Audio Publishers Association Conference 2025 Wrap-Up: Key Takeaways and Trends

This year’s Audio Publishers Association Conference (APAC) reaffirmed what industry professionals have long suspected: the audiobook market is not just healthy—it’s thriving. With digital audio surpassing e-book unit sales in 2025 and maintaining double-digit annual growth, the format’s dominance is clearer than ever. Industry leaders, including Simon & Schuster CEO, Jonathan Karp, underscored the importance of audio in expanding readership and accessibility, particularly for audiences who might not otherwise buy a book.

Audio’s Expanding Role in Publishing

One of the biggest themes of APAC 2025 was how audiobook sales augment rather than cannibalize book sales. In every business track session, publishers emphasized access to new audiences. In fact, audio is driving book acquisitions, according to Chris Lynch (President & Publisher for S&S Audio) in conversation with Karp. Many bestsellers today originated as self-published audiobooks, proving that the format is an entry point for new voices. Publishers are paying close attention to indie creators and original projects designed specifically for audio. Karp noted that “audio is integral to our growth strategy,” with major publishers actively seeking to acquire audio publishers and strengthen their foothold in this growing sector.

Short-form audio also emerged as a key opportunity, with speakers emphasizing that some projects are better suited to spoken-word formats than print. While economic challenges exist—listeners often associate longer audiobooks with greater value—there is enthusiasm for exploring more flexible pricing models to accommodate shorter content.

The AI Debate: Balancing Technology and Human Artistry

A collective groan rippled through the audience when AI narration came up. The tension is clear: while AI offers potential for cost-effective solutions, especially for backlist titles that might not otherwise be produced, it also raises concerns about diminishing the human artistry at the heart of audiobooks. Chris Lynch noted that AI could help bring audiobooks to underserved markets where traditional production wouldn’t be financially viable, but Karp reminded attendees: “You are artisans… essential to the success of audiobooks.”

For international markets, AI-assisted translation and narration could help expand access, but industry leaders emphasized the importance of local voices. Listeners often prefer narrators who match their regional accents and cultural contexts. The balance between AI’s efficiency and human performance remains a crucial industry challenge.

Marketing Like You Mean It

A standout session from the conference was Seizing the Rise of Audiobooks, Marketing Like You Mean It, moderated by NetGalley’s own Darcy Piedmonte, Director of Customer Acquisition & Success. Piedmonte led a dynamic conversation on how publishers can move beyond the fear that audiobooks cannibalize print sales and instead embrace the rapid expansion of audio into new and diverse markets.

Panelists included:

David Walter, Executive Director of Client Development – Books for Circana
Agustina Casal, Director of Digital Sales & Marketing for Ingram Content Group
Samantha Edelson, Vice President of Marketing for Macmillan Audio
Mark Pearson, Co-Founder & CEO of Libro.fm
Jess Kessler, Head of Brand & Content Marketing of Audible, North America

The discussion covered key strategies for innovative and creative audio marketing, including how audiobook marketing continues to evolve alongside digital media consumption. Some of the biggest trends discussed included:

All Boats Rise: When audiobooks do well, all books do well. While print stays remarkably stable over time, new formats add to publishers’ overall sales.
Podcasts & Audiobooks: The impact of podcasts on audiobook sales remains a topic of debate. While some see competition, others view it as an opportunity to inspire nonfiction authors to craft compelling, high-quality content.
Younger Audiences & Genre Growth: The 18-25 demographic is rapidly growing, particularly in nonfiction (well-being) and genre fiction (romance, thriller). The increase in kids’ audiobook consumption also presents a major opportunity, especially through screen-free speaker devices like Yoto and Toniebox.
Fandom Mentality: Readers increasingly engage with books like fans of TV series or movies, wanting content across multiple formats. The success of multicast productions, such as 1984 featuring Cynthia Erivo and Andrew Garfield, exemplifies how casting choices can draw in new audiences.
Gaming Crossovers: Creative marketing strategies are reaching new audiences, for instance the Red Dead Redemption gaming community, with projects like Red Dead’s History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America’s Violent Past (narrated by Roger Clark, the iconic and award-winning full performance-capture actor) that connect books to their interests.
Discoverability & Metadata: Ensuring accurate and refreshed metadata remains critical. Publishers are investing in tools to optimize audiobook discoverability across platforms.
Opportunities for Marketing: Audiobooks offer a multitude of ways for booksellers, narrators, educators, and influencers to bring stories to life through listening.

Global Audiobook Market: What’s Next?

The international audiobook market is evolving rapidly. Emerging markets like France and Brazil are set to accelerate their growth, learning from the U.S. experience.

France is on the verge of becoming a mature market, aided by a booming graphic novel-to-audio pipeline.
The Nordic region remains a leader, with 60% of books consumed in audio format, driving authors to write with audio-first storytelling in mind.
Spain and Latin America are key areas of investment, with publishers focused on translating backlist titles and creating original Spanish-language content.
Local accents matter—listeners in Portugal prefer European Portuguese over Brazilian, and Spanish-speaking listeners are divided among regional dialect preferences.
The German children’s audiobook market is flourishing, bolstered by speaker boxes that have become the third-largest seller of children’s books.

