Audio Publisher's Association Releases Sales Survey Summary

On Monday, the APA released a summary of the results of a survey they conducted for their members. This is essential information for all of us who work with leaguer readers in the library. 

First, we need to make sure we are advocating for our budget lines for audiobooks. Their popularity grew AGAIN. Children are also a huge growing segment.

Second, speaking of children, one interesting thing I noted in the summary below is that parents like audiobooks as a way to give kids a break from screens. They are reading, but not on their iPads or Kindles. 

Third, we need to use this information to help our calls for making e-audio (as well as e-books) more affordable for libraries. See this article for more info on that fight. In IL we are engaged in this right now and the publishers are giving us A LOT of pushback.

And fourth, I will argue this forever, but learning how to process stories as they are told to you, in your ears, is a necessary skill. Reading and comprehension are important skills. We need to nurture this in a variety of formats. People need to be able to take in information through their ears and their eyes. The more comfortable people are with both, the better their comprehension. I have longer posts about this with a link to scientific data here.

There is much more for you  to dive into. Please go here or see below to access it.

AUDIOBOOK REVENUE AND THE NUMBER OF LISTENERS CONTINUE TO GROW

Per 2024 consumer data, more than half of the US population 18+ has now listened to an audiobook

June 3, New York, NY – Publishers’ audiobook revenue grew 9% in 2023 to $2 billion, continuing the trend of year-on-year growth according to the Audio Publishers Association’s Sales Survey conducted by Toluna Harris Interactive.

Edison Research conducted the Audio Publishers Association's 2024 Consumer Survey and found the majority of U.S. adults (52%) have listened to an audiobook, which translates to nearly 149 million Americans who have ever tried the medium.

Other key statistics from the two surveys:

• Audiobooks are becoming more mainstream. Thirty-eight percent of American adults listened to an audiobook in the last year, up from the 35% reported in 2023. This rise signals an increase in overall consumption as well. Of the most avid audiobook listeners, those who have listened to an audiobook in the last year, the average audiobooks consumed was 6.8 titles in the year, up from 6.3 in 2023. Of the broader group of those who had ever listened to an audiobook, the average was 4.8 audiobooks listened to in the last year, up from the 4.0 averaged in 2023.
• Children’s audiobook listening remains strong, with 53% percent of audiobook listeners with children saying their kids also listen to audiobooks. According to 77% of these parents, a key benefit of audiobooks is giving their children a break from screens.
• Subscriptions to audiobook services continue to grow, with 63% of those who listened in the last year currently subscribing to at least one service. This percentage is up from the 62% reported in 2023.
• Current audiobook consumers also rely on digital library apps, with 46% of them saying they’ve borrowed a digital audiobook from a library in the last year.
• Piracy is also a concern for the industry. 47% of those who listened to an audiobook in the last year say they got an audiobook for free through YouTube or another file sharing website.
• Fiction, at 64% of sales revenue, is the top category for the third consecutive year. Top genres are General Fiction (21%), Science Fiction/Fantasy (14%), and Romance (11%). 
• The fastest growing genres are History/Biography/Memoir (22% growth), Health & Fitness (20% growth), Religious/Faith-based (17% growth), and Romance (14% growth).

How the APA Consumer Study Was Conducted

The study is a national survey of Americans ages 18 and older who have ever listened to a complete audiobook. Edison Research completed 1061 online interviews in February 2024. The data was weighted to the audiobook market, as measured by The Infinite Dial, a nationally representative survey of the American media landscape conducted by Edison Research. 

How the APA Sales Study Was Conducted

This survey was conducted by Toluna Harris Interactive on behalf of the Audio Publishers Association to gather industry sales data, publisher sales by various formats and genres. This is a national survey of Audio Publishers Association members who publish audiobooks. 27 publishers provided data, including Audible, Inc., Blackstone, Brilliance Audio, Hachette Audio, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Podium Publishing, RB Media, and Simon & Schuster.

Access to this and other data prepared for the industry are available to members of the association.