Robert Maskell (pictured above reading into the microphone) is a prolific British stage actor and veteran of many a Shakespeare classic.

Sherlock Audiobook is an independent production by OJL Media Ltd. a UK based digital publishing company with a global reach.

We recognise that you have a choice. We are not the only place that offers audiobooks by classic authors such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – and we know that you know that.

On the other hand, what you might not know is what makes us different? In other words, why should you download your audiobook from us?

We believe there are lots of very good reasons to do just that, and here’s a quick introduction to our what makes us different:

Quality, flexibility and price

Our mission is to bring to life through the spoken word classic texts from literature’s finest pens through a formula of:

• Highest quality studio recording and overall production values
• Experienced, talented and dedicated actor-narrators
• No hidden in-built Digital Rights Management (DRM)
• Amazing value pricing that we believe can’t be beaten

Let’s break it down a little more:

High production values

Our audiobooks aren’t made in a back bedroom or garage covered in old egg boxes like a lot of low quality recordings that are out for sale. You’d be surprised how many so called professional audiobooks really are made that way – with a keen reader hunched over a mic hoping that a bus isn’t about to drive past and ruin it!

We record in a custom set-up recording studio, fitted with the most up to date sound capture and processing equipment available. Here’s a photo of actor Robert behind the glass reading The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, watched by our vastly experienced audio engineer Chris.

The intimate environment of a one-to-one audiobook recording session is far removed from most stage and screen actor’s usual territory and not everyone can adapt to the requirements of the spoken word medium.

Even famous actors can struggle with their diction, pronunciation and character consistency when delivering the recording of a long text of classic literature. We only work with actors who have the craft, the experience and sheer talent to make the transition – and the result is an audiobook that has the quality of voice that every classic work deserves.

The recording is only half of the challenge when making a professional quality audiobook, the engineering – and what is known as ‘post production’ – can be the difference between an ‘ok’ result and something that stands out as a fine piece of audio literature.

The blending together of sequences, the adjustment of the tone and resonance of the voice, the smooth passage between paragraphs and chapters – these are all key to a successful end product.

We work with studio engineers with many years of experience who know just how to turn a great initial recording into a fantastic, perfectly polished audiobook.

100% DRM free audiobooks

Unlike some audiobook producers we never put any weird, secret or restrictive codes into our downloads that keep tabs on what you do with them or limit the kind of devices you can play them on.

All of the files that we sell are standard MP3s – we don’t tell you that you can only listen on device A for X number of plays using only our fancy software Y.

Once you buy and download a file from sherlockaudiobook.com you can play it on any standard MP3-friendly device, which includes pretty much every digital audio player, computer, smartphone (iPhone, Android, Blackberry etc.) or tablet.

Bottom line – it’s your audiobook. We respect that. Period. All we expect is that you don’t infringe our copyright by uploading it to any pirate or torrent type sites that mean others get it for free because if our products were available for free we could go out of business and then we wouldn’t be around to make any more great classic audiobooks and that would be a shame!

For more about DRM see DefectivebyDesign.org

Priced for unbeatable value

We know that there are other places to buy audiobooks, some of them pretty well known and others are small places you’ve probably never heard of. Prices across the audiobook world vary wildly from free (yes, free) to $40 or more for a single book. Producing high quality audiobooks isn’t cheap – and the free ones that are created by amateurs for pleasure as a service to society are admirable efforts – but you usually have to accept that the audio quality will not be that great. You will probably hear all manner of distracting sounds such as paper rustling, traffic and general ambient noise that while acceptable to some definitely detract from the end result.

Then there is the issue of free audiobooks using non-actors. It’s only reading, right? It is reading, but it’s not only reading. Bringing a passage of text to life with a clear voice, engaging tone and interpreting a range of characters requires a real actor’s craft.

So we all love the idea of free audiobooks but it’s not a sustainable model when it comes to delivering quality. And at the other end – why do some audiobooks cost $20, $30 or $40? Again, it’s not cheap to make an audiobook properly and if you use a huge studio in the middle of a major city like New York, L.A. or London and hire a famous Hollywood or TV actor it’s going to cost you a lot of money to make – so guess how they try to get it back? Stick a huge price tag on and hope people are willing to pay it.

We sit proudly in the middle between the free and super-expensive audiobooks. Our audiobooks are always of the highest quality and as low priced as we can afford to make them. In short, we believe you won’t find better value professionally produced audiobooks anywhere.

If you have any questions or comments we’d love to hear them – here’s our contact form.