Looking Forward: Challenges & Opportunities

Despite its rapid growth, the audiobook industry faces several challenges:

Marketing & Publicity Struggles: Simply releasing an audiobook isn’t enough—publishers need strong hooks tied to cultural moments to break through the noise. Digital marketing tools, including NetGalley, are making early audiobook promotions easier than ever, allowing for pre-pub reviews and cross-format marketing efforts. As mentioned above, the success of one format is a win for all!
Balancing Format & Content: Publishers must assess whether a story is best suited for an audiobook, a documentary, or another medium. In the case of audiobooks based on graphic novels or manga, producers are closely considering whether the concepts depicted in the art will translate to the audio format and, if so, diving in to create the audiobook.
The First Listen Matters: If a listener’s first audiobook experience is poor—whether due to AI narration or low production quality—they may abandon the format entirely.
Piracy on YouTube: Publishers voiced concerns about unauthorized audiobook uploads that fail to compensate rights holders.

Final Thoughts

Audiobooks are not just surviving—they’re thriving, expanding, and reshaping the publishing landscape. Whether it’s embracing indie voices, exploring new markets, or refining marketing strategies, the industry is adapting to ensure that audio continues to be a powerful storytelling force.

As Karp put it, “A great book is a great book.” The challenge ahead is ensuring that audiences can find, access, and engage with these books—no matter how they choose to read or listen.

Audio Publishers Association Conference

2024 Conference Wrap Up, Part 2

This year’s Audio Publishers Association Conference (APAC) brought together audiobook-industry leaders to explore the evolving landscape of audio consumption. NetGalley was thrilled to sponsor and speak at this event. Across all sessions, attendees and presenters alike celebrated the continued growth of the audio market.

*Darcy Piedmonte speaking at APAC 2024*, *demonstrating how NetGalley members express enthusiasm for audiobooks “out in the wild.”*

Paul Abassi (Bookstat) reminded attendees of the huge growth in audiobook sales in recent years, from over $1.7 billion in 2018 to over $3 billion in 2023. Last year proved a substantial increase across both legacy and newer retailers, including publishers of all sizes and multiple genre categories. Kristen McLain (Circana Entertainment Knowledge Group) positioned audio as a thriving market ripe for further innovation and expansion. Kristen pointed out that audio is the only category growing across all age groups, with some titles selling equal in (or more!) shares than other formats. Further, audiobook consumers are willing and ready to invest in their overall experience.

Laura Ivy (Edison Research) shared that audiobook audiences are continuing to skew younger, supported by APAC’s own Sales & Consumer Data Survey conducted last year, which revealed: “The majority of audiobook listeners are young, with 57% being between the ages of 18 and 44, significantly higher than the 49% of the U.S. population that falls within the same age range.” Kristen McLain added, “Future listeners are living with current listeners!”

Darcy Piedmonte, Senior Sales Manager at NetGalley, joined Eric Barnett (Supporting Cast), Lizzie Breyer Bowman (Lemonada), and moderator Amy Metsch (Spiegel & Grau) on a panel titled, “Audiobooks in the Wild”, to discuss how forward-thinking approaches to audiobook and spoken word programming foster audience engagement and community. The conversation underscored the significance of dynamic content strategies in attracting and retaining listeners. Darcy delved into the thriving audiobook community facilitated by NetGalley, sharing case studies featuring an independently published audiobook side-by-side with a celebrity memoir (spoiler alert: both performed extremely well on NetGalley). She also spoke about NetGalley’s role in fostering interactions between audio publishers and enthusiastic listeners, providing updates about the NetGalley community’s growth and engagement. Be on the lookout for more about this!

A highlight of the event was Malcolm Gladwell’s keynote address emphasizing tremendous opportunities for internet-based audio. Gladwell brought attention to our collective chance to democratize production, highlight on-demand, recursive listening, and revolutionize access with few barriers to entry. However, there are significant limitations standing in the way related to fair- versus limited use, where limited use greatly sacrifices transformative experiences that can enhance listeners’ lives. Gladwell illuminated the downsides in the specific, story-driven way only he can. The audience was convinced: the industry is not currently able to exploit the full potential of the audio medium. However, as industry professionals we can band together for a “Fair Use” movement and coalition. Only then will we harness the power of our creative potential and realize the spoken word future we all want to see.

Lastly, we are thrilled to congratulate this year’s Audie Award Winners! We’re honored that so many of these award-winning audiobooks were available on NetGalley.

Read more of our 2024 conference wrap ups:

Part 1: ABA Winter Institute
Part 3: London Book Fair

And find us at the following events this spring!

March 12 – 14, London Book Fair
March 21 – 24, Leipzig Book Fair
April 12, Book Industry Study Group (BISG) Annual Meeting
April 12 – 14, Paris Book Festival
April 25 – 27, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Publishing University

Conference Wrap Up, Part 1 – APAC

Conference season is in full swing in a way we haven’t seen since 2019! It’s been rejuvenating to reconnect with so many of our colleagues and partners in the industry over coffee, tea, and/or something a little stronger. Post-show happy hours haven’t gone anywhere, and we’re glad to toast the return of the trade shows.

