Mike Olah has been lucky enough to work in the audiobook business for the past eight years. During that time he has published several hundred audiobooks, including dozens of award-winning titles and a few New York Times bestsellers. We spoke recently about the audiobook for Save the Cat!, Blake Snyder's seminal book on screenwriting from Michael Wiese Productions, its broad appeal, and the future of audiobooks.
Visit Dreamscape site, and order Save the Cat! audio!
Dave Watson: What led to the audio CD?
Mike Olah: With content creation at an all-time high, films and TV shows are being created like never before. So, in turn, scripts are being written and produced at a very high rate. Thus, the need for screenwriting books is strong. Save the Cat! is one of the best screenwriting books available, written by an accomplished screenwriter, so it was a natural choice for an audiobook.
DW: Why an audio CD now?
MO: Over the past few years audiobooks have become wildly popular. Back when Save the Cat! first released this wasn’t the case. Since the print edition of Save the Cat! continues to sell year-after-year the time for and audio edition was ripe.
DW: Why does Save the Cat! endure as a storytelling book?
MO: It's practical, has broad appeal, and has humor.
DW: What do you work on as a producer? What do you look for in projects?
MO: I review dozens of books each week to see which titles would make sense for Dreamscape to publish as an audiobook. We publish all kinds of audiobooks. Specifically, books in the mystery genre or true crime books are in demand these days.
DW: Audio CDs, and I could be wrong, started taking off just over twenty years ago. Will they keep going? What is their future relative to podcasts?
MO: CDs, no, probably not. But audio in general has a long way to go, I think. Podcasts and audiobooks can and have lived together without cannibalization. Digital audiobooks are so easy to listen to with smartphone apps like iTunes, Audible, and hoopla. I think audiobooks are just getting started.
DW: What's next for you?
MO: We publish about twenty audiobooks per month, so I am busy reviewing upcoming books to determine what Dreamscape should publish next. We publish in all genres so lots of mysteries, romance, and other non-fiction; not only books about screenwriting.
DW: What is your favorite cinematic moment?
MO: As a kid I was a sucker for 80s science fiction like The NeverEnding Story and Explorers. Despite its surreal and fantastic content, as a kid, the movie, and it’s protagonist, connected with me on an emotional level. It’s one of the first movies I remember losing myself in while watching, if that makes sense? Also, as a kid, you can’t help rooting for the protagonist. That, I think, ties it back to Save the Cat! The movie is a bit silly now, but thirty years ago it was the coolest thing ever for me. Atreyu!
Clip: The Neverending Story
Mike Olah has been lucky enough to work in the audiobook business for the past eight years. During that time he has published several hundred audiobooks, including dozens of award-winning titles and a few New York Times bestsellers. We spoke recently about the audiobook for Save the Cat!, Blake Snyder's seminal book on screenwriting from Michael Wiese Productions, its broad appeal, and the future of audiobooks.
Visit Dreamscape site, and order Save the Cat! audio!
Dave Watson: What led to the audio CD?
Mike Olah: With content creation at an all-time high, films and TV shows are being created like never before. So, in turn, scripts are being written and produced at a very high rate. Thus, the need for screenwriting books is strong. Save the Cat! is one of the best screenwriting books available, written by an accomplished screenwriter, so it was a natural choice for an audiobook.
DW: Why an audio CD now?
MO: Over the past few years audiobooks have become wildly popular. Back when Save the Cat! first released this wasn’t the case. Since the print edition of Save the Cat! continues to sell year-after-year the time for and audio edition was ripe.
DW: Why does Save the Cat! endure as a storytelling book?
MO: It's practical, has broad appeal, and has humor.
DW: What do you work on as a producer? What do you look for in projects?
MO: I review dozens of books each week to see which titles would make sense for Dreamscape to publish as an audiobook. We publish all kinds of audiobooks. Specifically, books in the mystery genre or true crime books are in demand these days.
DW: Audio CDs, and I could be wrong, started taking off just over twenty years ago. Will they keep going? What is their future relative to podcasts?
MO: CDs, no, probably not. But audio in general has a long way to go, I think. Podcasts and audiobooks can and have lived together without cannibalization. Digital audiobooks are so easy to listen to with smartphone apps like iTunes, Audible, and hoopla. I think audiobooks are just getting started.
DW: What's next for you?
MO: We publish about twenty audiobooks per month, so I am busy reviewing upcoming books to determine what Dreamscape should publish next. We publish in all genres so lots of mysteries, romance, and other non-fiction; not only books about screenwriting.
DW: What is your favorite cinematic moment?
MO: As a kid I was a sucker for 80s science fiction like The NeverEnding Story and Explorers. Despite its surreal and fantastic content, as a kid, the movie, and it’s protagonist, connected with me on an emotional level. It’s one of the first movies I remember losing myself in while watching, if that makes sense? Also, as a kid, you can’t help rooting for the protagonist. That, I think, ties it back to Save the Cat! The movie is a bit silly now, but thirty years ago it was the coolest thing ever for me. Atreyu!
Clip: The Neverending Story
