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Two free audio goodies – grab them now!

The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde, is available as a free iTunes app from L.A. Theatre Works. Download this free app to any Apple device, and enjoy not only the full play, but also the entire text so you can read it standalone or follow along with the audio. The app also includes an interview with director Michael Hackett, Professor of Theater in the School of Theater, Film and Television at UCLA as well as pop-up annotations that follow the audio. The production stars James Marsters as Jack, Charles Busch as Lady Bracknell, and Emily Bergl as Cecily. A must-have for any educational drama program!

The Jester (A Riyria Chronicles Tale), written by Michael J. Sullivan & narrated by Tim Gerard Reynolds, is a free short story download from Audible. This hour-long production will give you a stand-alone introduction to Sulivan’s action-packed epic fantasy world.

Happy listening!

Nine free audiobook downloads – classics & current favorites. Load up your MP3 player or phone with these goodies!

From Random House Audio: The “Try Audiobooks” promotion has something for every type of audiobook listener – and their promotional ideas are a great model for libraries to replicate .  Grab A Week in Summer by Maeve Binchy; The Cult of the Garage by Chip Heath & Dan Heath; Clan Rathskeller by Kevin Hearne; Lee Child’s Second Son, read by his partner in crime Dick Hill ; and Jack London’s classic The Call of the Wild, read by Luke Daniels, the tile that inspired my Voices in My Head column “It’s on the Tip of My Tongue.” Here’s the promotion’s website where you can download all five: http://www.tryaudiobooks.com/

From Naxos Audio: Two free classic downloads. The Call of the Wild  read by William Roberts will gives you a chance to compare how two different fine narrators can interpret a title when paired with the Random House freebie, plus Northanger Abbey beautifully read by Juliet Stevenson.  Naxos also has a free nonfiction children’s title, Famous People in History, Volume 1, along with a supplemental informational booklet. Grab all three here: http://www.naxosaudiobooks.com/m4b.htm

And this month’s free download from Christian Audio is The Cross and the Switchblade by David Wilkerson and John & Elizabeth Sherrill, read by Paul Michael – still a best-seller fifty years after its first publication. Click here to download.

Happy listening!

Daughter of Smoke & Bone and A Tale of Two Cities plus Batgirl equals listening & viewing awesomeness.

This week’s SYNC audiobooks, available to download for free August 2 – August 8:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone. By Laini Taylor. Read by Khristine Hvam. Published by Hachette Audio.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she’s prone to disappearing on mysterious “errands”; she speaks many languages–not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she?

A Tale of Two Cities. By Charles Dickens. Read by Simon Prebble. Published by Blackstone Audio.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .” Set before and during the French Revolution, a French aristocrat and an English lawyer compete in their love for Lucie in the menacing shadow of the guillotine.

And for all librarians everywhere, the totally awesome pilot for the sadly unmade Batgirl series. I admit to an addiction to the TV series as a kid, and strongly suspect I’m not the only librarian-by-day that was inspired in my career by Barbara Gordon!

Thanks to Random House Library Services for the link!

Olympic sports to family-friendly classics, teen favorites plus a Playboy short story – these 8 freebies have something for everyone. Enjoy but remember: these are limited time offers that may disappear at any time, so download now to build your audio library!

Two short podcasts from Naxos Audiobooks:

Olympic Memories Podcast (MP3) British broadcaster John Goodbody recalls some of his favorite memories from the Olympic Games he has reported.

London Games Podcast (MP3) John Goodbody on how London won the 2012 Olympic Games.

The Poetry of Sport. And speaking of the Olympics, don’t forget that you can listen to NPR’s broadcasts as audio links and create a playlist for download. Here’s a story on the Olympic sport of… Poetry!

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Read by Grover Gardner. Published by Blackstone Audio.

Direct link to zipped downloadable MP3 file or M4B file.

“Romance” by Chuck Palahnium. Read by the author. Published by Blackstone Audio.

Originally published in Playboy magazine, “Romance” is a twisted love short story like only Chuck could tell.

Direct link to zipped downloadable MP3 file or M4B file.

The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum. Read by Anne Hathaway. One of Audible’s A-List Audiobooks – a classic listen, great for the whole family. And spoiler! – it’s different than the movie

This week’s free downloads from SYNC:<

Listen up – grab an Encyclopedia Brown story and two tales featuring Cleopatra. But download quick before the offers disappear…

  “The Case of the Stolen Moonstone” from Encyclopedia Brown Super Sleuth. By Donald Sobol. Read by Greg Steinbruner.

