There were 8,970 new spoken-word audio titles published in 2006, down from the most recent five-year average of 10,900, according to Bowker. In a comprehensive report of the U.S. audiobook publishing industry released last week, the world's leading provider of bibliographic information discovered that 202,111 audiobook titles have been released since the introduction of the spoken-word audio format, and 40% of those (79,038) have been published since 2000.

There are more than 3,000 audiobook publishers in the U.S., with Brilliance Audio, Random House Audio Publishing Group, Blackstone Audiobooks, Recorded Books, BBC America and Simon & Schuster Audio accounting for most of the new releases.

Adult fiction titles classified as mystery and suspense were the most popular spoken-word audio category, with almost five times the number of releases as romances, science fiction, fantasy and westerns, Bowker found. Overall, adult fiction was the top category in spoken-word audio, accounting for 53% of all new releases in 2006.

Juvenile literature, a leading category in both print and spoken-word audio, was the second most popular category, accounting for 14% of new titles. Religious and inspirational accounted for 12% of new titles, followed by business and economics, biography, health and fitness, psychology, political science and New Age-all with less than 10%.

“There is a huge potential for growth in audiobook content,” said Andrew Grabois, a consultant for Bowker. “Even though the universe of spoken word audio amounts to less than five percent of all books still in print, the ease of downloading and playing spoken word audio will create a demand for new content that is irresistible, very much like the growth enjoyed by print books since the coming of the Internet.”

• Prev
• Next