Mantofa Articles Directory

Books on tape have been around for a long time. As technology advanced to accommodate varying media outlets, books on tape began to be referred to as audio books. Containing recordings of the entire contents of a book, audio tapes can be obtained on cassettes, CDs and, more recently, digital formats.

Now a multi-million dollar enterprise, audio books are
widely accepted for entertainment, as teaching aids for special needs students and for others who want to acquire particular information on a wide range of subjects while involved in other activities.

Audio books come in several formats such as unabridged (word for word), abridged (text edited out), and fully dramatized versions including complete casts, musical scores and sound effects.

As digital devices become smaller (e.g. iPods and MP3 players), more technologically advanced and more readily accepted by the masses, creators of audio books have developed techniques for downloading and retrieval of files.

This article will address the procedure for downloading an audio CD to an iPod, so audio book files can be played there.

1)Set optimal iTunes import settings to audiobooks.

2) Insert CD and wait for tracks to appear in iTunes. Do not select automatic. Select all CDs tracks, and choose Join CD Tracks from the advanced menu. Note: If the Join CD Tracks menu item is dimmed, you will have to re-sort the list by the track number.

3)Select Submit CD Track Names on advanced menu.

4)In the CD Info dialog box, complete information about the audio book.

5)Click OK, to submit. You may be prompted to Select CD Category, if so, choose Books & Spoken, and then click OK.

6)When the submission process is completed, all of the tracks on the CD should have the appropriate information attached to them. Click the Import button (top right corner) to import this disc, using the import settings you set up initially.

7)When the import finishes, eject the CD.

8)Switch to your Library, and find the newly imported track. There should be only one. Select it, and press Command-I to do a Get Info on the track, and switch to the Info tab.

9)Verify information is there. The song Name will be the same name as the album. Since the Name will be what you see on your iPod, you should add the disc sequence number. The shorter the format the better. (e.g. xx/yy xx being the disc number and yy being total number of discs. Add a leading zero to the disc number if the total number of discs will be more than one digit. This way, the tracks will sort correctly when sorted by Name.

10)Switch to the Options panel, and check both the Remember playback position and the Skip when shuffling checkboxes Remember playback position tells iTunes and the iPod to make the file bookmarkable. Skip when shuffling keeps the spoken word track out of your random music mixes.

11)Repeat this process for the each CD in the audio book, until you have imported all of the CDs.

12)Sync to your iPod, and enjoy.

In today hectic society with its emphasis on multi-tasking, audio books serve a dual purpose. They give busy people the opportunity to keep current with literary works while still maintaining their active lifestyles.

BookAudioJunction.com is a fully-stocked online audiobook mega-store containing a vast selection of downloadable audio books in over 160 categories. Visit http://www.bookaudiojunction.com today and pamper yourself to an audio book.

In today fast-paced, multi-tasking environment most people can ill afford the luxury of spending hours relaxing beside an open fire with a good book. Most neither have the time nor the inclination to spend precious hours devoted to one particular task. For this reason, audio books have taken the marketplace by storm.

Audio books are recordings of the contents of a book provided either on tape, CD or in digital format. Their popularity is increasing daily as more and more people take advantage of the high performance capabilities of combining book reading with physical activity. Wireless recording and playback devices, like iPod and MP3 have opened up a whole new, virtual world to literary works and information data never before experienced.

Unabridged (word for word), abridged (some editing done) or fully dramatized with award winning soundtracks and professionally portrayed characters, audio books are gaining more and more acceptance by busy people who want to use the time spent exercising, standing in line or commuting from one place to another more productively.

Audio books, with their capabilities of providing full text self-help guides, biographies, niche-market information and even fully scripted novels are filling a gap for many busy people, proving them with the opportunity to become pleasantly distracted from some of the more routine, tedious tasks that eat away their days.

The latest, technologically advanced concept of downloading digital files to portable devices has added tremendously to the popularity and functionality of audio books. With minimal effort and basic equipment, everyone can easily take advantage of the many perks of books on tape.

Fitness aficionados are rapidly jumping on the audio book bandwagon. In addition to offering sometimes hard to get incentive for actually beginning a fitness regime, audio books via wireless devices are so captivating in some cases that people find themselves spending a little longer on the treadmill – just so they do not have to stop listening to their favorite tapes in mid- chapter.

Conversely, audio books offer a more casual pace for reading than the printed word. Typically, most readers comprehend text at a rate of about 400 words per minute, whereas most audio is provided at about 100 words per minute. This leisurely pace of absorption appeals to many people because it allows for a more easily attained artist-listener interaction. Audio interpretation of the printed word allows listeners to develop their own visual interpretations on characters and plot, thereby increasing reader enjoyment.

Although audio books are wonderful tools for providing information or respite to on-the-go people, they also take us back to a more nostalgic time when storytelling was definitely a two-way street between orator and listener.

