Why don't people listen?

I love audiobooks, but many of the people I know are either indifferent, or even vehemently against them. Why is that? I've often pondered this issue. The way I see it, there are essentially three different ways to 'read' a book. Through the traditional paper book, an e-book, or an audiobook. Some will debate me on this and say that audiobooks aren't reading, they're listening, but I say that's kind of splitting hairs, and it's just annoying to refer to it with a different verb, so for the sake of this post I'll refer to all of them as reading.

Each of these milieus have their own sets of pros and cons. Yet it seems that an overwhelming majority of people are still fans of paper and e-books over audiobooks. For starters, I thought it might help to look at a brief pros and cons list for just e-books and audiobooks.


E-BOOKS

Pro -
- A bit like an 'advanced' book in that it's much closer in representation to its original form.
- Not too much of a step away from 'normal' books.
- Easily accessible through libraries, bookstores, and online.
- Could be cheaper depending on how many books you read. (Ex. If you buy an e-reader for 150$, and buy three books, then you're not getting your money's worth. But if you read a couple books a month, then it's much cheaper).
Con -
- The purchase of an e-reading device can sometimes seem like too much of an investment.
- Reading on a computer can be a pain (if you don't have an e-reader)



AUDIOBOOKS

Pro -
- If it's acted well, it's easy to hear exactly what the inflection of the voices are during dialogue, no necessity to re-read a line because the last two words "he said" were unexpectedly changed with "he shouted", or "he sobbed".
- Brings the joy of books to the blind very effectively.
- Easy to listen to while doing other menial tasks (mowing the lawn, washing dishes, cleaning, taking transit)
- Occasionally faster - some books that would take me at least three weeks I can finish in a day or two because they're so hard to put down.
- Easy to share while reading (if you use speakers more than one person can read the same book at the same time)
Con -
- Not easily found, and not available for all books.
- Needs an audio device (although most people already own a compatible device beforehand)
- Difficult to share.
- Depends as much on the ability of the actor as the quality of the novel.
- Indistinguishable from listening to music, and therefore loses the advantage of having people see it and want it.

BOTH

Pro -
- Can easily transport many books at once while being much lighter and compact.
- Can be stored in multiple places (computer, Ipod, reader...) and thus are easier to keep safe.
Con -
- Require battery power.
- Aren't as 'natural' as paper books.
- No new books smell. :P


Based on those lists, it may seem like already e-readers are ahead of audiobooks just from sheer lack of cons. However, in my experience, the pros of the audiobooks are so powerful that they overcome their problems easily.

For me, what started as a summer tradition turned into a great appreciation for audiobooks. I used to (and still would if I lived at home) mow the lawn regularly during the summer, and every time this season rolled around, I would dread the weekly chore that took about an hour and a half due to the size of our property. This all changed one year, when I found out I could listen to one of my favourite books while mowing the lawn. I now read The Circle Series every year as I mow the lawn. I'm not sure when I'll fit it in this year, but I'm sure I won't stop the tradition anytime soon. I've now read these books about a dozen times, and I still love listening to them all. It's an incredible way to kill time, and get your mind off of whatever it is your doing at the moment.

I also listen to books on my morning commute to work. This hour a day means that I can usually finish a book in a week or two, and I never had to take real time out of my day to devote to reading. I simply do it when I'm unable to do anything else productive. I don't worry about getting carsick, or missing my bus stop because my face is buried in the pages, I just listen. For me, it's the perfect solution.

Yet so many people don't like them. Why? I think the reasons vary, but I know that at least for my sister, she can't handle having one person act out everyone's voices. She thinks it sounds stupid, and annoying (correct me if I'm wrong about this Kendra) and she much prefers paper books. Sometimes I wonder if Audio-Theatre, where there are many voices, and even sounds effects for everything. Some people (including my sister) STILL won't like it. Why?


One theory that I have on this is that they don't like being told how to imagine things. They see these voices in their heads as the 'only' way they can hear these characters. For some people that might rub them the wrong way.

I also think that it's a huge handicap that you can't really tell when someone is listening to an audiobook. It's so obvious when you're on the bus and you see someone reading on their Kobo, or their Kindle, and it doesn't really matter what they're reading, all that matters is they're advertising these companies just by sitting there and reading. But audiobooks look just like music to the outsider! How can audiobooks compete with that?

There's also the fact that it doesn't make sense to buy audiobooks at a bookstore, since it's much more expensive and troublesome to buy a set of CD's then it is to download them online. This means that audiobooks have essentially no publicity whatsoever. They have no specific device built for them, they have no bookstores campaigning for them, they're just alone in it for the long haul.

Why do you think audiobooks are unpopular? Or am I wrong, and they really are popular? What makes one person like to listen to a book and another like to read it?