Press Release: J.K. Rowling’s Beloved Harry Potter Digital Audiobooks Reach One Million Copies Sold on Audible

NEWARK, N.J. — March 31, 2016 — Audible Inc., the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word entertainment, today announced that J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter digital audiobooks have sold one million units at audible.com, audible.co.uk, audible.de and audible.com.au. This milestone was reached only four months after Audible became the sole subscription-based service to offer the series as digital audiobooks on November 20th, 2015. The recordings showcase captivating and award-winning performances by Jim Dale (in the North American version), Felix von Manteuffel (in the German version) and Stephen Fry (in the UK and the rest of the world). The North American version can be downloaded in the U.S. at audible.com/HarryPotter.

“Decades after the release of J.K. Rowling’s celebrated series, there has never been a better time to be a Harry Potter fan,” said Andy Gaies, Audible’s Chief Content Officer. “Audible listeners are the most voracious readers there are, and now that we’re able to offer the opportunity to enjoy the Harry Potter series seamlessly through the Audible service, our audience is clamoring for these wonderful stories. We’re gratified that the series has picked up steam so quickly on Audible, and look forward to bringing even more listeners to J.K. Rowling’s richly imagined universe through our affordable platform.”

“These strong Audible sales figures demonstrate the continuing strength and appeal of the Harry Potter series on any platform – print book, eBook or digital audiobook,” said Susan L. Jurevics, Chief Executive Officer, Pottermore. “The Harry Potter digital audiobooks are now more accessible thanks to Audible’s ability to successfully connect with its vast membership base. We look forward to growing the audience with Audible and helping more users experience the joys and magic of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World.”

With a 30-day membership trial at Audible, new listeners can enjoy any one audiobook for free, including those in the Harry Potter catalog.

Pottermore, the digital publishing, e-commerce, entertainment and news company from J.K. Rowling, is the global digital publisher of Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World. As the digital heart of J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World, pottermore.com is dedicated to unlocking the power of imagination. It offers news, features, and articles as well as new and previously unreleased writing by J.K. Rowling. The Pottermore Shop, the company’s digital retail arm, will continue to sell the Harry Potter digital audiobooks.

Audible, the world’s largest seller and producer of downloadable audiobooks and other spoken-word content, invented and commercialized the first digital audio player in 1997, and has since been at the forefront of the explosively growing audiobook download segment. In 2015, listeners around the world downloaded 1.6 billion hours of audio from Audible.com outlets; Audible members downloaded an average of more than 17 books over the course of the year. Two thirds of new Audible members are first-time audiobook buyers.

About Audible Inc.
Audible Inc., an Amazon.com Inc. subsidiary (NASDAQ:AMZN), is the leading provider of premium digital spoken audio information and entertainment, offering customers a new way to enhance and enrich their lives every day. Audible was created to unleash the emotive music in language and the habituating power and utility of verbal expression. Audible content includes more than 250,000 audio programs from leading audiobook publishers, broadcasters, entertainers, magazine and newspaper publishers, and business information providers. Audible is also the preeminent provider of spoken-word audio products for Apple’s iTunes Store.