Richard MacManus has some thoughts on the rise of audiobooks and podcasts and I was just going to say that while he says he doesn’t think “written books will ever be replaced by audiobooks, because some types of books are clearly more suited to printed words”, to this day I can’t comprehend the appeal of audiobooks at all, for some reason, which is not to disparage anyone for whom that appeal exists.
I can’t claim to understand why, but while I can get through, say, a 40-minute episode of The Good Place: The Podcast, I’d never be able get through an audiobook with any sense of patience, comprehension, or retention. Anyway, I was just going to say that, but then I saw something else at the end.
With all that said, I believe there will always be a place for the written word. Certain types of books are best consumed via text, and we’re also seeing blogs continue on as email newsletters in this era.
We’re also, of course, seeing blogs continue on as blogs in this era, new people start blogs in this era, and old bloggers who strayed returning to the fold in this era. Not all types of blogging translate into the newsletter form, and I guess I find it weird that the guy behind ReadWriteWeb would make it sound like blogs aren’t still a thing that happens.