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Dreamscape's Audiobook Program Expands Its Ambit
A shift of focus on libraries to retail channels and an aggressive acquisition of new titles—including, recently, works by John LeCarré and Jon Fosse—led to nearly $30 million in revenue in 2023, a 39% jump for the Ohio-based audiobook publisher.
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Disney Veteran Michael Paull Named RBmedia CEO
RBmedia has appointed Michael Paull, former president of Disney's direct-to-consumer business, as its new chief executive officer, following what the company called “another year of record-breaking growth” in 2023.
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Brandon Sanderson Says Deal with Audible Is in the Works
After calling Amazon's Audible "very bad for authors" last year and opting not to sell his self-published books on the platform, Brandon Sanderson said this week that he has negotiated more favorable terms, potentially setting a precedent for authors going forward.
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Bono's 'Surrender' Wins Audiobook of the Year at 2024 Audie Awards
At the 29th annual Audies, presented by the Audio Publishers Association and held in Los Angeles on March 4, winners across 27 categories were announced. The night's biggest honor, Audiobook of the Year, went to 'Surrender,' written and narrated by Bono.
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Spotify Reports ‘Exponential’ Audiobook Growth
Spotify teases the early results of its new audiobook streaming service.
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'AudioFile' Magazine's Best Audiobooks of 2023
The bimonthly magazine, which covers and reviews audiobooks, has named its Best Audiobooks of 2023.
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Apple Books Names 2023 Bestsellers, Launches 'Year in Review' Feature
A new feature on Apple Books gives users Spotify Wrapped–style insights into their reading habits in 2023—a year in which Jack Carr, Prince Harry, Britney Spears, and Rebecca Yarros topped the Apple Books charts.
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Kindle Direct Publishing Will Beta Test Virtual Voice–Narrated Audiobooks
Amazon's self-publishing arm has begun a beta test on technology allowing KDP authors to produce audiobook versions of their e-books using virtual voice narration. The audiobooks will be available wherever Audible titles are sold.
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The Next Big Idea Is Audio
When the Next Big Idea Club launched in 2018, the centerpiece of its offerings was a box subscription. It still offers that service, but the company has shifted gears, now operating as an “audio-first company.”
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Three Spanish-Language Audiobook Success Stories
Mariane Féged, director of Spanish markets at Bookwire, highlights three titles that have been especially popular on the service.
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Innovation Fuels the Thriving Audiobook Industry
Publishers are developing new strategies and leveraging existing strengths in the ever-evolving audiobook market.
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The Audiobook Market, and Its Revenue, Keep Growing
The Audio Publishers Association’s annual sales survey revealed an 11th straight year of double-digit growth in audiobook sales, with 2022 revenue from reporting publishers up 10%, to $1.8 billion.
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Audiobooks Without Audible: The Hard Lessons I've Learned Routing Around Amazon
With a Kickstarter campaign now underway for the audio edition of his new book, 'Red Team Blues,' Cory Doctorow shares the mistakes of his past campaigns—and why it's all worth it.
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Audio Publishers Association Conference Spotlights Tech Disruption
The audio performers and publishers in attendance were encouraged to embrace the new tools of the trade, from TikTok to ChatGPT.
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Blackstone Grows Beyond Its Audiobook Roots
Blackstone Publishing has built a backlist of about 800 print and 950 e-book titles since it released its first books in those formats in 2016. The goal now, company president Anthony Goff said, is to continue to ramp up production across all formats.
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Libro.fm Plans Expansion to U.K., Australia, and New Zealand
Libro.fm, which supports sales of digital audiobooks through independent bookstores in the U.S., will expand the service to the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand in July.
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Penguin Random House Audio Acquires Playaway Products
Penguin Random House Audio has acquired Playaway Products, a producer of physical audio players and tablets preloaded with content. Launched in 2005 and based in Solon, Ohio, the company offers 36,000 titles and works with some 40,000 libraries and institutions.
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'AudioFile' Magazine's Best Audiobooks of 2022
The bimonthly magazine, which covers and reviews audiobooks, has named its Best Audiobooks of 2022.
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Spotify's New Audiobook Tool Goes Live
Beginning today, Spotify listeners will be able to access a new audiobook-specific user interface to purchase audiobooks from a collection of more than 300,000 titles.
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'AudioFile' Turns 30
Robin Whitten turned her passion for audiobooks into one of the first publications to cover that medium. As 'AudioFile' marks its 30th birthday this summer, Whitten reflected on how the venture initially got off the ground, how it has evolved and where it’s headed next.