Recorded Books honors the passing of beloved author Donald Sobol. When the Mystery Writers of America bestowed a Special Edgar Award on Donald J. Sobol’s Encyclopedia Brown series, its reputation as a classic of children’s literature was assured. This fun story finds 10-year-old Leroy Brown (known to the people of his town as Encyclopedia Brown) honing his impressive detective skills. Can’t solve the mystery? Check Recorded Book’s Facebook page next Thursday for the solution!

This week’s download freebies from SYNC:

 Cleopatra’s Moon By Vicky Alvear Shecter. Read by Kirsten Potter. Published by Oasis Audio.

Selene has grown up in a palace on the Nile with her parents, Cleopatra & Mark Antony–the most brilliant, powerful rulers on earth. But the jealous Roman Emperor Octavianus wants Egypt for himself, and when war finally comes, Selene faces the loss of all she’s ever loved.

 Antony and Cleopatra. By William Shakespeare. Read by a Full Cast. Published by AudioGO.

The twin empires of Egypt and Rome mingle and clash in this towering tragedy. Impulsiveness, passion, mistaken identity, and dark humor all color the fascinating dalliance between Antony and Cleopatra, the larger-than-life pair at the center Shakespeare’s play.

One classic, one comedy, one Christian. Download now before these offers expire!

This week’s SYNC titles, courtesy of  HarperAudio and Recorded Books:

 Guys Read: Funny Business Edited by Jon Scieszka. Read by Michael Boatman, Kate DiCamillo, John Keating, Jon Scieszka, Bronson Pinchot. Published by Harper Audio.

Ten stories guaranteed to delight, amuse, and possibly make you spit your milk in your friend’s face, from the following esteemed writers: Mac Barnett, Eoin Colfer, Christopher Paul Curtis, Kate DiCamillo, Jon Scieszka, Paul Feig, Jack Gantos, Jeff Kinney, David Lubar, Adam Rex, and David Yoo.

 The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County and Other Stories By Mark Twain. Read by Norman Dietz. Published by Recorded Books.

“The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County” is a wild yarn involving a case of mistaken identity, a gambler who’d bet on anything, and a very unusual frog named Daniel Webster. First published  in 1865, the tale was immensely popular, and in 1867 an expanded version was published with 26 additional short stories, told as only Mark Twain could tell them.

Plus this month’s free download from Christianaudio:

  The Sword By Bryan M. Litfin. Read by Ray Porter. Published by Christian Audio

This novel of page-turning action and adventure poses the question, “If a society had no knowledge of Christianity, and then a Bible were discovered, what would happen?” Four hundred years after a deadly virus and nuclear war destroyed the modern world, a new and noble civilization emerges.  Fantasy and adventure readers will be hooked by this first book in a forthcoming trilogy.

Narrators, autographs, FREE audios - #JIAM2012 June is Audiobook Month at the American Library Association’s Annual Convention in Anaheim. If you are attending, add these terrific FREE events to your calendar!

SUNDAY June 24, 1:00pm – 4:00pm PopTop Stage,  located at the end of the 2700 aisle on the Exhibit Floor.
Audio Publishers Association hosts “Get Caught Listening!”

Featured will be the various aspects of audiobooks with a mix of authors, voice talent and actors. The APA consists of audio publishing companies and allied suppliers, distributors, and retailers of spoken word products and allied fields related to the production, distribution and sale of audiobooks. Drop by these FREE sessions:

1:00pm   Ramon de Ocampo narrator of the Wimpy Kid series and award-winning Producer Bob Deyan, Recorded Books

1:20pm   Maggie Stiefvater, Steve West & Fiona  Hardingham, author and narrators of 2012 Odyssey Honor, Scorpio Races, Scholastic Audio

1:40pm   Nancy Cartwight, voice of Bart Simpson, and Travis Oates, voice of Winnie-the-Pooh’s Piglet, performing radio theater “Stories from the Golden Age”, Galaxy Press

2:00pm  Daniel Kraus and Kirby Heyborne, author and narrator of 2012 Odyssey Award winner, Rotters, Listening Library/BOT

2:20pm  Trent Reedy and Ariana Delawari, author and narrator, Words in the Dust, Scholastic Audio

2:40pm  Director of Audio Production, Dan Zitt and narrator Kathe Mazur to discuss the art of audiobook-making, Random House Audio/BOT

3:00pm  Kelly Gildea and Lincoln Hoppe, producer and narrator 2012 Odyssey Honor, Okay for Now, Listening Library/BOT

3:20pm   Jennifer Bradshaw and Antony Ferguson, reading from a collection of short stories and The Missing of the Somme, AudioGo

3:40pm   David Cochran Heath will be selections from reading from the Bible, Christian Audio

MONDAY June 25, 4:00pm – 5:30pm, Anaheim Convention Center, Room 213D. Cocktail Reception to Follow.        The Sweet Sounds of the Odyssey Ceremony – FREE to attend!

