In a fitting way to conclude “June Is Audiobook Month”, the Audio Publishers Association (APA) hosted a webinar with Dr. Rachel Noorda and Dr. Kathi Inman Berens, the lead researchers and authors of Immersive Media & Books 2020, published earlier this year by the Panorama Project.
“The APA was delighted to see the audiobook findings that are so relevant to our members”, states Executive Director Michele Cobb, who emphasized that “2020 was a banner year for audiobooks with over 71,000 titles published and the ninth year of double-digit sales growth.”
Dr. Noorda noted that “Over the past several months, Kathi and I have had wonderful opportunities to share our findings with publishers, librarians, booksellers and authors. It is our hope that Immersive Media & Books will serve as a reference work for the entire industry, including audio publishers whose products continue to experience rapid adoption from a wide range of consumers.”
Notable findings specific to audiobooks that were shared during the webinar include:
● 43.6% of the general survey population engage with audiobooks and 49.6% of those who engage with audiobooks buy the same book in multiple formats.
● 67.9% of those who engage with audiobooks are also avid book engagers (4+ per month). This compares to 53% of the general survey population.
● Audiobook engagers are younger than the general survey population, with 41.5% of Millennials and 43% of Gen X engaging with audiobooks.
● Greater percentages of people of color (Black 19.6%, Latinx 16.4%) engaged with audiobooks compared to the general survey population.
● Audiobook engagers rely heavily upon word-of-mouth for book discovery, with 21.6% citing friends, 13.6% family, and 10.1% social media.
● 81.4% of audiobook engagers have a library card compared to 75.8% of the general survey population.
● Favored genres of audio enthusiasts for adult fiction are Mystery, Classics, Fantasy, Romance, and Thriller. For adult nonfiction, preferred genres for audio enthusiasts are History, Biographies and Autobiographies, Body/Mind/Spirit, Spirituality, and Business. Audio enthusiasts engage with YA (fiction and nonfiction) in all genre categories at higher rates than the general survey population.
Dr. Berens emphasized that “Audiobook engagers are significantly more active across all book formats and buy more books than our general survey population. Opportunities abound for print book publishers to produce more audiobooks and for libraries to expand their collections of audiobooks.”
All are invited to visit www.panoramaproject.org to view the inaugural Panorama-hosted webinar and to obtain free copies of the full report, executive summary, and survey methodology.
About the funding, research and methodology
Funded by the American Library Association, the Book Industry Study Group, the Independent Book Publishers Association and OverDrive, Immersive Media & Books 2020 is a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind study that considers books within the larger media ecosystem, including TV, movies, and games. Data was collected from a substantial general survey population of 4314 respondents. Conducted in Fall 2020, the published report offers strong insights about consumer behavior across race, age, gender, and region. Drs. Noorda and Berens examined consumers’ engagement with books, thereby including borrowing, subscribing to, and gifting along with reading a printed book or an eBook, or listening to an audiobook, in part or in its entirety.
About Portland State University and the authors
Dr. Rachel Noorda and Dr. Kathi Inman Berens are professors and researchers in the book publishing program at Portland State University, home to the only graduate program in book publishing in the western United States, and one of only eight in North America.
About the Panorama Project
The Panorama Project is a cross-industry, data-informed research initiative focused on understanding the impact of public libraries on book discovery, author brand development and sales. Led by Daniel Albohn, the Project is guided by an Advisory Council which includes representatives from Penguin Random House, Sourcebooks, Open Road Media, the American Library Association, the Audio Publishers Association, NISO, OverDrive, and the Ingram Content Group. For more information, visit www.panoramaproject.org or contact Daniel Albohn at projectlead@panoramaproject.org.