Audiobook Discussions: Trend Analysis

I have been doing a lot of audiobook listening lately and I attended a recent blogger webinar about audiobook reviewing which got me thinking more and more about audiobooks.  So I wanted to know more of what you think about them!  From there, Audiobook Discussions has been born!

Today I want to talk about the current outlook on audiobooks and what that means to us as listeners.

The Audio Publishers Association released at the beginning of this month the results from their sales and customer surveys and the short note is that audiobooks had a great year in 2016 (remember all this data will be from 2016).  Here were some great takeaway points that I found most interesting:

• For the third year in a row, audiobooks have shown almost a 20% increase in sales!
• In 2016, 24% of Americans said they finished listening to at least 1 audiobook, which was up again approximately 20% over the prior year!
• Almost half of listeners are under age 35
• The majority of audiobook listening is done at home (57%)
• Libraries remain relevant with this medium – 27% of respondents indicate that they obtain their audiobooks via their library

I think these results are awesome and make a lot of sense.  With the ease of access of smartphones and apps like Overdrive and Audible, the access to audiobooks has become more mainstream.  Pair that with known actors narrating books and the power behind Amazon you have a big market.  I think the item that most surprised me was that the majority of people listen to books at home while doing another task.  For me personally, that is the last place I listen – I listen at work, in the car or while on travel, or at the gym, it is EXTREMELY rare that I will listen at home. 

We have discussed many of these same elements over the past months and it is fascinating to see how these things align.  You can read the full text of the Audio Publishers Association report here.  

Anything that stands out to you?  Do these results seem to represent your tastes is listening?

You can check out the other posts in this series:

• How You Listen
• Why You Listen
• What You Listen To
• The Audible App
• The Audie Awards
• What Makes a Good Production
• Favorite Narrators
• Book Extras
• Pet Peeves
• Your Best Listening Experience
• 2017 Audie Award Winners

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