US audiobook sales up 18.2% in 2016

In the US, a new report by the Audio Publishers Association (APA) found audiobook sales grew 18.2% in 2016 compared to the previous year, reports Publishers Weekly.

Estimated sales totalled US$2.1bn (A$2.8bn) in 2016, while estimated unit sales rose 33.9% to 89.5m.

Digital downloads accounted for 82.4% of all sales, up from 76.8% in 2015. Smartphones were the device of choice for 29% of the audiobook audience, while the most popular genres were mysteries/thrillers/suspense, science-fiction/fantasy and romance.

Hachette Audio senior vice president and APA research committee chair Anthony Goff said 2016 was ‘another banner year for audiobooks’. ‘It has been exhilarating for everyone involved in audio to see such healthy growth maintained, year in and year out,’ said Goff. ‘Learning more about audiobook listeners by digging deeper into the metrics of consumer behavior is one of the key ways we can help that growth continue.’

The report estimates total sales by extrapolating from reports from around 20 audiobook publishers, who produced over 50,000 titles in 2016.

Category: International news