The Audiobook Publisher's Association released their annual consumer and sales survey results last week. There is a lot of excellent data and analysis here. Below I have posted the introduction and the link to read the full, 2 page report.
The biggest takeaway isn't that the format's growth has continued at a high rate, rather it is that despite people no longer having traditional commutes, they are still listening to audiobooks. Look below for a deeper look into how it is changing and why audiobooks are now an option for a new segment of readers and for a new set of reasons. All of the information in this report can be used by you to help leisure readers, from audiobook veterans to newbies and all in between.
AUDIOBOOK LISTENING REMAINS STRONG IN 2020 AS PUBLISHERS REPORT NINTH STRAIGHT YEAR OF DOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTH
Listening Shifted from Car to Home During the Pandemic
June 1, New York, NY – Publishers’ audiobook revenue grew 12% in 2020 to $1.3 billion, the ninth straight year of double-digit growth, according to the Audio Publishers Association’s Sales Survey conducted by InterQ. The APA’s Consumer Survey of American audiobook listeners ages 18 and up, conducted by Edison Research, found that although listening habits changed in the last year, audiobook listening remained strong and stable despite the pandemic.
The most significant change in listener behavior was the shift in listening location from the car to the home as American commuter patterns were so dramatically affected by pandemic stay-at-home orders. In the current survey, 55% of listeners say they listened most often at home, compared with 43% last year; and only 30% of listeners cited the car as their main listening location in 2020 as compared with 41% the previous year.
Audiobooks provide an opportunity to step away from screens. This year’s survey shows 67% of audiobook consumers agreeing that one of the reasons they enjoy listening to audiobooks is to reduce screen time. Another main takeaway is that parents have been discovering audiobooks as an outlet for their children during the pandemic. The percentage of parents of children ages 17 and younger who say their children listened to audiobooks last year was 49%, up from 35% previously.
More than 71,000 audiobooks were published in 2020, a 39% growth over 2019, the largest growth in new titles since 2015, and the highest number on record. The most popular audiobook genre continues to be Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense, but there were sharp increases in interest for Romance, Self-Help, and Business genres.
This is just the start.t. Click here to keep reading the full, 2 page report with links to more information. There is a lot of useful data and insights here. And please visit the APA's website, especially their Resources page for Library Workers.
And click here to access all of my audiobook posts over the years.
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