The audiobook growth momentum continues unabated in the United States, with the segment reporting a 9 percent growth in revenue in 2023. This comes to 2 billion USD in value terms, the Audio Publishers Association revealed citing data from its annual sales survey. As PublishersWeekly reported, the survey has been conducted by Toluna Harris Interactive and is based on data drawn from 27 publishers which includes Audible, Hachette Audio, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, and so on.
The Audio Publishers Association also revealed some key facts and figures from the 2024 consumer survey that was carried out by Edison Research. As per the findings, more than half of the Americans, 52 percent to be specific, or 149 million in total, said they have listened to an audiobook. Also, the survey found that 38 percent of adults in America said they listened to an audiobook last year compared to 35 percent in 2023. The survey further revealed listeners consumed 6.8 titles on average last year, which marks a marginal increase over 6.3 titles in 2022.
The survey also revealed the popularity of audiobooks with children. A sizeable 53 of those who listened to audiobooks and have children at home said their children too listen to the audiobooks being played out. This, as 77 percent of the parent said, provides their children with a break from screen time. Audiobook subscriptions too have grown, with 63 percent of those who listened to audiobooks last year now having at least one subscription going, up from 62 percent in 2023. Further, 46 percent of audiobook listeners said they borrowed an audiobook from a library last year.
Coming to the category of audiobooks, fiction continues to remain the favorite among listers for the third year in a year. In monetary terms, fiction accounted for 62 percent of sales revenue. The fastest-growing segment happens to be the history/biography/memoir category which accounted for a 22 percent growth rate. Other categories such as health and fitness, religious, and romance titles account for 20, 17, and 14 percent growth.
As for piracy, almost half, or 47 percent to be precise said they got to listen to an audiobook for free via YouTube or other file-sharing sites last year.
With a keen interest in tech, I make it a point to keep myself updated on the latest developments in technology and gadgets. That includes smartphones or tablet devices but stretches to even AI and self-driven automobiles, the latter being my latest fad. Besides writing, I like watching videos, reading, listening to music, or experimenting with different recipes. The motion picture is another aspect that interests me a lot, and I'll likely make a film sometime in the future.