January 2025 News Roundup
The audiobook community welcomes the new year with a host of new partnerships for: S&S, PRH Audio, Amazon, Storytel, Legible, Renault and Kobo. Take a look back at the top book business news from 2024 and a little further back to 1894, when a French writer predicted the popularity of audiobooks. Spanish audiobooks were in the spotlight in Guadalajara, a new audiobook summit is announced for Radiodays Europe, and a report on library audiobook circulation is released in the US. Consumer labeling for AI-voiced audiobooks is under review, Brian Murray (HarperCollins) explores the opportunities of AI, and an open-source e-book to audiobook converter receives a language support update. A new tool is announced to reduce blushing for sensitive listeners. Audiobooks enhance a welterweight’s boxing career. And finally, grab an eyepatch and sharpen your cutlass to enjoy an interview with Colby Elliott, narrator of Greenbeard by Richard James Bentley.
General News
Guadalajara Book Fair Puts Spanish Audiobooks in the Spotlight
The Guadalajara International Book Fair hosted its first forum dedicated exclusively to audiobooks this year, reflecting the format's increasing popularity and recent production surge in Spanish-language markets. [Source: publishersweekly.com]
The Top 10 Book Business News Stories of 2024
PW looks back at the major contractions in the independent book distribution space, an explosion of artificial intelligence tools and businesses, turmoil over freedom of expression in multiple sectors, and more that defined the book business landscape throughout the year. [Source: publishersweekly.com]
Let’s not talk about sex… audiobook service censors blue content for sensitive listeners
Blasphemous language and swearing can be censored from audiobooks by a new service being offered to sensitive listeners. [Source: telegraph.co.uk]
The business of audiobooks
New Research on Audiobook Circulation in US Libraries
The newly released ‘Audiobooks and Public Libraries’ report shows US libraries’ community sizes playing a role in audio circulation. [Source: publishingperspectives.com]
Radiodays Europe hosts a summit dedicated to audiobooks
The summit will take a look at how to include audiobooks to drive content and profitability. [Source: radiodayseurope.com]
S&S Launches Audio Imprint Simon Maverick, Helmed by Jason Pinter
In a statement, S&S described Simon Maverick as “the first-ever audio imprint launched by a Big Five publisher dedicated to shining a light on works from talented, diverse, and emerging independent authors.” [Source: publishersweekly.com]
Sourcebooks Launches In-House Audio Program
Sourcebooks has partnered with Penguin Random House Audio to launch an audio program, Sourcebooks Audio, through which the publisher will produce audio content in-house via “editorially independent imprints” within PRH Audio, per a release. [Source: publishersweekly.com]
Universal Music Group and Amazon expand global relationship
UMG will be collaborating with Amazon as they expand in audio, including further innovation in audiobooks, audio and visual programming as well as livestreamed content. [Source: nme.com]
Storytel and Vodafone Turkey have joined forces
The partnership will bring stories to Vodafone’s 20+ million mobile subscribers, giving easy access to an extensive library of local and international audio stories. [Source: placera.se]
partnerships in Europe enhance audiobook access to connected Vehicles
Legible partners with ACCESS Europe and Renault partners with Nextory to bring an extensive collection of audiobooks directly to drivers and passengers of connected cars. [Source: Legible/ACCESS Europe globenewswire.com, Renault/Nextory automotiveworld.com]
PodToo Announces Partnership with Kobo Books to Supply Audiobooks and Introduces Secure RSS Technology
PodToo ensures that publishers and authors who distribute via PodToo’s audiobook platform will have access to publish on Kobo Books, making their work accessible to Kobo’s extensive and loyal user base. [Source: podnews.net]
FEED YOUR EARPODS
The Best Fashion Audiobooks for Aspiring Stylists, Hypebeasts and Everyone In Between
From power stylist Law Roach's inspiring self-help book to Anna Wintour's bestselling (and juicy) biography. [Source: hollywoodreporter.com]
A.I. News
AI-Voiced Audiobooks: Guidance for Consumer Labeling
New guidelines are being suggested — thanks to a transatlantic project — to develop consistent consumer labels on AI-voiced audiobooks. [Source: publishingperspectives.com]
Harper Collins CEO Brian Murray Talks Hot Print Book Sales and AI
Overall, Murray said that, while many aspects of AI still need to be explored, he believes that the technology presents “more opportunities than risks” for publishers. [Source: publishersweekly.com]
Open-source ebook to audiobook converter supports a massive 1000+ languages
The aptly named ebook2audiobook project has received a massive update, supporting 1,000 languages. [Source: notebookcheck.net]
interviews & podcasts
Interview: Bringing The High Seas To Life – Colby Elliott On Narrating “Greenbeard”
Colby Elliott discusses narrating Greenbeard, balancing creativity and production, and how storytelling shapes his career. [Source: top10films.co.uk]
Something out of the booth
In 1894, A French Writer Predicted the End of Books & the Rise of Portable Audiobooks and Podcasts
Much of what the Bibliophile predicts has indeed come true in the form of audiobooks. “Certain Narrators will be sought out for their fine address, their contagious sympathy, their thrilling warmth, and the perfect accuracy, the fine punctuation of their voice,” he says. [Source: openculture.com]
Welterweight Mykal Fox credits a new hobby – audiobooks – for his return to form
“I feel like I have grown a lot and I have learned to focus on my mental health as much as the physical,” Fox said. [Source: boxingscene.com]