Writing A Book? AudioBook It Instead

When Mignon Fogarty, aka Grammar Girl, appeared on Oprah, she couldn’t take advantage of the exposure to increase her book sales because her book isn’t in print yet. So instead, she recorded an audiobook version [NY Times, free sub req’d] ahead of the print version. And it shot up to the top of the iTunes audiobook chart.

Traditionally, audioboooks come out after a print edition. However, they’re relatively easier and faster to put together, not to mention cheaper. And with iPods being everywhere, with podcasting being increasingly popular, audiobooks might be what publishers need ahead of a print edition. Especially since audiobooks don’t need to be pressed on CDs. Is Apple CEO Steve Jobs more of a visionary than we realize?