Audio Books

[DarkChaplain]

Honestly, I'm not sure how this move to Audible can be so mismanaged. Indie authors do it all the time (and there are folks who write literal fanfiction for video games and put it into audio for sale - Amazon/Audible don't seem to care though), and it's not like the audiobooks they've been putting out there the past half a year or so were really new work.

 

It was putting the backlog up, recordings/productions that already existed. The audio dramas especially are already sold as single-file MP3s, and don't have chapters at all on Audible, with the exception of anthology dramas (where on CD, they do have track splits). They could've gone from book one of the HH to book 4X step by step, in ordered fashion, but instead they jumped all over the place. Same goes for The Beast Arises, Eisenhorn, Ravenor and co. There was no rhyme or reason to any of it, when any fool could've figured out that going by the actual order would've been most useful.

With Audible, they're trying to reach a new market and a wider audience, and you're going to pee those people off quite blatantly if you leave a hole in the series with no idea when any of it will be put up.

 

Then there's errors like these (I don't think it was the only one, but don't quote me on that), misconfigured release dates (Burden of Loyalty had a Day/Month Month/Day twister in there originally, which they had to fix manually later) and a bunch of other things like dropping the ball on using the Series-overview/numbering on Audible etc.

 

Watching this unfold the past half a year really had me wishing I could fly over and talk to the guys in charge, because they're that disorganized. As somebody very particular about collecting things, to the point of having every Anime series folder equipped with a cover as the icon, and running all my ebooks through Calibre to change titles/series/author name order properties for easier sorting on the kindle, this kind of neglect ticks me off to no end. I'll bet that this chaos on Audible has caused them more problems already than just doing it in a structured and sensible fashion right off the bat. They might not even realize that Old Earth is STILL missing from the range, for example, just because they've lost track.

[Knockagh]

It is indeed a total shambles. There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. Even if I put a conspiratorial foil hat on it still comes back to just a complete mess. It’s great they are on audible though! Just a pitty it comes across so poorly managed

[Xisor]

On a purely professional level, I can *totally* see how the Audible barrier can be mismanaged.

 

1- Produce audio book for general BL release.

2- Prepare it into the relevant file, with appropriate tags/FYIs/sign-off/prices/availability dates to Audible.

3- check all of those details

4 re-check those details because if any bit of them changes, other moving/related parts might have changed too. (Ensure that the BL/GW editing/pricing/release schedule don't vary and need revisions back up this chain)

5- get the file to Audible

6- verify that Audible have actually got the right info (No error their side)

 

Live happily ever after.

 

That should all be individually simple, but as it doesn't take one person's entire week to do it, week to week, I'd bet that the people in charge of the various steps have a ton of other details on their mind too. And other work pressures.

 

So actually centralising that to-do checklist and being absolutely sure all the details are correct is the ad-hic job of possibly a dozen different people, all with arguably "More important" (or at least: more urgent to their managers) concerns.

 

In some respects, it's basic configuration management. In other respects, configuration management is a non-trivial thing where each individual step is fairly trivial. It should be ripe for automisation, yet somehow...

 

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I'm more annoyed at why Storm of Damocles still isn't on Kindle UK.

 

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All that said, I'm near finished with "Ravenor: Rogue" and I cannot overstate how much I've enjoyed these books. Toby Longworth and the team have done an amazing job with them. The series is so rich, and so easy-going yet engrossing and still dramatic.

 

It's hugely enjoyable.

