Editing Audiobook (section)

====1970 to 1996====
Though spoken recordings were popular in {{frac|33|1|3}} vinyl record format for schools and libraries into the early 1970s, the beginning of the modern retail market for audiobooks can be traced to the wide adoption of [[cassette tape]]s during the 1970s.<ref name=blake>{{cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/SomethingNewHasBeenAdded |title=Information Literacies for the Twenty-First Century |chapter=Something New Has Been Added: Aural Literacy and Libraries |publisher=G. K. Hall & Co. |author=Virgil L. P. Blake |year=1990 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/SomethingNewHasBeenAdded/page/n0 203]–218 |access-date=5 March 2014}}</ref> Cassette tapes were invented in 1962 and a few libraries, such as the Library of Congress, began distributing books on cassette by 1969.<ref name=blake/> However, during the 1970s, a number of technological innovations allowed the cassette tape wider usage in libraries and also spawned the creation of new commercial audiobook market.<ref name=blake/> These innovations included the introduction of small and cheap portable players such as the [[Walkman]], and the widespread use of cassette decks in cars, particularly imported Japanese models which flooded the market during the multiple energy crises of the decade.<ref name=blake/>

In the early 1970s, instructional recordings were among the first commercial products sold on cassette.<ref name=blake/> There were 8 companies distributing materials on cassette with titles such as ''Managing and Selling Companies'' (12 cassettes, $300) and ''Executive Seminar in Sound'' on a series of 60-minute cassettes.<ref name=blake/> In libraries, most books on cassette were still made for blind and disabled people, however some new companies saw the opportunity for making audiobooks for a wider audience, such as [[Voice Over Books]] which produced abridged best-sellers with professional actors.<ref name=blake/> Early pioneers included Olympic gold medalist [[Duvall Hecht]] who in 1975 founded the California-based [[Books on Tape (company)|Books on Tape]] as a direct to consumer mail order rental service for unabridged audiobooks and expanded their services selling their products to libraries and audiobooks gaining popularity with commuters and travelers.<ref name=blake/> In 1978, Henry Trentman, a traveling salesman who listened to sales tapes while driving long distances, had the idea to create quality unabridged recordings of classic literature read by professional actors.<ref name=blades/> His company, the Maryland-based [[Recorded Books]], followed the model of Books on Tape but with higher quality studio recordings and actors.<ref name=blades>{{cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1991/05/21/the-olivier-of-books-on-audio-tape/ |title=The Olivier Of Books On Audio Tape |work=[[Chicago Tribune]] |author=John Blades |date=21 May 1991 |access-date=12 January 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20140113201134/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1991-05-21/features/9102150583_1_frank-muller-hamlet-cassette-book/2 |archive-date=13 January 2014 }}</ref> Recorded Books and [[Chivers Audio Books]] were the first to develop integrated production teams and to work with professional actors.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://booksalley.com/bAMain/bAlleyT02_Museum.php |title=A Brief History of Audio Books |publisher=Booksalley.com |date=18 September 2007 |access-date=2 August 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709022228/http://booksalley.com/bAMain/bAlleyT02_Museum.php |archive-date=9 July 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

By 1984, there were eleven audiobook publishing companies, they included Caedmon, Metacom, Newman Communications, Recorded Books, Brilliance and Books on Tape.<ref name=blake/> The companies were small, the largest had a catalog of 200 titles.<ref name=blake/> Some abridged titles were being sold in bookstores, such as [[Walden Books]], but had negligible sales figures, many were sold by mail-order subscription or through libraries.<ref name=blake/> However, in 1984, [[Brilliance Audio]] invented a technique for recording twice as much on the same cassette thus allowing for affordable unabridged editions.<ref name=blake/> The technique involved recording on each of the two channels of each stereo track.<ref name=blake/> This opened the market to new opportunities and by September 1985, ''Publishers Weekly'' identified twenty-one audiobook publishers.<ref name=blake/> These included new major publishers such as Harper and Row, Random House, and Warner Communications.<ref name=blake/>

1986 has been identified as the turning point in the industry, when it matured from an experimental curiosity.<ref name=blake/> A number of events happened: the [[Audio Publishers Association]], a professional non-profit trade association, was established by publishers who joined to promote awareness of spoken word audio and provide industry statistic.<ref name=blake/> Time-Life began offering members audiobooks.<ref name=blake/> [[Book-of-the-Month]] club began offering audiobooks to its members, as did the [[Literary Guild]]. Other clubs such as the [[History Book Club]], Get Rich Club, Nostalgia Book Club, Scholastic club for children all began offering audiobooks.<ref name=blake/> Publishers began releasing religious and inspirational titles in Christian bookstores. By May 1987, ''Publishers Weekly'' initiated a regular column to cover the industry.<ref name=blake/> By the end of 1987, the audiobook market was estimated to be a $200 million market, and audiobooks on cassette were being sold in 75% of regional and independent bookstores surveyed by ''Publishers Weekly''.<ref name=blake/> By August 1988 there were forty audiobook publishers, about four times as many as in 1984.<ref name=blake/>

By the middle of the 1990s, the audio publishing business grew to 1.5 billion dollars a year in retail value.<ref name=hendren>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-08-29-fi-40128-story.html |title=Recorded Books: Winning War With Rush-Hour Traffic : Commuting: Henry Trentman says his audio books are the 'world's greatest tranquilizer' for stressed-out drivers. |work=Los Angeles Times |author=Hendren, John |date=29 August 1995 |access-date=12 January 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20140112055246/http://articles.latimes.com/1995-08-29/business/fi-40128_1_recorded-books |archive-date=12 January 2014 }}</ref> In 1996, the Audio Publishers Association established the [[Audie Awards]] for audiobooks, which is equivalent to the Oscar for the audiobook industry. The nominees are announced each year by February. The winners are announced at a gala banquet in May, usually in conjunction with [[BookExpo America]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://booksalley.com/bAMain/bAlleyAwards.php |title=Audie Award |publisher=Booksalley.com |access-date=2 August 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20111028210715/http://booksalley.com/bAMain/bAlleyAwards.php |archive-date=28 October 2011 }}</ref>