The coming together of the car and the audio book was a natural occurrence. Peoples whose lives demand they spend long hours in their cars are responsible for the burgeoning of the audio book genre. Hours of anesthetizing driving can be enlivened with intellectual nourishment. As the media use increased, better quality and larger selections were demanded. Audio books have become a large business.
Technology makes production inexpensive and accessible.
Established actors have been recruited to read the books. Some actors have asked to read their favorite books. Where a choice exists, favorite readers are chosen. Interestingly, some publishers have inserted special effects into their products in an attempt to increase their appeal. This often backfires, since listeners prefer the power of the words and shun the frills.