Audiobooks

A FEW THOUGHTS ABOUT AUDIOBOOKS, BEFORE WE GET DOWN TO CASES…

What a long way audiobooks have come!

I’m not sure when I first became aware of the medium, but it was probably close to half a century ago. My Aunt Nettie’s eyesight had deteriorated to the point where reading for pleasure was no longer possible; a lifelong reader, she discovered that she could obtain what were called Talking Books—recordings available, as I recall, from a division of the Library of Congress. The program was free, but you had to be disabled to qualify for it.

Well, of course you did. If you could sit down and read a book, why would you want to listen to it?

Over time, of course, reading with one’s ears has emerged as an option even for people with perfect vision. To be sure, almost all of us started out as listeners; we were read to before we learned to read on our own. But it took a while for the audiobook to become an item for consumers—and, ultimately, a key component of the book publishing industry.

My Aunt Nettie died in 1982, and it was around a dozen years after that when I first recorded an audiobook. It was Burglars Can’t Be Choosers, the first Bernie Rhodenbarr mystery, just reissued by Dutton; Penguin’s audio division was to publish the audiobook version, and I got the opportunity to narrate it. A short book to begin with,it was severely abridged for audio, and I got through it in a single day-long session in a one-man studio in the West Sixties. Nothing to it, I thought, and I was home by four that afternoon, and I lay down on the bed and slept for fifteen hours without stirring.

Back then, no one quite knew what to do with audiobooks. Truck stops provided much of the distribution, as the first substantial audience consisted of long-haul truckers, many of whom found listening to a story a welcome alternative to radio. Other drivers found audiobooks could shorten a long daily commute, or enliven a long road trip.

A friend of mine with lifelong dyslexia had never read anything for pleasure; when she listened to a book on a cross-country flight, a whole new world opened to her. People with reading difficulties became a natural audience for audiobooks, but you didn’t have to be dyslexic to absorb information more effectively and with less effort through your ears than through your eyes.

Well, you get the point. Technology greased the skids, with cassettes yielding to CDs, and with downloadable audio eventually holding down first place. Abridgements, once almost all of the business, pretty much disappeared. (For my views on the subject, have a look at “Abridge This!” in Hunting Buffalo With Bent Nails.) And the audio market has kept growing, and shows no signs of slowing down.

MY OWN ADVENTURES WITH AUDIO

I’ve been enthusiastic about audio ever since my first experience as a narrator, and my respect for the medium has grown apace. (A confession, or admission, all in the name of full disclosure—I don’t listen to audiobooks myself. When I’m in a car I find them an unwelcome distraction; when I’m at home my mind wanders, and I find myself reaching for a printed book. I don’t know that I suffer from an auditory equivalent of dyslexia, but it’s clear that I don’t acquire information effectively by listening to it.)

But I’ve enjoyed participating in the growth of audio—as a narrator, as a licensor of source material, and most recently as a publisher.

I’ve narrated quite a few of my books. Early on most of these were abridgements, and I’ve been pleased to see them all but two of them replaced by unabridged recordings with other narrators.

A few years ago I realized that I’d aged out of the role of narrator. My voice would fall apart toward the end of a lengthy recording session, and the process, one I’d always found enjoyable, had become taxing. My last effort, a genuine labor of love, was the Scudder novella, A Time to Scatter Stones. I really wanted to voice that book myself, and I’m pleased with the way it turned out, but I’m afraid I won’t be doing any more.

That’s been offset by a very gratifying role I’ve found in audiobook self-publishing. In 2014 a voice artist’s enthusiasm for a reissued early novel of mine led to our teaming up to produce and publish the book via ACX, a division of Audible. Since then I’ve had the great good fortune to work with such splendid voice artists as Emily Beresford, Michael Bonner, Mike Dennis, Theo Holland, Dolores McDougal, P J Morgan, Richard Neer, Dana Roth, Alan Sklar, Don Sobczak, Barbara Nevins Taylor, and Bill Weeden. You can see what they’ve done so far for LB Productions—and what’s coming soon.

