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Audiblegate

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Re: Audiblegate

#341

Post by gideon_b »

delgaudm wrote: post #290
playpause wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My housemate is an audiobook recording engineer. I just asked him about it. He says in the best case, with a skilled narrator, an hour of audiobook can take only 1 hour 10 minutes to record. In the worst case it can take up to three hours. I asked him if it could ever take up to five hours and he said no way, never.

Your housemate is wrong. Or, not thinking it through. Or, has ever narrated as a primary income earning job. That's like saying "Those 20 lines of code you wrote are only like 90 words. You type at 40WPM, so it took you what 2, maybe three minutes to write?" You and I both know that's utterly uncorrect. Your housemate might be thinking only of the "talking into the microphone part", and assumes that the narrator only…

I don't know anything about this industry but I listen to a lot of audiobooks. I have always wondered how the narration actually works, what the job is like. Sometimes I can hear the changes and it opened up a whole world of me wondering what that process looks like. This was an excellent description, thank you!

Re: Audiblegate

#342

Post by raverbashing »

delgaudm wrote: post #290
playpause wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My housemate is an audiobook recording engineer. I just asked him about it. He says in the best case, with a skilled narrator, an hour of audiobook can take only 1 hour 10 minutes to record. In the worst case it can take up to three hours. I asked him if it could ever take up to five hours and he said no way, never.

Your housemate is wrong. Or, not thinking it through. Or, has ever narrated as a primary income earning job. That's like saying "Those 20 lines of code you wrote are only like 90 words. You type at 40WPM, so it took you what 2, maybe three minutes to write?" You and I both know that's utterly uncorrect. Your housemate might be thinking only of the "talking into the microphone part", and assumes that the narrator only…

Thanks for the thorough response. But I think the parent was talking specifically about "actual time narrating at the microphone" and I agree with him.

I agree with you of course, as well. But most of the stuff besides narration is not recording time. It's time you need to do the job, sure.

Re: Audiblegate

#343

Post by Ansil849 »

altairprime wrote: post #329
Ansil849 wrote: post #98

> a bizarre returns policy, where the consumer could return their AB whenever they pleased, and the PRODUCER shouldered the cost. I don't understand, what's supposed to be bizarre about this policy? Why the seemingly snarky "where the consumer could return their AB whenever they pleased" comment?

I believe what’s bizarre about the policy is the following: 1. Buyer pays Amazon $xx for sale of audiobook. 2. Amazon credits publisher $xx and debits published 40-83% of $xx for handling fees. 3. Buyer is refunded $xx by Amazon 4. Amazon debits publisher $xx. So as I understand the thread, Amazon is doing the equivalent of charging a ‘restocking fee’ equal to their share of the sale price, so that the publisher ends…

Ah, I understand now, yes that makes sense. If Amazon is not refunding the handling fees to the publisher, that's indeed unfair. Though that seems like the issue should be firmly between the publisher and Amazon/Audible, I don't see why they also took a shot at the consumer with the glib "where the consumer could return their AB whenever they pleased" comment.

Re: Audiblegate

#344

Post by IgorPartola »

imwillofficial wrote: post #331
IgorPartola wrote: post #305

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I can see how you can think of me that way based on this discussion. I studied physics in undergrad and in classical dynamics we covered “rocket science” in these terms. The term is more or less a misnomer as science implies trying to understand how the universe works. Building rockets is engineering but studying their motion does rely on both the equation I gave above and also on fluid dynamics. From the point of vi…

You simplified to an absurd level that does not reflect reality in the slightest. You did that to sound smart, and refused to concede when actual domain experts showed up to slap you down. I worked on a ballistic missile tracking software that would calculate areas of uncertainty given coverage of various defense mechanisms. It very much involved rocket scientists from JPL. You are wrong in every measurable sense of…

> You did that to sound smart, and refused to concede when actual domain experts showed up to slap you down

Sounds like I lost the asshole measuring contest :)

Re: Audiblegate

#345

Post by mrleinad »

reddog wrote: post #311
mrleinad wrote: post #233

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure what the limits are for returning content, but I'd set some if they haven't already. You shouldn't be able to return the content if you listened on its entirety, for example.

