Are solos more listener friendly than group projects?

[commonsparrow3]

I think this is strictly a matter of personal taste, which means there will never be agreement on which is "better".

Before I started reading for LV, I had been a listener for a couple of years, and when I had a choice between different versions of the same book, I always chose the multi-reader version. I've always lived in a read-aloud household. So for me, the experience of hearing different voices is cozily familiar. It reminds me of my family passing a book around the kitchen, with different people taking over the reading as others need a break. I find it very comfortable in a homey sort of way.

But I have one sister who is also a longtime LV listener, and for some reason she prefers the solo readers. To her, multi-reader versions are distressingly (not comfortingly) reminiscent of casual kitchen reading. She finds solo reading more pleasingly professional. So, oddly enough, my reasons for liking one thing are her very reasons for liking the opposite thing!

As there's no accounting for taste, I suppose it's a good thing that LV offers a little of both options.

[carolb]

What an interesting and well-balanced view, Maria.

Yes, it shows that people have their reasons for preferring one over another and that Librivox caters for all tastes!

We're here to please!

Carol

[annise]

It's always an interesting question - but personally if I have a choice I prefer it to be read in the way I enjoy and find reading that I don't enjoy easier to take when I know it is only 1 chapter. Many of the books I download would not tend to be read by a Soloist - they are too long and too difficult for most people to solo. I guess I'm saying I find the question incapable of a definite answer.

Anne

[Morlock]

Good stuff to hear. It's totally a matter of preference.

[Breeze]

I think books that are written in the first person are definitely better as solos. Not sure about others though.

[ElleyKat]

I personally enjoy listening to the same reader for the whole book. You begin to see the character in your mind and get used to the reader. If the reader changes every chapter, it's hard to get used to listening to each one every chapter.

Conversely, soemtimes I'll listen to a solo by a reader, and then when I hear that very distinctive reader again in a group work, I'm like "Wait, am I listening to [Book A] again? *checks* Nope, this is a different book." LOL

I personally prefer listening to novels done as solos, and collections of shorter stories (like the various fairy tales collections) by multiple readers. Though my FAVORITE way of listening to anything is as a dramatic reading.

[Breeze]

I like Dramatic Readings too. Though if one or two voices have a buzz in the backround or are too quiet that can be annoying.

[Kaffen]

I know that as a reader I want to see a project come to the end and get published. Especially in LVs early days - that could take a LONG time. I've been a contributor to several books that took 2-3 years to finish. Too many people who volunteer for one or two chapters drop out. As a soloist, I can confidently expect that the book will be finished in a reasonable amount of time. For that reason, I gradually transitioned to nearly 100% solo work, and so I hope listeners like solos for the reasons already given.

Do we have stats on solo vs. collaborative books? - And by books, I mean discrete volumes, rather than poem-of-the-week or short story compilations.

[lubee930]

Interesting, indeed. As a reader for LV (group projects and solo), I don't recall ever once having an "Is it done yet? Has it been cataloged yet?" itch. Don't even give it a thought. And I don't specifically search out and download projects even if or just because I've participated in them.

I have discovered--a bit to my surprise, actually--that (at this point, anyway) I get the greater pleasure in exploring and collaborating in group projects. Is that weird? I mean, do most people gravitate, like Mark, to solos instead of to group projects? I really enjoy the group projects, and I would not want to forego participating there in order to focus on solo projects.

Good point, though. One can control the pace and completion of a solo, but not so much on a group project, other than taking lots of sections to move it along, I suppose. But for some of those books that may not be so amenable to solo projects (as Anne astutely pointed out in an earlier comment), I'm glad that we have the option of group projects. And I do hope that we continue to have listeners who enjoy both types!

[Piotrek81]

I very rarely listen to audiobooks, other than when PLing them, but I guess I prefer solos, as they are "safer" (if I like the reader's way of delivering the story in one chapter, I know it's not going to change).

I like to see the work progressing, regardless of my role in the project. That's why I take sections in the book I BC- no one else wants them

I don't mind participating in group projects as a reader, but I rather prefer when it's either something I know already (so that I know what the point of my section is in the big picture) or a collection of self-contained stories. I've recently read a section in a continuous story I'd never heard of before and as a result I had no idea what was really going on in "my" section. Confusing

[RuthieG]

Do we have stats on solo vs. collaborative books? - And by books, I mean discrete volumes, rather than poem-of-the-week or short story compilations.

Not really. I did a little digging around, and I find around 700 completed collections of short works and poetry. So, if you deduct those from the completed works, that leaves around 6300 "books".

The stats in the new system differ rather from the old stats (I know not why), so I am not going to be too specific, but of the total catalogued works, about half the total catalogued are solos. I calculate that this therefore leaves a maximum of around 2600 collaborative "books" (including plays).

I've noticed the number of solos increasing faster than the number of collaborative books for some time. The solo figure (and to a much smaller extent the figure of collaborative projects) includes some very short books, little more than short stories, or at least novellas.

Ruth

[ShiNeko]

Of course, having the authors themselves reading their own works is probably the best solution (since they know their writing better than anyone else)

Actually, no. There is only a very small amount of authors who can actually read their works. Most of them are just stuck in their "world", feelings and inspiration to that instant they cannot bring the idea to the listener. They know what it is about, what the main idea is but have no capability to carry it out.

I like to take part in group projects but only in which I can record some chapters without reading the whole book. I hate reading chapters from a book without knowing what this book is about. But I think working in group projects is more fun than in solo (though I haven't made any solo yet). As a listener... it depends on the purpose I listen to it. If I want to improve English isn't it better to listen to different people? As collaborative books it is fun to listen to children books. Concerning other books I prefer to listen to one person 'cause it can be a bit confusing when different people read it (though it doesn't include nonfiction).

[jspet]

As an avid LV. listener, I do like solo works more than group works, The main issue I have with group works are the different reading styles being put together in one work. One book I listened had multiple reading styles varying from a female reading like a baptist preacher (drawn out mono tone), to a ESOL reader that I couldn't understand; I ended up skipping that chapter. So the easy answer is solo readers, but the practical side of getting as many audiobooks recorded, group projects is the answer. My goal in joining LV is to help get those Senior works finished, which obviously will entail multiple readers.

[keri]

I've got to say, I read more than I listen to Librivox. But I think it really depends, multireader books do have the danger of having a chapter where you can't understand or the sound quality is very poor, but solo can be a bit monotonous and if you don't like the reader then you're stumped.

I have done one soloish project and everything else I've done by browsing through the readers wanted forum. So I hope people like the multi reader books and maybe as time goes on people can use multiple versions to compile there own favourite version.

I also enjoyed reading this thread to learn that there are LV avid listeners,