BookAudioJunction.com is a fully-stocked online audiobook mega-store containing a vast selection of downloadable audio books in over 160 categories. Visit http://www.bookaudiojunction.com today and pamper yourself to an audio book.

Similarities do abound of course between radio drama and pieces performed on the stage, film and television, however, the ability to move, inspire, and create solely through the collaboration of the human voice and the mind is a magnificent feat that requires the utmost discipline, insight and flawless interpretation of a voice actor.

To recognize the obvious, radio drama lacks a visual component and therefore is subject to the interpretation of the listener through sound and speech. Theatre, film, and particularly, live performances, are all visual experiences that generously communicate to their audiences through additional senses such as sight, smell, and touch while incorporating sound and speech.

As radio drama caters specifically to sound and speech, the most universally heightened of the senses, opportunities arise for a richer listening experience free from external distraction while enabling an audience member to conjure up their own visual version of the radio drama.

In radio drama, the script needs to be expertly written, accommodating the intellectual needs a listener. The voice actors role is to breathe life into the script and the producers role is to observe all Foley elements as are required to enhance the performance while providing additional mental stimulation for the audience. I liken this parallel to the intellectual experience and satisfaction that reading quality literature brings.

Performers of radio dramas are indeed actors. There is no question about it. It is simply a different application that provides its own unique set of challenges and adventures. In order to perform a voice-acting role, a person needs to be first and foremost an actor at heart.

In fact, many people use physical gestures and dialog with each other in sessions similarly to how actors feed off of each others energy on stage, film or television. There is a real chemistry that comes across when voice actors have synergy with their cast mates, quite comparable to the same electricity that face-to-face acting brings.

Now that we’ve looked at radio dramas in general, let’s explore marketing audio dramas and increasing the number of listeners for a radio drama.

Independent producers and groups have an enormous opportunity to reach new listeners on a global scale by means of podcasting. Using podcasting as a means to attract new listeners is fundamental to the success and continued discovery of this art form through popular and new media.

There are several independent radio theatre troupes around the globe that have sought to expand their listener base through podcasting and have affiliated themselves with websites that facilitate the spreading of their message, including organizations such as LibriVox, a group of people dedicated to recording audiobooks and making audio dramas more accessible to the public.

Submitting an established radio drama to podcast directories is also a brilliant way to increase the circulation, mind-share (and ear-share) as well as awareness for the craft. One popular radio drama I discovered this year, The Radio Adventures of Doctor Floyd, leveraged the celebrity status of one of their cast members, June Foray, to boost its appeal and gain a larger audience.

Voice actors who perform audio dramas ally themselves with Voices to help promote their work and gain a wider reach concerning new listeners and even new members of their radio drama clubs. For instance, there is the Amateur Voice Acting Group (AVAG) in San Diego, California established by David Johnson.

When he launched his voice-acting group, the VOX Daily voice actor blog was there to help with promoting David’s organization to other talent in the San Diego area through Voices.

A membership to an online voiceover marketplace is without question one of the best investments and outlets for voice professionals in the radio drama field. Each voice actor is encouraged to upload a sample of their voice and list their work or voluntary experience. Many voice talent have started out as narrators for audiobooks produced for the blind as a steppingstone in their careers.

Stephanie Ciccarelli is the Vice President of Marketing with http://www.Voices.com, an online marketplace hosting more than 8,000 professional voice talents from around the world. Stephanie is the author of The Definitive Guide To Voice-Over Success, and The Voice-Over Script Collection.

No I am not giving you a piece of my mind, do not worry! I really mean “Listen up”, that is, to increase the number of times you listen to books. How you may ask? Let’s take a look at the “why” of listening to books before I tell you how to do it.

Many adults have a major problem and that is time. Most of us are busy with work, business, family, kids and more. If we have a choice we would want to sit down, relax and read a good book but we simply do not have our own personal time set aside to do it due to our various obligations and commitments.

However, it should not be use as an excuse to stop enriching our knowledge through books nor forgo deserving breaks from our daily routines. One secret why successful people are busy and yet can accomplish so much is the way they manage their time.

Successful, busy people are constantly looking for ways to make the most use of their “dead time” — such as the time they spend commuting, working out in the gym, doing house chores, running errands, jogging, gardening etc

If you have been struggling to find time to enrich your knowledge from business management gurus, biographies of notable people and other best selling non fiction titles, you can give audio books a try.

All you need is an mp3 player. You will be amazed at how entertaining and fulfilling they really can be when you can make use of your commuting time to enrich your knowledge at work or in school.

With the growing trends in mp3 and digital technologies where most household have fast internet access, you can easily find someone walking along the street with a headset on their ears.

