"It" On Audio Book

[Robert Gray]

I, for one, would really like "It" released on audio book. Is there any chance of that happening in the near future?

[Shadowtron]

I've asked this question before. I believe the response at the time was that the book was just too long for an audio recording. Now with Under the Dome coming out in an unabridged audio version, the theory that IT is too long kinda goes out the window. Fingers crossed that the publishers come to their sense and get IT on CD.

[Robert Gray]

The problem with audio book recordings is 1. They don't convert them to MP3 format which would vastly decrease the size and number of disks required. They also insist on recording them at an extreme high quality as if they were classical music. Audio books aren't music and don't require audio perfection, only clarity. I bought all three unabridged books of the Lord of the Rings, ripped them and burned myself a single disk for my car. All three books fit just fine on a single CD. I payed for them so I'm ethically entitled to make a copy for my own use.

[Shadowtron]

The problem with audio book recordings is 1. They don't convert them to MP3 format which would vastly decrease the size and number of disks required. They also insist on recording them at an extreme high quality as if they were classical music. Audio books aren't music and don't require audio perfection, only clarity. I bought all three unabridged books of the Lord of the Rings, ripped them and burned myself a single disk for my car. All three books fit just fine on a single CD. I payed for them so I'm ethically entitled to make a copy for my own use.

Audible.com is also a good source for MP3 formatted audio books. Whatever the format, I'm hoping IT hits audio soon. Be nice taking Pennywise along with me on my daily commute. :laugh:

[bryantburnette]

Correct me if I'm wrong (I'm too lazy to look it up), but doesn't Amazon have an audio version of It available for pre-order?

[Moderator]

No, it's not true. There is no mass market audio edition of IT available now or for pre-order.

[bryantburnette]

Amazon.com begs to differ with you.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/014242787X/ref=ox_ya_oh_product

And they do so at a rather reasonable price.

[Edward Cantor Dean]

I had an uncle who was deaf. He had IT on audiobook on tape. He left it to me and i just recently transferred it to my ipod. The stand too. You really have to work for those transfers.

[bryantburnette]

While shopping on Amazon.com recently, I found a whole slew of King audiobooks scheduled for release in 2010, and I pre-ordered all of them.

If any of these aren't real products, I would appreciate knowing it in advance, as Amazon.com has led me to believe that they do, in fact, exist, and have similarly indicated their intention to charge me for them. Heck, they even sent me an email to make it even more official.

Danse Macabre -- January 26
UR -- February 16
The Long Walk -- April 1
Firestarter -- April 1
Cujo -- April 1
Roadwork -- April 1
The Running Man -- April 1
The Eyes of the Dragon -- May 13
The Dark Half -- May 13
Christine -- May 13
(ahem) It -- May 13
The Tommyknockers -- May 13

So, what gives here?

[Moderator]

When I first checked Amazon's page to see if I could find the pre-order info, nothing came up. I checked with Penguin Audio about IT on Friday and they confirmed that they are planning to do this as a mass market audiobook but are waiting for the paperwork to be completed before proceeding so it has not actually been produced yet. They could not give me any information about reader/s at this time.

[Mobe1969]

Yeah, awesome news. Wouldn't it be great if they had Tim Curry do it :) Or rather, do IT.

I have had it on preorder for a few weeks now (along with all the other novels - not the short ones). I can't wait!

Regarding the whole CD/MP3, I'd prefer that if I buy them on physical media they are CD wave. I don't know what they do the MP3s at, what sort of bit rate, quality etc.

If they released them in an aac audiobook format on CD media with good quality, I'd go for that. Like the HQ Audible versions.

At the moment though I have a process for turning a CD into a single m4b using EAC and FAAC. M4bs are good on an iPod as you can both have it remember spot in the track, and run them at a faster or slower speed, plus they have the 30 second rewind feature - stuff you don't get with a straight audiotrack. If I got anything on phsical media as MP3 I'd have to decompress it to a wave and then recompress to a proper audiobook format.

[hetfield_86]

Awesome

[Mobe1969]

I wonder who some of the narrators are going to be on the next slew of Stehpen King audiobooks coming out early next year. I'm actually pretty excited and thinking about this question quite a bit. It would truly be awesome if Tim Curry did IT. :)

Any news anyone?

[Moderator]

I know who has been selected to see if they would be willing to read the new audio books but I do not know if they have accepted the offers so cannot pass along the names yet. I can tell you it is not Tim Curry for IT, though.

[Mr. Jingles]

I'd like to see Sir Anthony Hopkins read "It". That'd be sweet!

[Mobe1969]

I know who has been selected to see if they would be willing to read the new audio books but I do not know if they have accepted the offers so cannot pass along the names yet. I can tell you it is not Tim Curry for IT, though.

Thanks - as soon as you know who is doing them, can you let us all know!

Shame it isn't Tim Curry though. Ah well :) I'm still getting it.

[Patricia A]

I pre-ordered one, so here's to hoping It's really there.

[Flipsk8emerica]

I'm am currently listening to the audio book version read by Chuck Benson and I am very pleased with it. The sound isn't the best but it only makes the book even creepier, kind of like when Ash listens to the readings from the Necronomicon for the first time in Evil Dead. I got my copy on Ioffer for 9 bucks and got the link to download it the same day...cant beat that.

[Garren]

Oh snap, if thats true Under The Dome will be the next audio book I grab.

[hanshotfirst1138]

Now if only we could get The Stand on CD...

[RocketMan]

The readers have been announced for the next slew of King audiobooks, and Steven Weber will be reading It. I think it's a good but not perfect choice.

The other choices are quite good as well, especially Bronson Pinchot reading The Eyes of the Dragon and Edward Herrmann reading The Tommyknockers.

Here's hoping The Stand will be among the next batch of King audiobooks. (Maybe an actor from the miniseries could read it? I guess Gary Sinise or Rob Lowe are too high-profile, so I'm thinking Matt Frewer.)

[kingfanalaska09]

Ms. Mod is it true Steven Weber will read It? And those other choices?

[Flipsk8emerica]

Man i was really hoping Tim Curry would read IT. He did an awesome job on the Series of Unfortunate Events series

[Flipsk8emerica]

By the way where did you read this RocketMan

[Moderator]

Ms. Mod is it true Steven Weber will read It? And those other choices?


That's my understanding. I'll have to check with Penguin to confirm the other readers but many of the names look familiar from the list that Steve approved as his reader choices.

[RocketMan]

Actually, I did some detective work and have three sources.

First, I visited Penguin's website and simply searched for the audiobooks. The text didn't mention the readers, but some of the covers were up, and when I enlarged them I was able to make out the names. Some covers, however, were missing, and those included It.

Then I saw that Audiobooks today made the following announcement: http://audiobookstoday.blogspot.com/2010/02/old-stephen-king-in-new-release.html
This mentions all the books and all the readers, but not who's doing what.

Finally, one of the readers themselves - Grover Gardner - twittered the final line-up: http://twitter.com/GroverGardner

So there you go.

[hanshotfirst1138]

The readers have been announced for the next slew of King audiobooks, and Steven Weber will be reading It. I think it's a good but not perfect choice.

The other choices are quite good as well, especially Bronson Pinchot reading The Eyes of the Dragon and Edward Herrmann reading The Tommyknockers.

Here's hoping The Stand will be among the next batch of King audiobooks. (Maybe an actor from the miniseries could read it? I guess Gary Sinise or Rob Lowe are too high-profile, so I'm thinking Matt Frewer.)

Any idea when that next batch might be coming ;)?