Catch the Next Chapter on Your iPod (It’s Even Cheaper) - New York Times

 Read the full article for details, e.g., on what appears to be commuter audio porn

According to the Audio Publishers Association, downloads have grown sharply, rising to 9 percent of audio book sales in 2005; that is a 50 percent increase over the previous year. Audible .com, which pioneered downloadable audio books nine years ago, also sells them through iTunes and Amazon and has a membership model similar to that of NetFlix; its membership has grown 54 percent over the last year, to 345,200. Going exclusively to a downloadable format saves publishers the expense of duplication, packaging and distribution. And the savings are often passed along. Audible’s full-price version of “The Audacity of Hope” by Barack Obama costs $20.97 (although various discounts are available), while the CD version retails for $29.95; undiscounted, unabridged versions of Michael Crichton’s “Next” are $34.97 by download and $49.95 on CD.

p.s. The Audacity of Hope is definitely on the recommended reading list; Next is okay but not outstanding.

Source: Catch the Next Chapter on Your iPod (It’s Even Cheaper) - New York Times