Text to speech could hardly replace an audiobook performance by any stretch of the imagination. Sorry to hear about the effects of the digital transition. Maybe you should hire some creative minds to figure out how to shift the business model? Maybe link the audiobook inside the front cover of the book at a moderate discount? You know, advertise that it exists, and offer access to it. Any kind of online access has to be better than shipping two cassette versions to the back corner of borders, locked in a glass case. Maybe you'd actually sell a few more copies of your precious, 'newly endangered' format.

spam edited by ddp

That's hilarious! I hope they don't find out that people read to their kids, or worst yet...the elderly. Hearing a book being "read" from a machine can't compete with dramatization that you get with an audio book. Come on, greed is an ugly thing.

And greed destroy yet a new cool feature... and I totally agree on one thing, I rarely listen to audiobooks and lucky me all of them had GREAT readers (I would say actors, but IDK if that´s the right term)somehow I doubt you would get the same effect from a synth voice, I think you should have a choice without having to declare whatever illness you have...

The only fear here is that the authors will lose income from those forced to buy audiobooks - the vision impaired.

LOL this is hilarious... i wonder if i can get sued if i buy one of their books and decide to read it out loud in a public area since there is absolutely no difference...

since they are going to label this as "performance" does the kindle 2 dance and sing for us too? I hardly call a monotonous voice which sounds like some drone reading a "performance".

Audiobooks are audiobooks. This is clearly not an audiobook. Besides, it's in Amazon's own interest to keep it from cannibalizing itself since they own Audible.com.