MATTHEW SCUDDER

 

 

 

The Sins of the Fathers  Alan Sklar for Blackstone Audio

Time to Murder and Create  Alan Sklar for Blackstone Audio

In the Midst of Death Alan Sklar for Blackstone Audio

A Stab in the Dark William Roberts for Blackstone Audio

Eight Million Ways to Die Lawrence Block for Blackstone Audio

When the Sacred Ginmill Closes Mark Hammer for Recorded Books

Out on the Cutting Edge Dan Butler for Blackstone Audio

A Ticket to the Boneyard Joe Barrett for Blackstone Audio

A Dance at the Slaughterhouse Joe Barrett for Blackstone Audio

A Walk Among the Tombstones Mark Hammer for Recorded Books

The Devil Knows You’re Dead Joe Barrett for Blackstone Audio

A Long Line of Dead Men Joe Barrett for Blackstone Audio

Even the Wicked Mark Hammer for Recorded Books

Everybody Dies Mark Hammer for Recorded Books

Hope to Die George Guidall for HarperAudio

All the Flowers are Dying Lawrence Block for HarperAudio (abridged, alas)

A Drop of the Hard Stuff Tom Stechschulte for Recorded Books

The Night and the Music Lawrence Block for Blackstone Audio

A Time to Scatter Stones Lawrence Block for Brilliance Audio

MATTHEW SCUDDER AUF DEUTSCH

 

 

 

Die Sünden der Väter Richard Heinrich for Puppy Studios Productions

Drei am Haken Richard Heinrich for Puppy Studios Productions

UND AUCH AUF DEUTSCH

Dead Girl Blues – Deutsche Ausgabe  Richard Heinrich for Puppy Studios Productions

BERNIE RHODENBARR

 

 

 

Burglars Can’t Be Choosers Richard Ferrone for Recorded Books

The Burglar in the Closet Richard Ferrone for Recorded Books

The Burglar who Liked to Quote Kipling Richard Ferrone for Recorded Books

The Burglar who Studied Spinoza Richard Ferrone for Recorded Books

The Burglar who Painted Like Mondrian Richard Ferrone for Recorded Books

The Burglar who Traded Ted Williams Richard Ferrone for Recorded Books

The Burglar who Thought he was Bogart Frank Muller for Recorded Books

The Burglar in the Library Richard Ferrone for Recorded Books

The Burglar in the Rye Richard Ferrone for Recorded Books

The Burglar on the Prowl Lawrence Block for HarperAudio (abridged, alas)

The Burglar who Counted the Spoons Richard Ferrone for Recorded Books

The Burglar in Short Order Richard Ferrone for Recorded Books

KELLER

 

 

 

Hit Man  Robert Forster for Phoenix

Hit List  George Guidall for Recorded Books

Hit Parade  Lawrence Block for HarperAudio

Hit and Run  Richard Poe for HarperAudio

Hit Me  Richard Poe for Recorded Books

Keller’s Fedora  Lawrence Block for LB Productions

EVAN TANNER

 

 

 

The Thief who Couldn’t Sleep  Theo Holland for LB Productions

The Canceled Czech Alan Sklar for LB Productions

Tanner’s Twelve Swingers  Theo Holland for LB Productions

The Scoreless Thai Theo Holland for LB Productions.

Tanner’s Virgin Theo Holland for LB Productions.

Tanner’s Tiger  Theo Holland for LB Productions.

Me Tanner,You Jane  Theo Holland for LB Productions.

Tanner on Ice Theo Holland for LB Productions.

CHIP HARRISON

 

 

 

No Score  Gregory Gorton for Blackstone Audio

Chip Harrison Scores Again  Gregory Gorton for Blackstone Audio

Make Out With Murder  Gregory Gorton for Blackstone Audio

The Topless Tulip Caper  Gregory Gorton for Blackstone Audio

THE CLASSIC CRIME LIBRARY

 

 

 

After the First Death  Peter Berkrot for Blackstone Audio

Ariel  Alexandra O’Karma for Recorded Books

Broadway Can Be Murder  Theo Holland for LB Productions

Candy  Bill Weeden for LB Productions

Cinderella Sims  Theo Holland for LB Productions

Coward’s Kiss  Peter Berkrot for Blackstone Audio

Deadly Honeymoon  Alan Sklar for Dreamscape

A Diet of Treacle  Christian Conn for Blackstone Audio

Four Lives at the Crossroads Theo Holland for LB Productions

The Girl with the Long Green Heart  Alan Sklar for Blackstone Audio

Grifter’s Game  Alan Sklar for Blackstone Audio

Killing Castro  Henry Leyva for Blackstone Audio

Lucky at Cards  Alan Sklar for Blackstone Audio

Not Comin’ Home to You Alan Sklar for Dreamscape

Passport to Peril P. J. Morgan for LB Productions

The Specialists  Fred Sullivan for Blackstone Audio

Such Men Are Dangerous  Fred Sullivan for Blackstone Audio

The Triumph of Evil  Alan Sklar for Dreamscape

You Could Call It Murder  Peter Berkrot for Blackstone Audio

LB writing as JILL EMERSON

 

