The popularity of audiobooks: Read a book? Better to listen to it in the hammock

Time has become a scarce commodity as a result of the demands from so many notifications, mobile alerts, and maintaining our social networks. The data is terrifying: in the worst case, a user might look at their cell phone screen about a hundred times a day. This is catastrophic when it comes to promoting reading, especially among young people: a book requires our full concentration so as not to miss a single detail. But what if the work in question was read to the reader? The phenomenon of audiobooks has experienced a marked boom in the last decade, completely revolutionizing how we consume literature. We no longer need to cling to a book in physical or electronic format; instead, the stories take on another life through the voices of their narrators.

An audiobook offers obvious advantages, especially with the time constraints of today’s society: they allow us to perform multiple tasks at the same time, such as driving, exercising, or cooking while enjoying our novel. Does this mean that we have an equivalent experience in our brain? A study carried out in 2016 analyzed the reading comprehension and information retention of two groups: one reading traditional books, the other audiobooks. After reading the book, they were given a questionnaire to measure their reading comprehension, and the results revealed that there were no significant differences. It is true that reading allows you to go back occasionally to review what you have read, but audiobooks offer the advantage of being able to convey emotional nuances and allow understanding through intonation, especially when authors narrate their own work.

The concept of a narrated book may still sound strange, but it is a widespread phenomenon. According to the Audible Compass field work, carried out in 2022, 70% of Spaniards consume audio entertainment on a regular basis; and the most striking fact is that this figure represented an increase of 18% compared to the previous year. We don’t have time to read, but we do have time to listen: the art of literature takes on new hope (albeit in another format), considering that different traditional book and audiobook experiences produce similar comprehension results.

And what kind of works do we like to enjoy through the ears? “Spaniards prefer mysteries and thrillers (49%) when listening to audiobooks, followed by literature and fiction (46%), science fiction and fantasy (44%), history (40%), and health and well-being (34%),” say sources from Audible, the world’s leading platform for audiobooks, which is owned by Amazon.

When and in what circumstances do people listen to audiobooks most often? In Spain, and according to the aforementioned study, listeners prefer to do it from home (61%), but it is striking that 50% choose to liven up their car journeys and let themselves be moved by a narrated story. And this is where audiobooks have an advantage over a traditional book, since they allow you to perform other tasks while “reading.” Logically, our level of attention is lower, but this is compensated by the intonation and a greater emotional charge than the written word.

The main audiobook services

The first big distinction to be made in relation to audiobooks is that the user can purchase them individually or pay a flat monthly fee that allows unlimited access to a huge library. If we compare it with the cinema, the former would be like purchasing a movie (in digital or physical format), while the latter would be like a Netflix of books: for a monthly fee, you have access to an almost unlimited catalog. What pays off more, from the user’s point of view? It will depend on the number of books you are able to listen to: for voracious readers, subscribing to one of the services would be the better option. Other times readers will be more tempted to purchase narrated works individually.

Audible. The service was already a pioneer in the audio entertainment segment when, in 2008, Amazon acquired it. As is the case with music streaming services, the platforms do not differ significantly in terms of content: there are no great literary hits that are exclusively on one of them. The fight between them is carried out in relation to the exclusive content that each one creates: Audible has a wide catalog of authors whose titles are offered exclusively on the platform. This does not mean that by paying for Prime you have access to its catalog: to enjoy Audible you need to pay $7.95 per month (in the U.S.), but the advantage is that there is a free trial period long enough to determine if you like it or not.

Storytel. It is another great platform for audiobooks, with more than 100,000 audiobooks in the Spanish language alone; and, like Audible, it offers exclusive content from authors who only publish in that format. This platform has come later and has to compete against a well-established Audible. Prices in the U.S. start at $9.91 per month. But beyond the price, there are other elements to take into account to decide, such as the experience of using the apps or the ease of access to the catalogs. Storytel is at a disadvantage here, due to Audible’s integration into Amazon’s Echo speaker ecosystem. For instance, we can ask Alexa to play an Audible audiobook while we are cooking.

Podimo. It is the latest contender to hit the market and has invested heavily in Spain, with the aim of taking advantage of this growing wave in terms of narrated stories. Audiobooks, in short, have profoundly transformed the literary landscape, providing a convenient and highly accessible alternative for a wide audience. Despite their drawbacks, the benefits they bring to the “reading” experience are undeniable. As these audiobooks attest, regardless of format, stories remain a fundamental component of the human experience. Audiobooks can also be found on other audio platforms such as iVoox, Spotify or Google Podcast, including more special formats.

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