Winter’s Heart came out unabridged, which is the first time your books have been unabridged for the retail market. Did you have any influence in that?
Yes I did. I very much wanted it to come out unabridged, because I have a first cousin once removed who is dyslexic and she could not manage to read the books very well, and she wanted to. So, I agitated to get an unabridged edition done from the very beginning. And I also pressed for there to be a man to read the male point of view sections and a woman to read the female point of view sections. At first I was told it was not necessary and that it was not done. And I said, “We’d like it done.” Various people finally agreed with me.
You must have heard the abridged versions.
Please don’t get me off on that.
Oh, go ahead. This is my big bugaboo too.
I don’t like abridged versions, and particularly with something as long as my own books. In the abridged versions as much as 90 percent of the book has to be cut out, so I don’t like them. As a matter of fact, I made sure that no one could do an abridged version of this latest book. I still own those particular rights, specifically defined, and I do not intend to let anybody do it.
I do not believe in abridgments. I think abridgments tell people that they are getting a dumbed down version of something. What people think they’re getting is an easier or faster version, but what they are actually getting is the version for dummies.
Do you listen to many audiobooks?
Not to a great extent, sometimes in the evening. But most of the time I read the actual hardbacks. I read books before they ever hit the audio stage and I listen to music most of the time.
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