Are Downloadable Audio Books Worth Their Cost?

The increasing popularity of downloadable audio books is already shaking up the publishing world! But the truth of getting online audio books is so easy.

The reason I like audio books is because I actually enjoy them more. Does that sound strange? Well, if you answer yes, I understand.

In the past one never thought twice about paying high dollar amounts for a hard back book at a book store. That shouldn't surprise you! In fact companies like Amazon grew overnight satisfying this same demand for high quality books at a discount price and they continue to this very day!

But now comes another spin in the marketplace! Yeah, let's not leave out technology and the ability to immediately download the very same spoken words onto your favorite iPod, MP3 player, etc...

So now you can buy the very same book (in a different deliverable form) and receive it almost immediately at 35% (or more?) off from the same price you are paying from the book store! And! ... it will last forever, because it's on digital media.

When you begin to look at the value proposition, you really have a better deal even if it were sold at the same price? Maybe that's why last year the downloadable audio book industry climbed to two billion dollars followed by growth projections of (30%) each year thereafter! Wow! ... This creates a great foundation for me to further explain what people who love to read books really see in this new paradigm of audio books online downloads. When you think of your friends who love to read (and who doesn't?) why not give them the gift of an audio book download instead of the last hard copy book you gave them? It's cheaper, more convenient; they can listen to it while driving, on the plane or relaxing during a spare moment?

There are quite a few sites available today where you can download audio books. Audible, Todaysaudiobooks & Simplyaudiobooks are just a few, but each has its own way of marketing that's stands out from the other. For example, Todaysaudiobooks has many thousands of downloadable audio book titles, covering 100's of subject areas, but they have an additional special twist in their offering. They "also" will donate a portion of its total sales each year to Easter Seals charity to aid in supporting their child care development programs. I believe this adds to every customer's buying experience knowing that not only are they getting a tremendous deal on a high quality audio book download, but are also helping "some" needy American child as well!

It's no wonder that the popularity of audio books has recently become so popular? Listening to audio books is entertaining, relaxing and allows multitasking as well. Just think about having a quick break where you want to get away mentally? In an airport waiting on that plane, riding in a car, on a train going to and from work, etc... They all allow a convenient escape, just by reaching in your pocket and pulling out the iPod, MP3 player, etc... Heck! You are in the office and even listening to that great book you haven't finished on your desktop computer, with or without headphones!

Digital storage these days is making more and more sense as well. When you are done listening to the audio book you save it away digitally and keep it for another time ... or maybe as a gift sometime later, who knows?

Audio books for children offer many potential areas of assistance and educational training for parents. With kids having an overload of unprotected exposures these days, why not provide directed learning, hobbies, positive mentorship in the form of audio books that you can download and better control what they are listening to and where they are spending a great deal of their time? Many of the required reading books they are assigned to read in school classes might be much better received if they could listen to it on their iPods or MP3 type players.

Listening to downloadable audio books while you are on the move, whether you're driving to work, washing the car or even doing some other chores can make the day go a little bit faster. Actually at the rate new audio books are being released, you'll never run out of available books to listen to, since the demand in all of the categories is on the rise.

Downloadable audio books are not a fad and the trend towards audio books over hard copy books is steadily growing! The beauty with audio books is that you have more than one option for listening to them. Downloading and distributing audio books is easy and can be done in minutes. Also buying and playing audio books is an uncomplicated process.

This is just the initial installment article on "Are Downloadable Audio Books Worth Their Cost?" Look for additional articles coming soon...

About the Author

Harold Nusbaum, founder of http://www.todaysaudiobooks.com ,which provides audio books online downloads across an extremely wide range of audio books categories. The site offers discounted immediate downloads of Arts & Drama, Biographies, Business, Crime & Thrillers, Fiction, Foreign Language, Health & Recreation, History, Humor, Juvenile, Radio Shows, Religious & Spiritual, Self Help and TV & Fim categories of interest. No membership required!

So Easy, you too can make money Podcasting!

If Mr. Rush Limbaugh is podcasting, Why not You?

