Some people say that audiobooks are the best way to read more without sacrificing time or when they don’t have a lot of room for lying in bed with a book for hours at a time. Audiobooks and podcasts have gained popularity worldwide over the last two years and are now the preferred way for most people. But if you haven’t listened to audiobooks and want to make your first experience better, explore the following tips from experts:
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Start with Something Easy
Even though most people don’t believe it, listening to podcasts and audiobooks is a skill. When first getting to know this world, you can check many websites and tools to find something suitable for you and not be disappointed. It may seem that listening to the book is much easier than reading it, so many start with something complex. However, you will listen to the book while living your life, preparing food or going to work, so many distractions can occur. Make sure you start with something easy, and you like, so you will slowly adjust to listening to books after years of reading them.
Pick Something Short
The same applies to the lengths of the book. It is better to start with a small book than try to cover three parts of one book at once. You can lose interest or misunderstand something when trying to listen to a long book for the first time. Use Headway to find recommendations based on your interests and get collections of simple yet engaging books a good start.
The Narrator Matters
You may listen to lots of books that you like, yet you won’t be satisfied with this format, and one of the reasons for that is the bad narrator. It doesn’t always mean that he\she can’t read the book as it must be read, but it means that in your head, you want to hear something else.
Luckily, some apps allow you to choose the desired narrator, or you can find his\her name and choose books that she\he has already voiced. So if you don’t like the narrator from the very start, do not waste your time and pick a new one.
Speed It Up a Little
One of the key reasons why so many people struggle with audiobooks is that they’re just usually quite slow. But it should be a big problem when it comes to modern apps and tools offering audiobooks. Just find your perfect speed (based on how you read or accept the information in audio format). Some people like slow reading, while others need 1.5 or double speed, which depends greatly on the narrator. If you want the audiobook to ‘match’ the average human reading speed, the speed would be 1.75x. This can help it be more like a conversational pace instead of a sleep-inducing speed.
Final Thoughts
Audiobooks are excellent for anyone looking to expand their memory and enjoy their favourite books while doing normal daily stuff. However, getting the most out of your audiobook experience requires knowledge and skills. Explore these tips to try listening to books for the first time.
