SerpApi.Org
Don't bother Stephen Kingwith the "are audiobooks reading" debate, because he already knows the answer. King is among the most prolific authors of the past half-century, and one of the most successful, and like any great writer, he's also a voracious reader. He always has thoughts on the best new fiction of the year, and he frequently blurbs the top releases in horror, sci-fi, and all the genres his books have dominated for decades.
So, it's no surprise he has an opinion on audiobooks too. It has become a surprising controversy on "BookTok," Reddit, Substack, and other online spaces devoted to reading in recent years. That is: is listening the same thing? Do audiobooks "count" as reading? As it turns out, Stephen King weighed in on the subject years ahead of time, all the way back in 2000.
At the turn of the century, in his monumental book about craft, On Writing, King advocated for audiobooks. He even called them a "revolution." And that was when they were still physical media, books on tape and CD. Digital media doubled, even tripled down on the accessibility of audiobooks. They're now more popular than ever, but some people want to dismiss them. Why?
Stephen King doesn't get it either. In 2007, still years in advance of the modern online version of the audiobook debate, King reiterated in an essay published in Entertainment Weekly, entitled "Stephen King on Why He Loves a Good Audiobook,"that he "couldn't disagree more" with those who want to devalue or discount listening as a form of reading.
Stephen King Endorsed Audiobooks As Invaluable For Readers & Writers In His Craft Memoir "On Writing"
Stephen King's endorsement of audiobooks in his book On Writing is quick and noncontroversial. It comes as King explains that to write successfully, one must read obsessively. Here is the full quote:
Reading is the creative center of a writer’s life. I take a book with me everywhere I go, and find there are all sorts of opportunities to dip in. The trick is to teach yourself to read in small sips as well as in long swallows. Waiting rooms were made for books— of course! But so are theater lobbies before the show, long and boring checkout lines, and everyone’s favorite, the john. You can even read while you’re driving, thanks to the audiobook revolution. Of the books I read each year, anywhere from six to a dozen are on tape.
In this context, King extols audiobooks as a way to maximize reading time. Audiobooks are perfect for driving, but also for cleaning the house, taking a walk on a sunny day, or peddling on a stationary bike at the gym. 26 years after King wrote this in On Writing, audiobooks are available at the touch of a button; they go everywhere a person's smartphone goes.
So, that's the practical argument for consuming audiobooks. But does that make them reading? That's the existential question that divides people today. Stephen King knows the answer is still "yes." It's true that auditory and visual information processing are different, that the "act" of reading text on a page is different from listening to it. Recognizing those distinctions is great, but putting them in competition, or assigning primacy to one over the other, is folly.
Listening to books isn't for everybody. But neither is reading them. Audiobooks can make book fans out of people who struggle with following text on the page. Of course, they are essential for visually impaired readers. And for some readers, audio and text exist in harmony; they might listen to a chapter on their commute to work, read another on their Kindle at work during lunch, listen to another on the way home, and then finish the night with a few chapters in bed.
Stephen King Has Defended Audiobooks For Decades; Why Won't The Debate Go Away?
The history of literature starts with oral storytelling. Writing came second. The printing press is a relatively modern invention by historical standards. Recitation remains a vital dimension of the literary arts. What do modern writers do when they go on book tours? Read from their work. Stephen King himself narrates the audiobook version of On Writing, and it is a great listen. And if listening intellectually and creatively stimulates the listener's mind, but maybe differently than reading might, is that a bad thing?
"Some critics...claim that listening to audiobooks isn't reading," Stephen King wrote in EW in 2007. (Sneaking in a shot at Harold Bloom in the process, calling him "always tiresome.") King took the opposition position, and went on to list some of his favorite audiobooks at the time. What this says is that the debate isn't new, even though no less of an authority as Stephen Kinghimself has tried to end the debate for over 25 years.