At least once a day, I am emailed with questions of how to rake in the cash by podcasting and have decided to begin looking at this and writing on the world of podcasting as a result. Hey if Rush Limbaugh can use podcasting to his benefit, so can you and make money while doing it. In future articles you will get a more detailed look into driving revenue from your podcasting, but for the time being you will just get an overview on the podcasting issues to get you started. Today, you can not wonder down a city street or an airport without seeing someone listening to their ipod and you have to assume some of those people are listening to a podcast. Have you tried to watch an evening of tv without seeing an Apple commercial? Obviously you will have plenty of consumers and competition with the overwhelming popularity of the ipod. So, we definitely have a demand for podcasting and this the first step in determining if you can make money in this marketplace. Podcasting content has become an important part of this hyped marketplace that is here to stay.

Now that this has been established, you have to also choose the right business model to base your efforts on. The choices can be endless here and can include charging a fee for each users downloads, asking users of your podcasting service for a donation, and charging advertisers for pushing their products on your podcasting site. In future articles, we will discuss each of these strategies to help you choose the best podcasting strategy for your needs. In the meantime, I will finish this discussion with you by providing an overview of how you can create a podcast and easily enter the fast moving world of podcasting. There are many programs out there that make podcasting very easy. Most notably, you can buy programs exceeding $49 from sites such as itunes and podcastblaster. Additionally, you can do a search for podcasting tools on MSN, Yahoo, and Google. This being said, I am going to save you a little time by providing you a direct source to create and quickly publish your podcast by going to LiquidShark.com. They offer a product called Quick podcast, which will let you create and host up to 3,600 one-hour talk show podcasts for as little as $3.99 per month. Please check it out and let me know what you think. I will follow this up shortly with a more detailed overviews to get you started so "Yes, you too can make money podcasting."

About the Author

The article on podcasting was written by David H. Butler. He has been consulting on internet commerce since the mid-1990's. He writes for various sources on web promotion, online marketing, hosting, domain registration and linking. The advice and commentary he has distributed is regarded as "expert advice written for the benefit of the readers." He currently operates Liquid

Workout Routines

Are Your Workout Routines Right for You?

So you're pushing up 200lbs over your head during a military press and this young little hottie jamming with her video ipod walks by and gives you the once over. You notice her eyes kind of "stall" at your mid-section. You want to smile and say hello but you'd probably drop that weight on your head and put yourself in the hospital......so you try to squeak out a "hi" but it just turns out to be a REALLY LOUD grunt. Damn, better luck next time.

What if that girl was the one that was going to bring you happiness and joy. You know, the one who wanted to wash your skid-mark underwear? The one who likes it when you come home REALLY late from a night with your "drinking buddies" and throw up in bed. The one who thinks it's cute when you stare at other women? How could you avoid these types of problems?

Well, let's start with the obvious....is that workout routine the right one for you? What if it's not.....you just grunted at your best friend's future sex puppet and you weren't even doing anything good for yourself! Oh, I didn't tell you that he started to crack jokes about your loud grunt to her, one thing leads to the next and now he is getting more exercise inside the house than outside? Yea, forgot that little tid-bit. What's up with that! So, obviously, having the proper workout for your specific goals is VERY important. How do you know your workout is on track with your goals? Well, first of all you've got to have a goal. Second you've got to find some workout routines. Yes, I said workout routines...that's plural. You can't just have one workout routine from the time you're 20 until the time you're 80......you'll be lifting the same weight everyday and never change a damn thing.

Let's start with a goal. Since most guys want to get bigger, I'll slap out a couple of simple rules for that. The simple rules are: low reps, high weights to build size. That's great, you hear that everywhere, but what the hell does that mean? That means if you want to build the size of the muscle, you should be lifting weight that is REALLY tough that last THREE reps. Make those last three impossible. Muhammad Ali once was asked "How many sit-ups do you do in a day?" His response was "I don't know, I only start counting when it hurts". What he is trying to say is, you are breaking down muscle when you are feeling it. You are making progress when you can't make any more progress! Make it hurt. Make the last three hurt. By the way, low reps means you stay in a range from 6-10. Some say never go over 8, but if you are having trouble getting to 6, and the next weight is too light, make 10 hurt.

Sweet, we have the reps down, how about the sets? How many times should you do the same exercise? Three to four sets is a good amount. I recommend doing two sets, then switching exercises to get in three-four difference exercises each workout. Hit the muscle from all different angles. Narrow, regular, wide and super-wide grips....on whatever you are doing. Find different angles for whatever you are doing.

