Given the lack of source data I can't tell if they talking X listens across Y population, or are they saying that Z individuals listened to at least one audiobook. Do you have some insight from another data source? If not, I stand by my claim that 1 in 4 Americans listening to an audiobook is hard to believe.
From the article in the post I was replying to[1]:
Audiobook production is a multi-step process that requires equipment, software, a studio, and a narrator. Depending on the cost and availability of each of these aspects, the price of producing an audiobook can vary.
* Generally, around 9,300 words of text equate to one hour of audiobook length.
* The average audiobook is around 10 hours long, containing close to 100,000 words.
* The average narrator charges around $200 per finished hour, meaning that the expenses on the narrator will amount to $2,000 for recording an audiobook.
* On top of that, it is necessary to either rent a studio where the recording will take place or invest in the equipment and sound production yourself.
* In either case, producing an audiobook will take between $4,000 and $8,000.
* Some companies offer a complete production service for a fixed price, usually at the $6,000 range.
They are saying it's something on the order of $8,000 to produce a 10 hour audiobook. I tripled that to get to $24k since ASOIAF is a little over 33 hours, then doubled it just to account for things like more expensive voice actors or more expensive production. Keep in mind this was just napkin math to get a general range for what it would cost and I'd rather inflate it a bit just to be safe.
For anyone interested, I think I tracked back to the original study.
Edison Research’s Share of Ear is a quarterly survey of Americans who are asked to keep a detailed one-day diary of their audio usage. Share of Ear utilizes a nationally representative sample of those age 13+. The sample for this study was 4,118
From the article in the post I was replying to[1]:
They are saying it's something on the order of $8,000 to produce a 10 hour audiobook. I tripled that to get to $24k since ASOIAF is a little over 33 hours, then doubled it just to account for things like more expensive voice actors or more expensive production. Keep in mind this was just napkin math to get a general range for what it would cost and I'd rather inflate it a bit just to be safe.[1] https://wordsrated.com/audiobook-statistics/