Dolphin Publisher Case Study: Patterson's First Audio E-book Release.

Several authors wanted their works in an audio format.

The following is a feature written by the American Foundation for the Blind about a groundbreaking collaboration between Dolphin Audio Publishing, Time Warner AudioBooks and AFB Talking Books to create the worlds first commercially available audio E-book: None of the technicians who developed the 33 1/3 rpm record in 1934 for AFB Talking Books could have imagined the revolution that this recording technology would spark some years later.

This format was originally designed to allow blind and visually impaired people to listen to books, since a full-length book-or even a short story-required too many 78 rpm records to make production practical. But when musicians discovered that they could fit nearly an hour's worth of music on one vinyl disc, a new artistic medium was created: the album. Although digital compact discs have for the most part replaced vinyl records, the album format is alive and well to this day. AFB Talking Books recently revealed a new technology that could prove to be no less groundbreaking. Developed in partnership with Time Warner AudioBooks and Dolphin Computer Access, best-selling author James Patterson's new novel, The Jester, appeared as an audio e-book in March. Included as a bonus, the CD comes free with the unabridged CD audio version of The Jester; this marks the very first commercial release of an audio e-book. Audio e-book technology offers many features that allow people to enjoy books in a unique new way.

After the simple installation of software-included in the package-on a personal computer, readers can display the text of the book on the screen, fully synchronized with the audio of a professional narrator. Switching back and forth, or "toggling," between print and audio versions of the same work, is also possible. Additionally, users can search both the entire text and audio for keywords and phrases. These features have a particularly broad appeal for travelers and commuters who may wish to read the text and listen to the audio independently or simultaneously, depending on their environment. Those who are blind, visually impaired, or dyslexic can access the text via audio or onscreen in large print. "I was pleased to release The Jester as an audio e-book," said James Patterson. "'On-the-go' consumers will welcome the chance to read or listen to the book on their laptops. I'm especially excited to know that people who are blind or visually impaired will benefit from this new technology." The prototype for this audio e-book, also produced and released by Time Warner AudioBooks in association with Intellectual Properties Management, Inc., AFB Talking Books, and Dolphin Computer Access, was "I Have a Dream" from A Call to Conscience: The Landmark Speeches of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. This audio e-book was demonstrated to former President Bill Clinton on September 21, 2000.

"People were fascinated with the prototype," said Maureen Egan, president, AOL Time Warner Book Group, "and several of our authors wanted their works to appear in audio e-book format. We've experienced great success with our audio book business, and we were only too happy to be the first publisher to take the next step." The audio e-book, sometimes called a digital talking book (DTB), was made possible through standards developed by libraries for people who are blind from around the world through the international DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) Consortium. DTB technology allows large amounts of textual information and formatting to be stored, transcribed into a variety of formats, and easily navigated.

The EasyReader software developed by Dolphin Computer Access synchronizes audio to the text and plays/displays The Jester on desktop and laptop PCs. "I can't praise Time Warner and AFB enough for partnering with us to bring this cutting edge technology to the public," said Steve Palmer, managing director, Dolphin Computer Access. "Not only can audio e-book technology deliver more books to people with vision loss and print disabilities, it offers sighted consumers a number of interesting new reading options." Considering all of the possible applications for the new technology, the future seems promising for the audio e-book. For instance, this technology would be useful for anyone learning a new language. Textbooks and their audio supplements could be combined into one format, allowing students to hear pronunciations of words and phrases as they read them.
People who are visually impaired could also benefit by having more information made accessible to them easily and cheaply-from bank statements to exhibition guides to talking menus in restaurants. Plans are already underway at the U.S. Government Printing Office to publish certain documents in the DTB medium. Recognizing the audio e-book's wide appeal and potential, Maja Thomas, vice president, Time Warner AudioBooks, commented, "the audio e-book is innovative and efficient, a perfect example of how universally designed technologies can benefit both companies and consumers. This format will be a unique resource not only for people who are blind or visually impaired, but also for the publishing community, the general reading public, and beyond." Electronic hardware manufacturers are already responding to the innovation. In the near future, audio e-book technology will be integrated into hand-held Personal Data Assistants. Additionally, the Consumer Electronics Association is planning to integrate the DTB file format into CD player technology, allowing any CD player to access the audio portion of the audio e-book. This in itself would mark a significant advance, since an entire book's worth of text and audio can fit onto one CD with the DTB file format.

"Audio e-book technology was developed by the blindness field, adopted as a standard both by the Library of Congress and equivalent institutions internationally, and is now becoming accepted by the mainstream," said Jim Veltman, director, AFB Talking Books. "The stage is set for the DTB file format to become the publishing industry standard, ushering in a whole new world of possibilities." Audio e-books, and the file format they utilize, could ultimately revolutionize publishing itself, finally merging print, audio, and electronic formats into one business model. Although predicting the future of any new technology is often more like magic than science, few would deny the need for a universal electronic file format and the software to utilize it. DTB technology is perhaps as inevitable as Edison's first phonograph and its subsequent improvements were. In other words, if the audio e-book didn't exist, it would have to be invented.

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