Publishing Updates: October 19, 2026

YouTube is reportedly considering launching an audiobook service as early as 2027 to compete with Spotify and Audible, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Alphabet-owned platform is in talks with publishers to integrate audiobooks into its existing YouTube Premium subscription, which starts at $15.99 per month. Although details about the service's structure remain vague, the initiative comes just after Spotify announced its expansion into audiobooks across 180 markets. This shift could potentially create new audiobook markets overnight, depending on how publishers are compensated for their titles, which currently receive minimal revenue from YouTube.

In Europe, net revenue for publishers decreased by 1.2% to €24.6 billion ($27.5 billion) in 2025, as reported by the Federation of European Publishers (FEP). Enrico Turrin, deputy director of FEP, presented these figures at the Frankfurt Book Fair. The revenue remains slightly higher than the nominal peak seen in 2007, but in real terms, it has decreased sharply from €22.9 billion ($25.6 billion) in 2007 to €15.2 billion ($17.0 billion) now—a reduction of nearly 34%. The performance varied significantly across regions, with Sweden growing by 8.8% and Germany contracting by 2.9%. Audiobooks are one bright spot, making up 5.3% of turnover, up from 2.5% in 2021.

Marvel is teaming up with South Korea's WEBTOON to launch a new platform featuring Marvel Comics on November 16. The service will offer over 35,000 comics for a monthly fee starting at $9.99, replacing the current Marvel Unlimited service, which will end in December. Meanwhile, Sony's Crunchyroll is broadening its manga service to 11 additional international markets, reflecting a growing trend of Asian companies taking control of global comics distribution.

A report by Agnès Debiage in ActuaLitté highlights Africa’s publishing growth, with the industry estimated to have generated $7 billion in 2023. This represents a mere 5.4% of the global market, despite Africa accounting for 18% of the global population. Potentially, the African book industry could grow to at least $18.5 billion, notably through educational publishing, if every student had access to physical textbooks. The transformation is particularly evident in Francophone markets, as new digital platforms and distribution models emerge.

In Japan, audiobooks are becoming increasingly popular, with the genre now considered the third book format in the country. Sankei Shimbun reports that subscriptions are fueling growth, and the audience for audiobooks has expanded significantly since 2007, with membership in audiobook.jp now exceeding 3.5 million. However, there is concern about how these developments in consumption relate to broader trends in the publishing landscape.

Germany's Thalia reported a 4.5% increase in sales to €2.3 billion ($2.6 billion) for the fiscal year 2025/26 despite a challenging market. Sales varied by channel, with online sales up by over 6% and digital formats, particularly audiobooks, showing strong growth. Despite this performance, CEO Ingo Kretzschmar cautioned that the overall book market continues to face considerable challenges.

BookBeat’s CEO Niclas Sandin emphasized at the Frankfurt Book Fair that audiobook growth hinges more on engagement than catalog size, suggesting that overly exclusive relationships could hinder market development.

Meanwhile, a NielsenIQ study commissioned by Audible found significant interest in AI-narrated audiobooks among consumers, especially for fiction. However, actual sales data indicates that AI-generated content is not currently driving significant revenue in the audiobook market.

In a major industry shift, Italian printer Grafica Veneta has acquired UK-based CPI Books and CPI Antony Rowe, nearly doubling its revenue and enhancing its position as Europe's largest book printer. This acquisition is expected to broaden its capabilities in print-on-demand services.

Various other developments in the publishing sector were noted, including the response from Belgian book professionals to proposed VAT increases, the opening of Empik's 400th store in Poland, and Sweden's call for a zero VAT rate on books.

Carrenho, a Brazilian-Swedish publishing consultant and Contributing Editor at Publishing Perspectives, reflects on his experiences at the Frankfurt Book Fair and the future of the industry.