I agree that its dishonest and despicable to return a book that you've completed and enjoyed (or even found mediocre). In fact I wish there was a Audible tip jar that let me give extra money to writers who have changed my life with a great book. But if you've read enough you've probably had the experience of finishing the last page of a book and hurling it across the room in anger and frustration. It could be that th…

Not everything needs to be reimbursed, sometimes you'll choose something that won't work for you, and that's ok. That doesn't mean the author was dishonest at all, even if he was not the best writer.

I think that's what reviews are for. If you had a good time, write a good review. Same if you had a bad time, write a bad one and warn others. And check other people's reviews to see if something's worth it or not.

I'm saying that being myself a consumer and not a producer. I would benefit from being able to return books after reading them, but I don't think it's ethical to do so. I might try to sell it again in case of physical books, of course.

Re: Audiblegate

#346

Post by imwillofficial »

IgorPartola wrote: post #344
imwillofficial wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You simplified to an absurd level that does not reflect reality in the slightest. You did that to sound smart, and refused to concede when actual domain experts showed up to slap you down. I worked on a ballistic missile tracking software that would calculate areas of uncertainty given coverage of various defense mechanisms. It very much involved rocket scientists from JPL. You are wrong in every measurable sense of…

> You did that to sound smart, and refused to concede when actual domain experts showed up to slap you down Sounds like I lost the asshole measuring contest :)

HN has a vast amount of random talent. If you’re going to speak with authority, you’d better know you’re right! And if somebody comes in and upgrades your knowledge, be cool about it. They just did you a favor.

Re: Audiblegate

#347

Post by delgaudm »

raverbashing wrote: post #342
delgaudm wrote: post #290

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your housemate is wrong. Or, not thinking it through. Or, has ever narrated as a primary income earning job. That's like saying "Those 20 lines of code you wrote are only like 90 words. You type at 40WPM, so it took you what 2, maybe three minutes to write?" You and I both know that's utterly uncorrect. Your housemate might be thinking only of the "talking into the microphone part", and assumes that the narrator only…

Thanks for the thorough response. But I think the parent was talking specifically about "actual time narrating at the microphone" and I agree with him. I agree with you of course, as well. But most of the stuff besides narration is not recording time. It's time you need to do the job, sure.

Sure, in the context of the original post, if you're figuring out what you got paid for your time, then all the stuff counts, not just time behind the mic.

Re: Audiblegate

#348

Post by IgorPartola »

imwillofficial wrote: post #346
IgorPartola wrote: post #344

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You did that to sound smart, and refused to concede when actual domain experts showed up to slap you down Sounds like I lost the asshole measuring contest :)

HN has a vast amount of random talent. If you’re going to speak with authority, you’d better know you’re right! And if somebody comes in and upgrades your knowledge, be cool about it. They just did you a favor.

Thank you so much and I am so sorry for what I did. I didn’t realize there were domain experts on HN. That’s amazing and I can’t believe I spoke on this subject without first checking if I was the smartest person in the room. What you added to the discussion is invaluable. You are a saint.

Re: Audiblegate

#349

Post by eru »

gwd wrote: post #165
eru wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I suspect the retail price is just there as a psychological suggestion to make you think you are getting a good deal with the credits.

Back in the 90's I bought several audiobooks on tape for long car journeys; the retail prices listed on Audible seem similar to the price I actually paid back in the day. A lot of the titles are also available on iTunes as well, and the prices were comparable to the retail price listed on Audible. Audible really is a good deal.

Interesting, thanks! I guess both perspectives can be right: the prices are in some sense real, but at Audible they function mostly to tell you what a good deal you are getting (in return to committing to a subscription).

Re: Audiblegate

#350

Post by eru »

CraneWorm wrote: post #327
eru wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Eh, a company should be free to offer any bad deal they can dream up. If you don't like it, your job is to turn down that offer.

> If you don't like it, your job is to turn down that offer. Sure, and disappear, because you're not listed by the bad deal company that has container-ships-of-money for marketing.

Nobody is forcing you to work in that particular industry.

And you can put your spoken word content on eg Spotify or Youtube, too. There is competition.

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