October 2024 News Roundup

This October our thoughts are consumed with hurricane recovery and election polls. Feed your earpods with selections from Appalachian authors and some classic political subjects. Audible, Disney, Spotify and the Frankfurt Book Fair are in the business news this month as well as an update from digital publishing in Vietnam.

The business of audiobooks

Frankfurt Book Fair 2024: Program Highlights featuring several audio-focussed sessions

This year’s professional program will feature a strong slate of panels and conversations about the current issues. [Source: publishersweekly.com]

Surprise! The UK audiobook market stands at over £1bn

Audiobooks have been the fastest-growing segment of books in the UK—by far—for more than a decade, delivering consistent 30%-plus year-on-year growth. [Source: thebookseller.com]

Audible taps Disney for ambitious kids content push

Audible has also acquired the rights to 60 existing audiobooks that will now be available exclusively on its platform, including Finding Dory, Monsters. Inc, Mulan and Toy Story.  [Source: kidscreen.com]

Spotify expands audiobook deal to France, Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg

Overall, Spotify says 28% of its users are in Europe and reports there has been increasing consumption of non-English language content on its platform [Source: publishersweekly.com]

Digital transformation in publishing: Opportunities & Challenges in Vietnam

Reports from various companies indicate that total audiobook turnover in 2022 and 2023 reached approximately VND116.1 billion. [Source: en.sggp.org.vn]

General News

Audiobooks studio launched for North East UK

Sounds Good Audiobooks is based within Northumbria University’s city centre campus in the heart of Newcastle. [Source: newsroom.northumbria.ac.uk]

Appreciating literary art with audiobooks, ADHD, and attention spans

Audiobooks allow people to experience these magical technicalities of reading through a new, more accessible dimension. [Source: dailyiowan.com]

FEED YOUR EARPODS

Need Help Understanding the Election? Try These Audiobooks

Gripping histories, cleareyed memoirs and satirical fiction can help you make sense of our political moment. [Source: nytimes.com]

Explore the Soul of Appalachia With These Audiobooks

These include authors from across the region and an all-star collection of narrators. Each have their own stories to tell. [Source: booktrib.com]

The Audiobook of Lisa Marie Presley’s Memoir

Lisa Marie’s daughter Riley Keough narrates portions of the book, while Julia Roberts lends her voice to the late Lisa Marie. [Source: rollingstone.com]

Out of the booth

This app helps you learn languages through audiobooks and karaoke

I promise it’s a lot more fun than school. [Source: sfgate.com]