2022 has been the 10th straight year that the Audio Publishers Association’s annual sales survey has noted a double-digit increase in audiobook sales. The APA reported revenue gains of 25% in 2021 bringing the estimated US industry total to $1.6 billion in sales last year resulting in an increase of 12% from 2020.
The number of audiobook titles published in 2021 also went up to approximately 74,000 titles, reporting a 6% increase over 2020’s output.
Most Popular Genres
Reports showed the Science Fiction and Fantasy genres were the most popular categories, with Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense coming closely second. Following the top two genres comes the Romance category which also experienced the largest sales boost in the year with a 75% jump in revenues. Self Help audiobooks follow with a 34% rise.
Along with the APA sales survey, the APA’s Consumer Survey (polling Americans 18 and older) showed that a good 42% of listeners subscribe to at least one audiobook service, whicj is an increase of 38% reported in 2020.
More Servey Results
Edison Research conducted the APA's 2022 Consumer Survey. Among the findings:
The percentage of Americans 18+ who have ever listened to an audiobook was 45%, up from 44% in 2020.
Membership in audiobook services increased, with 41% of listeners indicating they subscribe to at least one such service.
54% of audiobook listeners are under the age of 45.
70% of consumers agree audiobooks are a good choice for relaxing.
61% of parents say their children listen to audiobooks, compared to the 35% measured in 2020. This increase is almost certainly due to pandemic-related school disruptions. Listeners continue to prefer professional narration over author-read books.
Key corresponding data from Edison Research's Share of Ear report, which tracks daily listening habits for Americans 13+.
Overall share of time spent listening to audiobooks has grown 106% since 2017.
Daily audiobook listeners spend more time listening to books than any other form of audio (radio, podcasts, etc.).
Daily reach of audiobook consumption has grown 94% since 2017.
Daily audiobook listeners spend 2+ hours more per day listening to audio content than the general population (6:34 vs 4:11).
The Worlds Best Audiobook Producer
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