May 2020 News Roundup

SELF-HELP IS POPULAR, BUT ONLY IN SECRET

“Self-help is always high on the list and I do think it’s because people do want to learn and they are using things like commute and travel to better themselves,” says Michele Cobb, APA's executive director. [Source: Observer]

THE VOICE OF GOD. (AND KNAUSGAARD, WHITMAN, MACHIAVELLI … )

Edoardo Ballerini's rise to audiobook stardom [Source: New York Times]

CHILDREN’S BOOKS HAVE UNDERGONE A HUGE TRANSFORMATION.

It wouldn’t perhaps be wrong to say that audiobooks are a child’s new best friend now, ensuring there’s a grandma for every kid yearning for a bedtime story. [Source: FinancialExpress]

STORYTEL'S AUDIOBOOK AD CAMPAIGN...

Watch as streams of color that represent stories—i.e., new ideas and thrilling concepts—flow freely to the depths of the human psyche. [Source: Musebycl]

AUDIOBOOKS: REINVENTING READING IN THE TIME OF COVID-19

The current situation has definitely brought the spotlight on audiobooks during the initial lockdown phases, wherein bookstores and book delivery was closed,’’ says Niti Kumar, PRH India. [Source: The Week]

CORONAVIRUS SHUTDOWNS WEIGH ON BOOK SALES BUT AUDIOBOOKS MAY BE PANDEMIC-PROOF

Total U.S. sales in March were down 8.4 percent to $667 million, a sign of how the early days of the pandemic hurt booksellers and publishers. [Source: New York Times]