A great example is author SA Cosby and his crime novel “King of Ashes”. The book was a New York Times bestseller, but this audiobook – read by actor Adam Lazarre-White – sold better than the hardcover. The author draws attention to two things that have an exceptionally strong effect in audio: the consistency of the voice cast (the same narrator in subsequent titles builds recognition and comfort of reception) and the price. Access via the Audible platform can be cheaper than hardcover.
The next part below the video:
This happens when printing becomes out of breath. Print book sales fell 1% through December 6. year-on-year, to 679 million copies according to Circana BookScan. Publishers are competing more and more for attention with streaming platforms, podcasts and other forms of entertainment.
Check also: YouTube massively promotes artificial intelligence. Up to 20 percent suggested videos
The celebrity effect, the dramatic effect and… a question about AI
Audio is growing not only because of convenience. Sometimes it's the author's presence that makes the difference: audiobooks by Jeremy Renner (“My Next Breath”), Alyson Stoner (“Semi-Well-Adjusted Despite Literally Everything”) and Brooke Shields (“Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old”) were said to outsell their hardcover versions – all read by the authors themselves.
In Renner's case, authenticity turned out to be key. When he found it difficult to read the transcript of the 911 call, the publisher obtained a recording of the real 911 call and included it in the audiobook, enhancing the emotion and credibility of the story.
Audiobooks also win purely in terms of performance – the tension of a well-conducted thriller, drama and sound production. Karin Slaughter's “We Are All Guilty Here” was also expected to sell better on audio than in print, even though the book version was a hardcover bestseller.
Read also: Images finally “listen” to commands. The new Images mode in ChatGPT is very impressive
In turn, romance and romance shows how audio can become a mass hit. “Brimstone” by Callie Hart, released on November 18, sold nearly 531,000 on audiobook. copies by December 13 according to Podium Entertainment, and the publisher expects to exceed one million in the first half of next year. The strategy of building buzz with short fragments of the audiobook published on social media helped before and just after the premiere – the title also reached number 1 on the December New York Times audio bestseller list.
After the boom, however, came a more peaceful phase. Sales of digital audiobooks in 2024 jumped by almost 24%. up to USD 1.1 billion according to the Association of American Publishers, but growth has slowed this year. Until October, it's about 1%. more, to almost USD 888 million. Narrator Rich Miller calls it a natural roller coaster for a product that has been growing very fast for a long time – and argues that it's not over yet.
However, there is a factor on the horizon that may change the market. It's artificial intelligence and voice cloning. Publishers say they want to use technology “in the service of authors,” not to replace them, but they admit they must be ready for different expectations. On the other hand, professional teachers talk more and more about uncertainty. There are signs of months without orders.