[Knockagh]

I’m just starting Ravenor Rogue. I’ve used my monthly credits on the series for the last three months and heartily second Xisors recommendation. It’s been a long time since I visited the series and I think I’m enjoying it even more than before. Having reread all of the Eisenhorn related material in the last few months the Ravenor books have been the cream of the crop. Admittedly it’s the only one I have listened to but I don’t think that matters the story is just a superbly told tale

[ShadowSwordmaster]

Wolfsbane is up on audible. 

https://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Wolfsbane-Audiobook/B07D7DQ1WH?ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_6&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=760A8EGYTEH6SQQ4C84S&

[Knockagh]

Faith and fire is out on audio. Doubt it will hit audible for a while but this is a suprise for me. Very pleased, looking forward to revisiting this book in audio.... hopefully the wait for it to hit audible won’t be too long! This is a great book

[Grey Angel]

Faith and fire is out on audio. Doubt it will hit audible for a while but this is a suprise for me. Very pleased, looking forward to revisiting this book in audio.... hopefully the wait for it to hit audible won’t be too long! This is a great book

It went up on audible this morning

[Knockagh]

Excellent! That’s some smooth improvements from BL there

[DarkChaplain]

Still waiting for a bunch of others though, and Devastation of Baal still hasn't been fixed.

[DarkChaplain]

Born of Flame and the Shadespire audios are on Audible now. The catch? They messed up the date format again. Instead of releasing on June 9, they set them up for release on September 6.

[Taliesin]

Wolfsbane is up on audible. 

https://www.audible.com/pd/Sci-Fi-Fantasy/Wolfsbane-Audiobook/B07D7DQ1WH?ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_6&pf_rd_p=e81b7c27-6880-467a-b5a7-13cef5d729fe&pf_rd_r=760A8EGYTEH6SQQ4C84S&

 

Stunning novel and the narration by Keeble is just so good.

 

I love the way he pronounces the opening line of the book as the Master of Mankind says "I have something for you, Horus".

[DarkChaplain]

Did anyone else notice Audible plastering yellow "Only from Audible" strips over covers this week? Yeah, right, not like you couldn't buy Horus Rising on Black Library for years before Audible or even Kindle was even a consideration over at GW....

 

A week later and BL still haven't fixed the 6th of September vs 9th of June issue with Born of Flame, by the way.

Edited June 16, 2018 by DarkChaplain

[Knockagh]

Did anyone else notice Audible plastering yellow "Only from Audible" strips over covers this week? Yeah, right, not like you couldn't buy Horus Rising on Black Library for years before Audible or even Kindle was even a consideration over at GW....

 

A week later and BL still haven't fixed the 6th of September vs 9th of June issue with Born of Flame, by the way.

Didn’t notice that but I see it now and it’s still there. Really weird.... is it an edited version that only they have? Not sure, I have Audibles Horus Rising and I couldn’t see any difference!

 

Today I picked up James Swalllows Faith and Fire, loved this when I read it many moons ago and I’m relishing it in audio. The narrator Emma Gregory was made for the role. She is fantastic. Well worth a listen if you have a spare credit! The scene set in chapter one is glorious.

[DarkChaplain]

Nope, no difference. They've just started putting the banner on a ton of audiobooks recently. They even updated the covers for stuff already in your library, and it bloody sucks.

 

I HATE when covers get plastered with unnecessary garbage stickers. Bad enough that in Germany, you have ginormous age ratings on DVDs/BDs/Games that, in the case of old Nintendo DS boxes, covered a quarter of the entire thing. It's ugly, it's irrelevant. If I buy an Audible audiobook I *know* it's on Audible. I don't need the advertisement, I'm already a customer. And with this one, the thing is plastered indiscriminately onto the cover, right over author names and book titles. "The Emperor's Le---" wait, what?

[Knockagh]

Nope, no difference. They've just started putting the banner on a ton of audiobooks recently. They even updated the covers for stuff already in your library, and it bloody sucks.

 

I HATE when covers get plastered with unnecessary garbage stickers. Bad enough that in Germany, you have ginormous age ratings on DVDs/BDs/Games that, in the case of old Nintendo DS boxes, covered a quarter of the entire thing. It's ugly, it's irrelevant. If I buy an Audible audiobook I *know* it's on Audible. I don't need the advertisement, I'm already a customer. And with this one, the thing is plastered indiscriminately onto the cover, right over author names and book titles. "The Emperor's Le---" wait, what?