In March and April, the NetGalley team attended the Audio Publishers Association Conference (APAC), London Book Fair, Festival des Livres Paris (Paris Book Festival), Leipziger Buchmesse (Leipzig Book Fair), and the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) annual meeting. This month (May), we—along with our Firebrand Group colleagues—look forward to the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Publishing University, Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA) Leadership Summit, and Publishers Weekly U.S. Book Show. Scroll to the end of this article to set up a meeting with our teams!

What we learned in April

In general, AI was the hot topic in sessions across the industry. As with the evolution of digital-reading, publishers are viewing AI with eyes wide open to the threats that it could present, while also acknowledging the potential for it to revolutionize our work. Conversations on how to protect authors’ rights, address copyright for works generated by AI, and ensure that human creativity sits at the forefront of book creation are side-by-side with excitement to tap into AI’s potential to reduce tedious work and create more opportunities for that creativity to thrive.

Audio Publishers Association Conference (APAC):

The Audio Publishers Association offers publishers and narrators an amazing opportunity to network, learn from industry experts in the audio space, and share insights and resources. For NetGalley, this event was a welcome chance to hear directly from our clients who are using NetGalley to promote audiobooks.

Publishers told us that they are thrilled to use NetGalley to expand their reach into new communities, and/or offer the audio format to booksellers and librarians who are using audio to more quickly power through their TBR list. Others emphasized they are looking to reach more traditional media contacts. In the “Meet the Press” session, Tom Beer (Editor-in-Chief, Kirkus Reviews) acknowledged that they have been accepting digital formats for review since 2020, including via widgets from NetGalley.* According to Beer, the audiobook format is relatively new to Kirkus. Each month their audio contributors write a column, centered on a theme, that incorporates three audiobook titles. These columns are less “book review” and more focused on the given topic, and how the audio format augments the story.

All of the panelists (Kirkus, Audiofile Magazine, and Audible) agreed that additional media assets are very welcome from publishers. A photo from the studio, a carefully chosen sound byte, interview with the author (or between the author and the narrator) are all dynamic and interesting assets they may use outside of a review. They’re always looking for content to share, so the more you provide the more likely it is they will share it widely! Audio excerpts in NetGalley are also a great way to generate interest in a title, adding them to either the digital or audio format.

Publishers confirmed audiobook workflows continue to be challenging. Many of the clients we spoke with have small teams who are managing everything from production to marketing. They are driving conversations internally at their companies about how to streamline their efforts to finalize files earlier, test AI voices without threatening narrators, deliver content to the right early audiences, and continue to champion the audiobook format. If you’re having similar internal conversations and would like to talk more about how NetGalley can help you achieve any of these goals, please reach out. We’re happy to provide data or case studies, and share strategies we’ve seen work.

Number of publishers we sat down with during APAC: 11

*The NetGalley widget is an auto-approved link that can be used to invite media and journalists to access a book right away. Here’s more information about the NetGalley widget.

Thank you to the nearly 60 publishers we’ve met with at these conferences! It’s always a pleasure to speak with the passionate members of our client community, and we’ve been inspired by our conversations.

Read our next installment, covering the London Book Fair!

Find us here in May:

May 5-6: IBPA Publishing University
- Meet with Kristina Radke (VP of Business Growth & Engagement) and Katie Versluis (Customer Success Manager), NetGalley
- concierge [at] netgalley.com

May 9-10: ECPA Leadership Summit
- Meet with Joshua Tallent, Director of Sales and Education, Firebrand Technologies
- info [at] firebrandtech.com

May 23-25: Publishers Weekly U.S. Book Show
- We are thrilled to sponsor this event. Find us at the NetGalley Pub Hub!

Audio Publishers Association Webinar: The Future of Audiobooks

Presented November 10, 2021

Let’s examine where professionals from different areas of the audiobook industry see us being in the next 3-5 years. We will ask specialists in the areas of production, consumer sales, independent authors, to forecast the future. Joining us are Kevin Fecu of John Marshall Media, Darren Speers of Authors Republic, and Tarah Theoret of NetGalley.

Watch the webinar here.

The ability to consume more, faster, while multi-tasking will continue to help with consumers, but also book reviewing of all formats. We’ve heard anecdotally from reviewers that they specifically request books in the audio format because they know they’ll be able to listen to it faster and sooner, and fit it into their schedule… this quick turnaround helps ensure that the marketplace is already being populated with early enthusiasm for this format specifically, which will boost pre-orders and sales.
– Tarah Theoret, Senior Director, Community Engagement at NetGalley

Visit the Audio Publishers Association at audiopub.org

Formed in 1986, the Audio Publishers Association (APA) is a not-for-profit trade association that advocates the common, collective business interests of audio publishers. The APA consists of audio publishing companies and suppliers, distributors, and retailers of spoken word products and allied fields related to the production, distribution, and sale of audiobooks.