 

 

A Madwoman’s Diary  P. J. Morgan for LB Productions

A Week as Andrea Benstock  Barbara Nevins Taylor for LB Productions

Enough of Sorrow  Emily Beresford for LB Productions

Getting Off  Lily Bask for Recorded Books

Shadows  P.J. Morgan for LB Productions

*The Trouble With Eden  not yet in audio

Thirty  Emily Beresford for LB Productions

Threesome  Dolores McDougal & Bill Weeden for LB Productions!

Warm and Willing  Emily Beresford for LB Productions

OTHER NOVELS and SHORT STORIES

 

 

 

Borderline  Mike Dennis for LB Productions

Catch and Release  Lawrence Block & Lynne Block for Dreamscape

Dead Girl Blues  Peter Berkrot for Tantor Audio

Defender of the Innocent  Don Sobczak for LB Productions

Four Lives at the Crossroads  Theo Holland for LB Productions

Random Walk  Norman Dietz for Recorded Books

Resume Speed  Theo Holland for LB Productions

Resume Speed and Other Stories Theo Holland for LB Productions

Ronald Rabbit is a Dirty Old Man Theo Holland for LB Productions

Sinner Man  Mike Dennis for LB Productions

Small Town  George Guidall for Recorded Books

The Girl with the Deep Blue Eyes  Mike Dennis for Recorded Books

COLLECTION OF CLASSIC EROTICA

 

 

 

21 Gay Street Dana Roth for LB Productions

69 Barrow Street  Not yet in audio

The Adulterers Theo Holland for LB Productions

April North  Not yet in audio

Born to be Bad  Dana Roth for LB Productions

Campus Tramp  Coming soon from PJ Morgan for LB Productions

Carla  Not yet in audio

Circle of Sinners (w/ Hal Dresner)  Coming soon from Bill Weeden & Dolores McDougal for LB Productions

College for Sinners  not yet in audio

Community of Women  not yet in audio

*Gigolo Johnny Wells  Not yet in audio

A Girl Called Honey (w/ Donald E. Westlake)  Not yet in audio

High School Sex Club not yet in audio

I Sell Love not yet in audio

Kept  not yet in audio

Of Shame and Joy  Barbara Nevins Taylor for LB Productions

Sin Hellcat (w/ Donald E. Westlake) Theo Holland for LB Productions

So Willing (w/ Donald E. Westlake)  Not yet in audio

A Strange Kind of Love Not yet in audio

The Twisted Ones  not yet in audio

A Woman Must Love   Barbara Nevins Taylor for LB Productions

ANTHOLOGIES

 

 

 

Alive in Shape and Color  Matt Godfrey and Xe Sands for Tantor Audio

At Home in the Dark  Peter Berkrot and Teri Schnaubelt for Tantor Audio

Dark City Lights  Dolores McDougal and Bill Weeden for LB Productions

The Darkling Halls of Ivy Peter Berkrot and Teri Schnaubelt for Tantor Audio

From Sea to Stormy Sea  Matt Godfrey and Xe Sands for Tantor Audio

In Sunlight or in Shadow Various voice artists for Dreamscape Audio

Manhattan Noir  Various voice artists for Audible Studios

NONFICTION:

MEMOIRS AND BOOKS FOR WRITERS

 

Generally Speaking  Robert Fass for Tantor Audio

Hunting Buffalo with Bent Nails

Step By Step: A Pedestrian Memoir Michael Bonner for LB Productions

The Crime of Our Lives Richard Neer for LB Productions

Telling Lies for Fun & Profit  Lawrence Block for Recorded Books

Spider, Spin Me a Web  Richard Neer for LB Productions

Write For Your Life  Richard Neer for LB Productions

A Writer Prepares Peter Berkrot for Tantor Audio

The Liar’s Bible  Michael Bonner for LB Productions

The Liar’s Companion  Michael Bonner for LB Productions

Writing the Novel from Plot to Print to Pixel  Mike Dennis for LB Productions

JOHN WARREN WELLS ON SEXUAL BEHAVIOR

 

 

 

3 is Not a Crowd  Bill Weeden and Dolores McDougal for LB Productions

Wide Open: New Modes of Marriage  Don Sobszak for LB Productions