In a time-crunched world, it’s no surprise that audio is the fastest-growing format in the publishing industry. What else enables you to enjoy the latest thriller or big-idea nonfiction title while chopping vegetables, walking on a treadmill, or sitting in rush-hour traffic?

And now, advances in production technology are creating immersive experiences akin to seeing a movie, adding to audio’s popularity, says Rachel Ghiazza, chief content officer at Audible. “Year after year, we continue to see customers becoming increasingly passionate about and habituated to listening,” she says.

In business for more than 25 years, Audible’s growth rate reveals the extent of the audio boom.

In the last decade, Audible’s member base grew nearly 800%, and total annual listening time rose by more than 600%. In 2024, Audible saw the largest increase year over year across combined subscription and a la carte purchased listening time in the company’s history.
Sci-fi & fantasy and mystery & thriller are the most popular genres, and romance listening has spiked significantly over the past 18 months. Children’s content is also a major growth area. “Families are plugging into audio more than ever,” Ghiazza says. “Audio is a really powerful way to increase kids’ interest in reading—and entertain without screens.”

Audible’s recently launched Kids Profiles feature enables parents to curate kid-friendly listening spaces with titles chosen from their Audible accounts. The company is also developing original content based on iconic intellectual property with marquee brands like Disney, Pottermore, KidzBop, and Sesame Street.

Technology advances like Dolby Atmos are enabling richer and more immersive listening experiences. For example, later this year Audible is releasing multi-cast audio productions of the original seven Harry Potter books. “When we approach each of our original productions, we look at opportunities for sound design to enrich and enliven the listening experience,” Ghiazza says. “Especially in fiction, characters become instantly more relatable when audiences are invited to hear their world and environment as they do.”

As much as audio has grown in the U.S. and elsewhere, it’s still a nascent sector in many parts of the globe. Today only one million of the roughly 150 million books in print are available in audio. To bridge this gap, in addition to continuing to grow its catalog of professionally performed works, Audible is exploring ways to leverage AI to bring more titles to life. The company is partnering with publishers internationally to create audiobooks in local languages. And Audible’s self-publishing marketplace, ACX, has a voice-replication beta that empowers narrators to create replicas of their own voices, helping authors and publishers bring their backlists to audio while serving as an income generator for narrators who opt in.

AI is also redefining search and discovery. Audible’s AI-powered search tool, Maven, allows customers to search for highly specific titles using everyday language. “You might type in, ‘I’m looking for a fantasy audiobook featuring a female protagonist that I can complete on an eight-hour road trip,’ and find new selections that go beyond our bestseller list,” Ghiazza says.

Audible’s business model gives the company the flexibility to evolve and meet listeners’ different needs. In the U.S., premium members receive a monthly credit to redeem and own a title, in addition to dabbling in an all-you-can-listen catalog to discover new creators. Voracious listeners receive membership discounts to listen to several books a month. Others can purchase titles à la carte through in-app purchasing.

With so many titles, where to start? Ghiazza recommends Ronan Farrow’s Not a Very Good Murderer, which centers on the complex life of Celia “CeCe” Doane, a former Miss Arizona turned high-society socialite. After CeCe’s public accusation against a prominent politician, Farrow uncovers unsavory details about CeCe’s past—including investigations into alleged plots to murder two of her husbands.

“Think the Coen brothers meets Tiger King’s Carole Baskin, as told by one of our greatest living journalists,” she says. “It’s a complex, haunting, and highly entertaining character study dressed up as a true-crime investigation.”
All this—and the vegetables get chopped.