The Audio Publishers Association (APA) released the findings of their latest survey on audiobook sales and listenership in the past year. The numbers are mind-boggling. In 2024, audiobook sales revenue reached $2.22 billion–a 13% increase from the previous year. Much of this increase in sales is attributed to the growth of digital audiobooks, which now comprise 99% of revenue.
APA’s Consumer Survey found that more than half of Americans age 18 and older–51%– have listened to an audiobook. There’s also been an increase in the number of Americans who state they’re interested in trying out an audiobook, 38% in 2025 as compared to 32% the previous year. Americans indicating they’re “very interested” in trying an audiobook has gone from 10% in 2024 to 18% in 2025.
Accessibility is the biggest reason cited for listening to audiobooks. Over 70% of listeners find it important that the audiobook be available on the platform they prefer and more than 60% value having access to audiobooks through the app their libraries offer for digital audiobooks.
General fiction audiobooks saw the greatest growth in revenue, growing 16% since 2023. General fiction wasn’t alone, though. Science fiction and fantasy, romance, and general nonfiction were also top revenue genres.
When it comes to largest sales year-over-year, romance came out on top, with an increase of 30%. This was followed by children’s and young adult audiobooks at 26% and science fiction and fantasy at 21%.
Perhaps among the most interesting findings is that willingness to try audiobooks performed by artificial intelligence (AI) has dropped from 77% in 2023 to 70% in 2025. Though still a high number, it calls to question the experience listeners are having when it comes to machine-generated performances over trained, practiced human talent. This data will be interesting to keep an eye on over the next several years, as a number of audiobook platforms have announced big spends on increasing AI in their audiobooks, including Audible and Spotify.
The APA noted that one of their biggest concerns in the research is piracy. Thirty-five percent of audiobook listeners reported tuning into a book on YouTube, an increase from 2023’s report of 27%. Three-fourths of listeners stated the reason they turned to YouTube to listen to an audiobook was that there was no cost associated with it.
In an era of rising AI use over human talent, this increase should not be surprising–nor should it be surprising given that many audiobook platforms can be difficult to maneuver in ways that YouTube is not. If the industry is going to provide end users with sloppier products at the same cost, it cannot be a surprise to see users seeking out alternatives.
You can learn more about the Audio Publishers Association on their website. The full survey of audiobook listenership habits is available to APA members.
Find more news and stories of interest from the book world in Breaking in Books.
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