US audiobook market grows 10%

In the US, audiobook revenue grew 10% in 2022 to US$1.8 billion (A$2.7b) in total sales, according to a survey of 28 Audio Publishers Association members (APA), reports Publishers Weekly.

Last year was the 11th straight year of double-digit growth in audiobook sales. Last year’s 10% growth was less than the 25% jump in sales in 2021, which reflected a pandemic-fuelled surge.

The APA also released its annual consumer survey, which polls Americans 18 and older. The survey found more than half (53%) of US adults had listened to an audiobook at some point, a jump from the 45% who reported the same in 2022.

The survey also found the audio market skews younger and more diverse, with 57% of audiobook listeners between the ages of 18 and 44 (compared to 49% of the US population), and 29% of listeners identifying as either African American or Hispanic (compared to 27% of the US population).

General fiction is the highest selling category of audiobook, while humour, nonfiction and romance all experienced ‘solid’ sales gains in 2022.

Category: International news