Guest Column: The Evolving Role 
of an Audio Publisher

Publishers Produce More

The APA recently released annual Sales Survey data based on figures from 2010, which showed audiobook unit sales were up 10 percent. It's good news for the audio industry, demonstrating a strong, continued interest in audiobooks, despite the economic roller coaster that consumers have been on for the past few years. Also, the total number of audiobooks published doubled in the past three years, from 3,073 in 2007 to 6,200 in 2010.

Ultimately, what these two figures show is that publishers are doing more to keep up with growing demand. A first-rate audiobook requires the hard work and dedication of talented and creative people—producers, narrators, editors and more. Unlike our print counterparts, audiobooks have a higher production cost up front, before we even enter the sales stream. And we are dealing with a new challenge—reduced cost per unit in a digital world. A digital download price is sometimes half the CD price. A publisher really has no choice but to take a look at their business model and adapt accordingly.

Finding out how to adapt will only come from experimentation. The truth is, in our industry, audiobook downloads show no sign of slowing down, so being innovative is crucial. Downloads have been on a growth trend for the past five years, growing in dollar volume by 300 percent (now 36 percent of the market as measured in 2010, up from 9 percent in 2005) and growing 150 percent in terms of units (52 percent of the market in 2010, up from 21 percent in 2005), according to 2010 sales survey figures from the APA. Focusing on new channels, looking at combining audiobooks and e‑books, creating download-only titles and reducing production costs, all while maintaining our high commitment to quality are realities that audio publishers face right now. All options need to be explored to essentially maintain a focus on the customer's overall experience—from their purchase at the cash register until they listen to their last chapter.