A recent survey commissioned by Audible indicates that audiobooks are contributing positively to the book market, as listeners are increasingly drawn to print and e-books. Conducted by NielsenIQ, the survey sampled 18,000 consumers across 11 markets, including the U.S., U.K., multiple European countries, Japan, and Brazil.
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The survey, titled "The Future of Listening," reveals that 34% of respondents reported listening to more audiobooks in the past year compared to the previous one, a trend consistent across both mature and emerging markets. Additionally, 69% of audiobook listeners had already read the title they engaged with and 63% went on to purchase another work by the same author. Rachel Ghiazza, Audible’s chief content officer, noted that the data shows audiobooks do not compete with other formats, but rather complement them.
In terms of genre discovery, listeners are developing deeper interests based on what they enjoy, with variations in leading genres per market. Ghiazza emphasized the importance of genre in terms of fandom and engagement.
Half of the respondents expressed willingness to try AI narration, with interest notably higher for fiction over nonfiction, except in Germany and Japan. This finding contradicts the expectation that nonfiction would be the primary attraction for AI narration. Ghiazza mentioned that the inclusion of human performers will continue while the savings from production will help fund more titles. She stressed the importance of quality and transparency.
Japan and Brazil are identified as fast-growing segments for Audible, prompting a localization initiative that began this year with the launch of eleven dedicated storefronts. Additional launches in Indonesia, South Korea, Denmark, Norway, and Finland are planned. Ghiazza remarked that merely being available is not enough; a full experience requires local content and marketing strategies.
The survey's findings also forecast changes beneficial to rights holders. The Read + Listen feature, which integrates e-books and audiobooks into a single app, is set to expand into seven new markets. Interactive storytelling, recently announced, is designed with creators in mind, yielding higher engagement rates. New features for Audible for Business include QR-code gift cards for authors and an upgraded reporting dashboard for customer insights.
Although the expressed interest in AI does not necessarily translate into purchasing behavior, Ghiazza conveyed a clear message to publishers: the time to act is now.