Hear your favorite book
Podcasts connect hosts and readers to share thoughts on books
Yoo Jong-ho, 24, listens to podcasts every morning on the subway. The college student, who spends five hours a day commuting to and from university, said listening to book podcasts was the best way to pass time productively.
Since podcasts began in 2005, book podcasts have emerged as a powerful social platform for avid readers to gather and share their thoughts.
The form or duration may vary, but the content of most book podcasts focuses on book-related reviews, news, commentary and discussions.
“Red Book Cafe,” one of the most popular book podcasts among listeners here, for example, introduces a new book every two weeks. Led by film critic Lee Dong-jin, the show’s panel -- which includes author Kim Jung-huk and journalist Lee Da-hye -- briefly introduces highlights of the book and moves on to discussions.
The two-hour show might seem endless to some, but fans say it’s never long enough.
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| Lee Dong-jin hosts the "Red Book Cafe" podcast |
Publishing companies and bookstore chains are also jumping into the business. Publishing company Munhakdongne and Kyobo bookstore launched their podcasts in 2013 and 2014, respectively.
So what makes the books podcasts so popular?
“As a books podcast covers diverse genres of books every week, it gives me the chance to discover authors whom I didn’t know and topics that I was not interested in before,” Yoo said. The mathematics education major, who tended to read only nonfiction in the past, has consumed mostly fiction since he started to subscribe to books podcasts two years ago.
Lee Sol, 32, listens to shows on Sunday afternoons.
“I believe the act of listening can be more powerful than reading, as voices come directly into my ears,” Lee said. “The whisper-like voices that come out from the speakers appeal to listeners’ emotions and senses. The human voices give me warm feelings.”
Most listeners, however, said they tune into the shows to enlarge their understanding of various fields. Often hosted by influential writers or critics, the podcasts feature a lineup of experts, celebrities and ordinary people to share their points of view.
“The books podcasts are especially helpful in giving me other people’s thoughts on the books I read,” said Kang Ji-yeon, recalling the moment she read Hermann Hesse’s novel “Demian.”
“How would I know what ‘eggs’ means in the context, if I read it alone? I could grasp the meaning of the metaphor later, via the discussions and commentaries on book podcasts,” Kang said.
The hosts also describe podcasts as the most suitable format for discussion.
Lee, the host of “Red Book Cafe” who also runs a blog and hosts TV and radio shows, pointed to the “unlimited structure of the format” as the biggest strength of podcasts.
“Podcasts may seem similar to radio, but it’s quite different,” Lee said. “Radio has fixed time slots and formats. Podcasts don’t have such limitations. I can talk as long as I want while I record the podcast. I don’t even have a script for it, except the opening parts.”
Lee said the convenience of the format is another appealing point.
“For example, the process of making a TV show is often too complicated. It needs too many cameras for shooting and takes a long time to edit the footage. Once you are equipped with simple recording tools, however, you can start making the podcast.”
On Nov. 6, Yoo skipped afternoon classes and attended an open recording session of the “Red Book Cafe.” It was his 19th visit.
That day, Lee and the panel talked about “The Brain: The Story of You.” Yoo said the discussion was inspiring and helpful, as always.
And after the session ended, Yoo rushed to a bookstore to get the book, as always.
By Park Ju-young (jupark@heraldcorp.com)