The Odyssey Award is given to the producer of the best audiobook produced for children  and/or young adults, available in English in the United States. Stepping out from behind the recording booth, your favorite narrators perform a piece from their Odyssey Award-winning audiobooks at this engaging presentation. Celebrating the magic of audio and storytelling has never been so much fun.
PLUS, every attendee walks away with a FRE

June is Audiobook Month and the listenin’ is easy. Great suggestions for an in-car book club to make traveling time fly by are in the links below!

NPR’s Audiobooks That’ll Make the Family Road Trip Fly By

USA Today’s Good Picks for Audiobooks on Your Road Trip This Summer

SiriusXM’s Kids Place Live Summer Book Club

AudioFile Magazine’s Audiobooks on the Go Summer Listening for Kids & Families

Random House Audio’s Heard Any Good Books Lately (with three free titles!)

Need hints for including summer audiobook listening to your library’s programming & promotions? Try these suggestions from Books on Tape or grab links to FREE audiobook titles plus promotion materials from SYNC

This first in the Jane Whitefield mystery series is a free download from Tantor Audio. Vanishing Act is narrated by Joyce Bean, and is 10 1/2 hours long – looks like a great road trip listen! No word on how long this freebie will last, so grab this one from Edgar-award winner Perry quick – just set up a free account on the Tantor website here. Here’s what Booklist had to say when the book was first published:

A battered wife needs a safe haven from her violent husband. A card shark who has gone too far craves the safety of anonymity. A young boy, tired of being a pawn in a bitter custody battle, wants to escape into a new identity. Jane Whitefield, a tough, smart, resourceful woman with a strong Native American heritage, can help. She knows all the tricks it takes to make someone disappear. Her latest case is one John Felker, who has been accused of ripping off big bucks from his employer and needs to acquire a new identity, at least until things cool off. Even though Felker’s story doesn’t quite add up, Jane finds herself strongly attracted to him. Unfortunately, her attraction overwhelms her judgment, and it’s only after Felker has disappeared that she finds he’s not been completely honest about his background. Jane sets out on a journey to find the truth about Felker–a journey that will take her from Canada to California and that will end in violence in the dark forests of upstate New York. A suspenseful and satisfying thriller.

The importance of audiobooks for those with disabilities was Voice of Choice narrator Vance‘s topic in his most recent blog post. I know the resources available through Learning Ally (formerly Recording for the Blind & Dyslexic) and  the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped (NLS) are life-changing – the continued response to my Booklist article “That All May Read” has shown me that listeners of all ages depend on these services. If you serve patrons or students who have vision, physical or learning disabilities, please take time to learn about the huge variety of materials available for free – and if you have a family member that qualifies, assist them with signing up! In years past, specially-formatted audios came through the mail, but now digital technology allows instant downloads and app-based access. Many times, those with vision or learning disabilities are frustrated when a particular title is unavailable in a commercially-available audiobook through a vendor or public library – yet that same title (and hundreds more) are readily-available through the NLS, or you may even request that Learning Ally record that title for you! The amazing volunteers who record for these organizations provide a marvelous service and often go on to become top audiobook narrators – here’s what Vance has to say about…

Creating audiobooks for the blind, partially sighted or dyslexic.  When I began 30 years ago we recorded on reel-to-reel 1/4? tape machines and had one engineer between two recording studios – yesterday there was one engineer to each narrator and everything was recorded onto a computer’s hard drive using rather strange software.

I’m choosing this topic for my first blog on the re-designed “me” website because yesterday I donated some time in support of Learning Ally’s Record-A-Thon (the organization formerly known as “Reading for the Blind and Dyslexic”) and had a wonderful morning down at their studios in Palo Alto which made me recall the many pleasant hours I spent at the Royal National Institute for the Blind’s Talking Book Service (now more than 75 years old) in London in the 1980?s.  I always say it’s where I served my apprenticeship in audiobook narration.

Find out more by visiting the link to Simon’s blog & exploring both the NLS and Learning Ally websites!

Free  for you: Love Story by Erich Segal, a 2 1/2 hour teary-eyed audiobook lovefest. Your gift from HarperAudio, via iTunes, by clicking this link. Grab it quick – offer ends February 20th!