How about the length of time in between the workouts? Well, if you're looking to put some muscle on, you should be waiting AT LEAST 7-8 days in between workout routines for a specific body part. Some suggest even longer like 10-12 days. The reason for this is, if you are working the muscle again too soon, you will be trying to break it down when it's trying to build back up.

What about getting lean? So you're a bit on the chunky side. You like to roll up your hot dog with a meat-bun. You're thinking you can't really see Mr. Johnson all that well anymore? Well, my friend, you are at the opposite end of the spectrum, and you're going to need to start lowering the weight, and increasing your reps. If you REALLY can't see Mr. Johnson anymore, you're going to have to do more than just workout. So, you still want to make those last three reps burn. Make them hurt. Make them make YOU scream for Mama. Get the pain, get the gain. Low weight, high reps, and you'll get that definition like Brad Pitt.

How about the length of time in between workout routines to get ripped and super-fit? Every other day. Do a "whole-body" workout three days per week. You'll be sore, on Wednesday from Monday's workout, but you'll be burning major calories and keeping those muscles lean and mean. No bulking here. You'll be breaking the muscle down before it has time to build back up.

So, I know what you're asking. "Where do I get workout routines!" Well, you go to a gym and ask all the guys with big muscles and little packages to "Give me your workout routines or the protein shake gets it!", or, you could go to the library (I know, why the hell would you do that when you have Google and http://Digg.com?) and check out a bunch of "bodybuilding" books and articles OR you could just check out http://SUPER-FIT.COM and get an endless supply of workout routines that you can download onto your MP3 player, Ipod or Video Ipod, that way you don't have to do any of the work, and you know that you are getting quality workout routines that are doing the job that you want them to do. Now you have time to get your own sex-puppet.

About the Author

Dr. Parker is a surgical resident with an interest in preventative health, and fitness who has helped many of his family, friends and patients get in the best shape of their lives. For more about Workout Routines go to: Workout Routines

tsarfatit - The first Francophile Jewish Network

It started with just one email. The date was April, 15th 2005.

Yoel Ohayon is a young professional Jew of Moroccan descent. Like a number of other Jews born in Morocco or France, he came to the US to better his education. Although most of them are undeniably enjoying their new lives in the US, they sometimes feel a void created by the fact that the French-speaking Jewish community is increasingly scattered all around the world. A few days before Passover in the spring of 2005, Yoel felt it was time to do something about it. He crafted an email that he blasted to his Jewish friends all over the world. The original idea was to create an organization to facilitate the collaboration among Moroccan Jews, and create a real sense of community despite the geographical barriers.

A community in the making
We all heard of the six degrees of separation. In a nutshell, this unproven theory corroborates the fact that anyone on the planet is linked to anyone else through a maximum of six connections, aka six degrees of separation. But if this theory is true for the 7 Billion people on the planet, we can be certain that no more than 3 people are needed to connect any one of the 15 Million Jews to any other.

It only took one friend in common from Miami to connect Yoel from New York, to Mike in Chicago. Mike Benayoun had been living in Chicago for 2 years at the time, and 5 years in Los Angeles prior to that. He was very enthusiastic when reading Yoel's email, as he had a similar idea in his mind for a while. That same day, he replied to Yoel suggesting that the idea be expanded. The mission of the organization would not only be to gather the Jews from a French-speaking country background, but open up the community to non French-speaking Jews as well. In fact, after living in the US for a few years, both Yoel and Mike realized that nobody was taking the initiative to build a bridge between the French-speaking Jewish Diaspora and the rest of the Jewish world. The new mission was therefore to not only provide a platform of exchange and collaboration among Francophone Jews (French-speaking) but to allow Francophile Jews (French friendly) to learn about and connect with the former. Soon after their first phone conversation, Yoel and Mike were joined by two of Mike's friends: David Hini-Szlos, who became friend with Mike when they both lived in Los Angeles, and David Pelerin who lived in Chicago.

Do you speak tsarfatit?
A few weeks later, they agreed on a name for the organization: tsarfatit. Tsarfatit means French in Hebrew. The name actually captures the essence of the organization. The word is neither French nor English, and therefore is a great metaphor for the bridge that the organization is building to bring the communities together using the language that unifies us.