Agree, nothing more tacky than a vulgar looking marketing slogan plastered across something I paid for.

[Grey Angel]

Still waiting for a bunch of others though, and Devastation of Baal still hasn't been fixed.

Good news devastation of Baal is now fixed!

[DarkChaplain]

About bloody time! Now they just need to fix the release dates for The Darkness in the Glass and Born of Flame, and release the remaining stuff (Blackshields: Red Thief, Crusade + Other Stories, Hammerhal, Nagash: The Undying King, Soul Wars on Saturday, the eternally missing Old Earth and so on)

[Chapter Master Valrak]

Am I the only one that still buys directly from BL? :D

[Knockagh]

Am I the only one that still buys directly from BL? :D

I would imagine so!

 

Why do you?

[DarkChaplain]

Well, for audio dramas especially, you get higher bitrates. Audio dramas benefit from having full 320kbps rather than Audible's 64kbps AAC. With audiobooks it isn't so noticeable most of the time, thankfully, but when it comes to soundeffects, overlapping speech, background music etc, the higher bitrate is super beneficial.

You also get regular MP3s from BL in general, instead of encrypted AAC that normally only runs on a few select apps or pieces of software.

 

But honestly, paying 10 bucks or spending a monthly credit is far more appealing than buying 30€+ audiobooks on BL. I just wouldn't recommend spending credits on audio dramas on Audible - you get a story with usually 70 minutes at best (and there've been a bunch of 40 minute dramas this year....), while giving up the credit that could've gotten you a full 12+ hour audiobook - or even one with 60 hours, like a Stormlight Archive volume or various classics. It just doesn't feel like you're getting the most bang for your buck/credit there.

[Chapter Master Valrak]

 

Am I the only one that still buys directly from BL?

I would imagine so!

 

Why do you?

 

 

Just like it, stuck in my ways :D

[Knockagh]

I stopped buying audio drams a while ago. Yes they are a quality production but they are far to short. I only one I’ve bought recently is the rogue trader one. Didn’t enjoy it I find them too short to get into the characters and plot.

[rookie40K]

I buy from both. For audiobooks that I’m wishy washy about, or not that excited about, I get on audible. Ones I’m super excited about, I get from Black Library. Edited June 29, 2018 by rookie40K

[Knockagh]

 

 

 

Am I the only one that still buys directly from BL?

I would imagine so!

 

Why do you?

Just like it, stuck in my ways :D

I like a man who’s stuck in his ways. The old ways are the best ways.

[DarkChaplain]

It also helps that Audible actually has a decent refund policy. Allowed me to refund the broken (missing last chapter) edition of The Devastation of Baal. It's fixed now, sure, but it took them almost two entire months to get it fixed - and I spent my credit right on its audible launch. With BL, you'd have to fight support over it and they may still deny you a refund since you had already downloaded their MP3 edition. Not that their edition was broken in this instance, but it's not like missing ebooks in bundles or late updates to subscriptions weren't a thing in the past, and then you'd have to wait days for a fix to it, especially over the holiday season or even weekends.

 

@Pete

I'm torn on the Rogue Trader drama too. I enjoyed the bulk of it, but then it just proceeded too far too fast with an ending that obviously set it up as a supposed series - which would've been cool and all, but we still don't have even an announcement for a follow-up. With the trilogy from Chris Dows re: Elysia (which was fantastic btw) we at least had the sequels telegraphed months ahead of time and didn't need to wait and see.

Swallow does a lot of radio drama stuff, of course, he knows what he's doing with the format. But that first Rogue Trader drama really had pacing issues in the last sections and made me feel unsatisfied with the entire thing. Should've at least been a 2-disc-length drama to properly handle things. As it is right now, that one is basically a prologue to something not yet produced.

 

I would, however, really recommend the Elysia trilogy, or Titan's Bane. Agent of the Throne's good too so far. And stuff like The Binary Succession really lost its oomph when they printed it in Burden of Loyalty recently...