Audiobooks are seeing exponential growth

The audiobook industry is growing exponentially, 50% in a single year. This has been the story for years. Audio eclipses e-book sales for some publishers. It is the fastest growing segment of the book industry and shows no signs of slowing. Every electronic device has audio meaning it is available everywhere effortlessly. Phones, Amazon Echo, etc.. ensure an expanding audience and more devotees. Publishers are audiobooking the front list, but also mining the back list, new titles are growing year on year. Where do you see the future of audiobooks headed?

This year our library system partnered with libraries featuring OverDrive downloads in the eastern half of Massachusetts ~ that added several large library catalogues to the already lengthy list of OverDrive library catalogues (about 170) from which we can download audiobooks. I listen to around 100 books each year. Eventually, I will probably be forced to switch to Libby, the more popular digital library provider.

I listen to a lot of audiobooks, but almost always in my car, and always from a cd, not a download. Don't have a pod or audiotablet and don't know how to download stuff onto my phone. Too old and cranky.

I've had to learn downloading as most of what I want to read in audio is offered in that format. What irks is having to learn multiple systems. I've mastered OverDrive and now have to struggle with Hoopla and RBDigital as well.

>4 2wonderY:

My library system uses OverDrive and Libby. It would like us to move over to Libby, but I am holding that switch off as long as I possibly can. I assume they won't have both much longer ~ Libby appears to be an OverDrive reincarnation.

>5 Molly3028: I keep seeing a message about Libby when I log on to my library's electronic media site but I haven't really checked into it. I like the OverDrive system quite well and like you I'm holding off trying anything else.

>7 Crypto-Willobie:

I am an audiobook junkie. I believe that audiobooks are the modern-day version of our story-telling heritage.

>8 Molly3028:
I agree.