As the team was formed and the organization had a name, it was a matter of making it happen! It took a few weeks, or rather months to launch this not-for-profit organization, as all of them were busy with their job, school and family, but it eventually happened! So, about a year later, they finally launched their website at www.tsarfatit.org

The first Francophile Jewish network
With very limited budget, resources and time, they are really making a difference. Sure, the website introduced a number of social networking features, such as profiles, private messages, chats or forums, but the idea is to go further than that. Tsarfatit encourages its members to contribute to the content and the development of the site. Any registered member on tsarfatit can post articles on topics such as politics, culture, society or religion for to name a few. But you can also post events, photos, react to articles, post a classified ad or even submit your own business listing for free in the tsarfatit Business Directory. Also, tsarfatit is the only website that features an exhaustive list of all the kosher restaurants in the world, and allows members to post reviews and ratings.

With the help of sponsors, tsarfatit is also rewarding the best contributors with prizes that are offered every month. Give aways so far included an iPod, concert and show tickets, restaurant certificates, CDs, and even a personalized painting specially crafted by a talented French Jewish artist for their latest Hanukkah Photo Contest.

On their own free time and with very limited resources, the tsarfatit team is really making a difference in the Jewish community. So, if you are Jewish and are interested in joining this growing community, you are only one click away: www.tsarfatit.org

About the Author

Michael Benayoun is originally from Paris, France. He has been living in the United States for more than eight years between Los Angeles and Chicago. He has 12 years experience in Information Technology and currently works as a Sr Sales Engineer for IBM. He holds a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from ESIEE, Paris. He is completing his MBA at the Kellogg School of Business, Northwestern University.

Why Business Audiobooks Are Ideal Business Mentors

Are you looking for a business mentor to inspire and motivate you to success but can't find or afford one? Business audiobooks may just be the ideal business mentoring solution you are looking for to help you grow and succeed.

Statistics show that ninety-seven million Americans drive alone to work everyday -- and that doesn't even include those who commute by bus, train or car pool! With the average commute to and from work now reaching over an hour each way, that's almost two months of your life each year spent in transit or sitting in traffic. Just think how much you could improve your business or advance your professional career simply by listening to spoken audio recordings containing excellent information on how to improve your sales approach, communication and people skills, how to market your business better, ways to improve your customer service, etc. during this time.

With the rising popularity of MP3 players and iPods, and more new cars being fitted with built-in MP3 players (as of this year, almost all new cars are now capable of playing digital audio files), more business people are discovering that music or the news is not the only thing they can listen to while going about their busy day. Now, people can "listen" to business books, business seminars, sales and marketing lectures and podcasts from successful business people while they're on-the-go -- and when they don't have time to read. Hence, the huge emerging popularity of audio books with commuters and business owners.

Today's mobile and "time-starved" business owners, sales managers and sales professionals are discovering that they can download an unlimited amount of information into their brain, learn a foreign language or new skill that will improve their business, and get that competitive business edge while driving in their cars, commuting in trains and buses, or even while standing around in queues.

Most business people love to improve their business acumen via reading and taking courses, but lack the time to do so. This is where spoken audio recordings can play an important role in their professional lives.

Business audio books narrated by successful business people can act as an ideal mentoring tool for business owners (one specific title that comes immediately to mind is the audiobook version of Michael E. Gerber's business classic "The E-Myth: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work And What To Do About It" read by the author himself!). Imagine all the money you can save on consulting fees and the knowledge you will gain, just by listening to an audio book written and narrated by a business expert while driving, or commuting to work on a bus or train.

Not only will you get mentored by some of the best business minds in the world and gain a competitive business edge by acquiring the latest business information listening to spoken audio recordings on business-related topics, you will also get yourself into the right "state of mind" for doing business successfully.

Just think about it! You arrive at work or at a sales presentation after having been "coached" by a successful business owner while driving or commuting, your mind is immersed in business thoughts and you're most likely inspired by a great business idea or tip you've just heard. You walk into a meeting and you are focused. Your mind is sharp. Your energy is positive and you look vibrant. Your brain is filled with new business strategies and ideas and working subconsciously with these to help you achieve the best results and outcomes no matter what daunting tasks, projects or challenges may lie ahead for you in your busy day.