If you are an avid reader, you will quickly realize the power of acquiring knowledge via audio books! Any regular Joe who reads about 10 printed books a year will most likely be able to listen to many more audio books in the same period!

Many successful business people are self-motivated individuals who strive to improve and create better opportunities for themselves. It is not unusual for them to be early adopters of audio books. In the past, audio books were available in the form of audio tapes. With technological advancements, audio books are made available as audio CDs, downloadable files from the Internet and even podcasts.

Some individuals even study a foreign language from audio books. It is less stressful and less tedious as compared to enrolling in a course with boring textbooks because you can get into the “lecture room” anytime you want at your convenience and do away with all the commuting to and fro a physical language school.
You can be a knowledge learner like them. A good way for you to get started listening to audio books is to visit Merlion Audio which offers you one of the largest selections of downloadable audiobooks and spoken word material anywhere on the Internet – and it’s growing daily!

You can find everything from the latest best-selling audio books from major publishers such as the BBC, Brilliance, Harper-Collins, Simon & Schuster and Time Warner through to innovative audio theatre productions from around the world. Titles by any best selling authors and top business gurus like Jack Welch, Peter Drucker, Zig Ziglar, Jack Canfield, Robert Kiyosaki and Robert G. Allen are good audio books you can start with.

Audio books will provide a new way of learning for busy individuals and professionals who want to enrich their knowledge in a multi-tasking environment. This is an increasingly popular mode of knowledge acquisition. Are you ahead of the pack?

To check out how you can listen to some of the #1 best seller books, visit http://www.merlionaudio.com
If you are interested in becoming an affiliate, we offer attractive commissions, you can visit http://www.merlionaudio.com

It’s indeed incredible that not many people pay a great deal of attention to what gets into their minds. You see, the mind is the single most important factor in determining who you are and what you do as an individual.

If your mind is positive and creative, you can become all you ever dream of becoming.

Most of the highly successful people you see in the news today took a great deal of time to work on improving their minds.

Positive and negative thinking are both contagious. All of us affect, in one way or another, the people we meet. This happens instinctively and on a subconscious level, through thoughts and feelings transference and through body language.

People sense our aura and are affected by our thoughts. Is it any wonder that we want to be around positive persons and shun negative ones? People are more disposed to help us if we are positive. They dislike and avoid anyone broadcasting negativity.

Negative thoughts, words and attitude bring up negative and unhappy moods and actions. When the mind is negative, poisons are released into the blood, which cause more unhappiness and negativity. This is the way to failure, frustration and disappointment.

Always visualize only favorable and beneficial situations. Use positive words in your inner dialogues or when talking with others. Smile a little more, as this helps to think positively. Disregard any feelings of laziness or a desire to quit. If you persevere, you will transform the way your mind thinks.

We develop our minds by what we put into it. If we are continually putting negative information into our minds, this results to negative thoughts and ultimately negative actions.

So, if you want the opposite creative thoughts, it is pertinent to always get the right kind of information into your mind.

The most common way to do this is by reading the right kinds of books.

Sadly, because of the great demand on our time, only few people still read lots of books, especially after college.

We mostly only have time to read the newspapers and magazines. And guess what? Most newspapers only end up giving us bad news that further increase our negative state of mind.

In order to turn the mind toward the positive, inner work and training are required. Attitude and thoughts do not change overnight.

Read about this subject, think about its benefits and persuade yourself to try it. The power of thoughts is a mighty power that is always shaping our life. This shaping is usually done subconsciously, but it is possible to make the process a conscious one.

Thankfully with the advent and popularity of audio books, anyone can get the right information into his or her mind without having to “read”.

You can enjoy the benefits of audio books while exercising, commuting to and from your work, etc.

For those who don’t know exactly the audio books to go for, below are some of the 10 best audio books to improve your mind.

1. Build Your Self Esteem Author: Glenn Harrold Publisher: Diviniti Publishing

2. Awaken the Giant Within Author: Anthony Robbins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

3. Develop a Powerful Memory Author: Glenn Harrold
Publisher: Diviniti Publishing

4. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Author: Stephen
R. Covey Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

5. How to Win Friends & Influence People Author: Dale
Carnegie Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

6. Awaken the Giant Within Author: Anthony Robbins
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

7. Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway Author: Susan Jeffers
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

8. The Power is within You Author: Louise L. Hay Publisher: Hodder Headline Audio books

9. Creating Inner Peace and Calm Author: Glenn Harrold
Publisher: Diviniti Publishing

10. Get Up and Do It! Publisher: BBC Books
Even if the idea seems strange give it a try, as you have nothing to lose, but only to gain. Ignore what others might say or think about you, if they discover that you are changing the way you think.

To check out how you can listen to some of the #1 best seller books, visit http://www.merlionaudio.com
If you are interested in becoming an affiliate, we offer attractive commissions, you can visit http://www.merlionaudio.com