Prize-winning audiobook from Listening Library/BOT just by sending an email! Here’s how to enter – and click here to see ALL of the featured titles – including this year’s Odyssey-winner Rotters:

Listen Up, Librarians & Teachers! Help your young patrons and students discover the magic of storytelling on audio.

Enter to WIN a free award-winning audiobook from Listening Library! Email your job title and library or school address to: [email protected].

The first 50 Teen/Children’s Librarians or Teachers to respond will be selected as winners!

*Contest is open to YA/Teen and Children’s Librarians or Teachers in the U.S. with a library or school email and mailing address.

Contest will run from Feb. 6, 2012 – Feb 12, 2012.

All entries must be received by 11:59 EST on Feb 12, 2012 and must include your work email, job title, and library or school address.

Katherine Kellgren reads this cozy mystery written by Rhys Bowen, a limited time freebie from Audible. Grab this 2011 Audies Award nominee for “Best Mystery/Suspense Audiobook” - pure fun narrated by Booklist‘s “Voice of Choice” Kellgren. No doubt they’ve decided to offer this introduction to the  Lady Victoria Georgiana Charlotte Eugenie series to hook you on the series – be prepared to devour all five of these light, frothy treats! Here’s the download link

And check out the video below for a guided tour of Audible’s headquarters, an episode of Cubes hosted by the lovely Katy Kellgren

Get ready for 9 hours of audiobook awesomeness. Lowe’s autobiography is a must-listen for memoir fans. It seems that Audible is on a freebie kick –  so add this title from Macmillan Audio to your account or start a membership to download this one before it disappears. Here’s the link: http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B006IT0K6Q&AID=10273919&PID=3512156&source_code=COMA0213WS031709

Ethics for a Whole World by the Dalai Lama, narrated by Martin Sheen. Grab this nearly 6 hour download from Audible here: http://www.audible.com/pd?asin=B0069A03IY&source_code=FBIFP9002WS120511. Free through December 20th. The description on the Audible site reads, “His Holiness the Dalai Lama, at his most compassionate and outspoken, elaborates and deepens his vision for the nonreligious way. Transcending the mere “religion wars”, he outlines a system of secular ethics that gives tolerant respect to religion, but, with the highest level of spiritual and intellectual authority, makes a claim for what the Dalai Lama calls a third way. This is a universal code of ethics that transcends religion boundaries, that recognizes our common humanity and advocates for a global human community based on understanding and mutual respect.”

That Damned Thing by Ambrose Bierce: a Halloween treat complete with atmospheric music from Naxos Audio. This 19 minute classic tale, read by Jonathan Keeble, is a selection from Naxos’ The Moonlit Road and Other Stories. First published in 1893, Bierce’s gothic horror short story makes for a great classroom listen-aloud or an audio addition to your MP3 player’s collection. Just click on this link http://audio.naxosaudiobooks.com/211_That_Damned_Thing.mp3 to play straight from your computer, or right click to save to your desktop to drag’n'drop onto your cell phone or iPod. Do you like to read along with an audio? Here’s the complete text. Happy Halloween listening!

Kindle compatibility = audiobook audience. Eager new library download patrons are storming the gates to grab free titles for their Kindle. Last August, I gave you the month that Kindle downloads would go live via OverDrive Media. The rumors started flying earlier this week and OverDrive’s press release yesterday made it official: the Kindle digital deluge has begun! I just downloaded my first free library title to my Kindle in 45 seconds. Sweet! Learn how in the video below.

This new wave of digital download patrons will be prime customers for your audiobook collection. In my “Voices in My Head” column in the Sept. 15 Booklist, I mention that OverDrive’s “Get from Kindle” download button will only allow instant e-book downloads, not audiobooks, which will most likely prompt questions from patrons who currently purchase audiobooks through the Kindle store, and might expect instant audiobook downloads to the Kindle now as well. Librarians can remind patrons that downloaded MP3 audiobooks can be drag-n’-dropped onto the Kindle – or any other media device. This is a great opportunity to promote your entire digital collection to the deluge of new patrons – perhaps with an in-house flyer or video that shows how to download & transfer a title from your MP3 audiobook collection onto the Kindle. Why not pair an always-available classic audio title with an always-available Kindle ebook, showing your users how to toggle back and forth between formats?