As a business person, you can now use the amazing value inherent in listening to audio books to gain a competitive business edge over others. You won't have to worry about not having the time or will to flip through the pages of a book. You can now "listen" to business books when preparing to go to work in the morning, when commuting to and from work, etc.

Currently, there are thousands of best-selling business audiobook titles available. If you are at a loss for specific business audio books to get started, here are 5 of some of the best that any business person should listen to:

1. "How To Win Friends And Influence People" - by Dale Carnegie
One of the most important aspects of any business is the fact that PEOPLE are a crucial part of its success. This is true in almost every aspect of human activity, and especially in business. We need people to keep our businesses going and growing. Not just the people that bring us new sales and new customers, but also the people that make the sales possible, the people who deliver our products, handle complaints, run the administrative aspects of the business, and so on. To be able to succeed in business and other areas of life, we all need to know "how to win friends and influence people". That's why this incredible book by Dale Carnegie is a "must have" for any person in business. With the power of the information contained in this classic book, you can learn not just how to influence people so that they bring in more sales for your business, but most importantly how to win staff, suppliers, customers and prospects over as friends to help you make future sales possible. This book is available in audio book format, so you can enjoy listening to it in the comfort of your car while driving or commuting.

2. "E-Myth Mastery" - By Michael E. Gerber
Michael E. Gerber is the world's leading small business guru and bestselling author of the phenomenally successful "The E-Myth Revisited". In this audiobook version of his follow up book, "E-Myth Mastery", Michael Gerber presents the next big step in entrepreneurial management and leadership. This audiobook presents a practical, real-world program that can be implemented in real-time in your business. The E-Myth credo -- Don't work IN your business, work ON it -- is spelled out here in the seven essential disciplines followed by every leader of a world-class enterprise. Each discipline provides the leadership keys for unlocking success in the critical areas of business development: Leadership, Marketing, Finance, Money, Management, Client Fulfillment, Lead Conversion and Lead Generation. E-Myth Mastery is the ultimate business development program that will help you recover your passion and turn your company into a world-class operation -- a turn-key machine for the money and satisfaction that only a successful entrepreneur can enjoy.

3. "Zig Ziglar's Secrets Of Closing The Sale" - By Zig Ziglar
All of us are involved in selling every day. Whenever we present a product or a principle, inform a client, or instruct a child, we are engaging in the art of effective persuasion. Zig Ziglar is America's master of the art of selling and in this audiobook, he explains proven, practical sales techniques all of us can use every day. He also provides vital strategies for specific closes, hundred of sales questions, and dozens of persuasion procedures to help everyone sell their ideas, or themselves. No matter what your age, gender, occupation, or lifestyle, these proven techniques from America's selling sensation can work for you.

4. "Jack: Straight from the Gut" - by Jack Welch
Jack Welch is unquestionably one of the world's most successful CEOs ever. In this powerful and thought-provoking audio book, Jack tells his own story, detailing how you can follow his steps to become one of the most successful persons in your career today.

5. "Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make The Leap" - by Jim Collins
You can't argue with the fact that "without the techniques and strategies, no company or business can excel beyond a few days, weeks or even months". Businesses and companies that have stood the test of time for many years know what to do and they have done it right. Jim Collins took the time to conduct extensive researches into how and what companies did to maintain success for many long years, while their counterparts failed within a few months or years of starting up. The power of the information contained within this audio book can help any business person to succeed.

These 5 audio books can truly help you improve your business, your career and your life, if you will simply take the time to listen to them and apply what you will learn. Before your next sales presentation, job interview, or important business meeting, take some time to go online and browse through an audiobook store for a downloadable business audiobook that you can burn to CD, or upload to your iPod or MP3 player. It will not only empower you to achieve better business results and improve your life, it will also give you a competitive edge over those who are spending their drive or commute time engaging in less productive activities.

For more articles and information about the benefits of audiobooks, visit http://www.audiobookone.com .

About the Author

Martin Aranovitch owns AudioBookOne.net. Browse over 6,000 high quality audiobook titles, including business and self help audiobooks and pick up a FREE audio book when you visit.