatra - or any of a legion of other songs, 
> written by songwriters, but ultimately tied to a single 
> performer.

I was just thinking about this, this morning.  I believe that the end
of the profit-making pass-the-time mass-market novel (sorry, Darrell!)
is rapidly approaching (as people stop reading for pleasure), and now
it seems that the end of profit-making non-fiction may also be nigh.
We've all seen the effect of Wikipedia, but now Ohio State has decided
to publish its own textbook, for its survey of British Lit class,
rather than force students to pay for the rather pricey Norton
Anthology.  And, of course, the Ohio State version adds bucks to the
university's coffers.  But how long will it be till a Wikipedia-like
effort makes both obsolete?  After all, most of the material is out of
copyright.

I keep wondering about the similarity between books and opera.  Does
anyone actually make money from writing a new opera these days?  Or do
they in fact make money from performances of that opera?  That's what
the mass market buys.  So maybe books will go the same way.  It's not
the book, it's the performance of that book.

Bill


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