Grab the free audio short story “Chosen,” in which bestselling author George Pelecanos first explored the character of Iraq War veteran Spero Lucas, hero of his newest novel, The Cut. Best of all, the audio is read by actor Dion Graham, who appears in TV’s The Wire – a series that includes Pelecanos as a writer. Audiobook fans know that Graham is one the very best narrators, from award-winning adult titles to Odyssey-honored youth & YA titles. Good to know that Dion Graham will be voicing the whole Lucas series, beginning with The Cut. If you’ve never heard Graham work his magic, download “Chosen” for free and see what you’ve been missing! Just visit the Hachette Audio web site, scroll all the way to the bottom, find the “Online Exclusive” on the bottom right of the page, right-click the blue Chosen link, and save the MP3 file to your computer. Then drag and drop onto to your player or cell phone. Or you can visit Hachette Audio’s Facebook page and listen to the story on their Lit Amp online player – no download required. Enjoy this 1 hour 15 minute free treat!

Download or promote free SYNC audiobooks? Show the impact of teen audiobooks to publishers by taking time to fill out the quick surveys below.  SYNC provided two free paired audiobooks each week – one a current hot YA release, one a classic – to promote audiobook listening by tweens & teens (and the many adults who are YA lit fans). The initiative is supported by the generous donation of the completely-free, yours-to-keep-forever, MP3 audiobooks by the top audiobook publishers and AudioFile Magazine. The results from the surveys will provide valuable statistics to show the impact of SYNC. If you promoted the program on your library website, as I did,  please post the link to the “Listeners” survey, and fill out the “Librarian & Educators” survey yourself – you’ll get a nice reward at the end of the survey

Let’s keep this great  program going, and make it even better next summer!

SYNC Listeners Survey

SYNC Librarian & Educator Survey

Grab Tantor’s audiobook read by Simon Prebble, master narrator & Booklist’s Voice of Choice award winner. This MP3 can be dragged and dropped on any audio device: phone, iPod, Kindle, whatever.  PLUS the download contains a PDF of the entire book – great for students & teachers. I’m loading both the MP3 audio and the PDF text on my Kindle.

At the top of the Hard Times link, log in or register (no credit card needed), then click the red “Click Here” link at the top of the page to download the zipped MP3 and PDF files. Enjoy this ten-hour audiobook & free PDF eBook, but be quick. The offer is good through August 31.

Blackstone Audio offers simultaneous download of  digital MP3 audiobooks without waiting lists or holds through their Max Access collection of best-selling titles available through OverDrive. Keep up with what’s new from Blackstone on their blog here. I’ll be hearing more about this feature and plenty more at OverDrive’s Digipalooza, their International User Group Conference, later this week. Watch for more News You Can Use!

Audiobook, poster, bookmarks, & more from Stories from the Golden Age series of L. Ron Hubbard, pulp fiction master! Yup, you heard me right. If you’ve never connected Hubbard’s name with old-school dime novel genre fiction, now’s your chance to give it a try. You can see some videos of full-cast audiobook recording sessions & read a review of one of the titles on this previous Audiobooker link.

The offer below is being marketed to librarians & educators, but Galaxy Press is giving all Audiobooker readers the package. Just choose what you like, and give them a click!

By CLICKING HERE, you can sign up to get a FREE review copy package which includes: one of the genre book and audiobook packages listed below, a set of Golden Gazette newspapers, collectible bookmarks and posters with original pulp artwork! No purchase necessary and no strings attached.

SYNC has 2 audiobooks for you every week this summer – all free, all easy MP3 downloads ready to add to your phone, iPod, or other media device. But each pair is available for ONLY one week. So get the whole scoop about this great program to promote audiobook listening in my previous post about all sixteen SYNC give-aways. And promote on your website using the materials available from the SYNC toolkit! These audiobooks are yours to keep forever – so be sure to download, even if you don’t have time to listen now. A great way to start your own personal audiobook collection, for either yourself or your kids!

LAST CHANCE TODAY! Available July 7 – July 13
Where the Streets Had a Name by Randa Abdel-Fattah
A Passage to India by E. M. Forster

Available July 14 – July 20
The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch by Joseph Delaney
Beowulf Translated by Francis B. Gummere

I love that SYNC introduces listeners to titles, authors, or audiobook publishers they may be unfamiliar with – I’m betting that once you listen to Australian publisher Bolinda’s title by Abdel-Fattah, you’ll want more from both. And audios are a great way for the whole family to experience classic literature, no matter if listeners want  romance or heroic battles. And you MUST listen to The Last Apprentice: Revenge of the Witch, one of my personal all-time favorite audiobooks, or give it to a tween or teen uninterested in summer reading – I guarantee they’ll head straight to the library for the rest of the titles in this creepy supernatural fantasy series!