The audiobook charts this week are almost entirely human-narrated titles holding off everything else.
The industry keeps being surprised by this.
New releases, Top 10, and what's coming in May:
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
A tradwife influencer wakes up in 1855 and has to survive the life she was selling.
That's this week's most interesting new release.
Full Top 10 + new releases in the newsletter:
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
The audiobook Top 10 this week is almost entirely human-narrated titles outperforming AI alternatives.
The market has been trying to say this for a while now.
New releases + full breakdown:
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
A user found what they believed was recorded child abuse inside an Audible title. There was no way to report it. That should scare you.
This week's newsletter is about the platform safety gap nobody in #audiobooks wants to talk about.
theaudiobookreport.substack.com/p/audibles-b...
Audible is spending Manhattan real estate money to signal that premium, human-made audio is worth protecting. My hope is that investment eventually finds its way to the people actually making the content.
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
Project Hail Mary stays on top, but other than that a lot of new #audiobooks hit the charts. Plus a bunch of new releases worthy of your ears and time! 💙📚🎧
All in today's newsletter 👇
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
Real question: Does listening to a romance novel on a flight count as joining the Mile High Club?
Word is more audiobooks are coming to your flights.
More in this weeks newsletter 👇
theaudiobookreport.substack.com/p/are-we-in-...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
Better late than silent.
I’m a day behind on the news because the production desk was overflowing, but the wait was worth it. While the trades were quiet, the "Dutch Decay" just showed how a "Best Audiobook" winner ends up with an 8-cent royalty check.
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
New in audio this week:
Tate James’s “No Fear” (Built for the Speed Listeners)
Navessa Allen’s “Game On” (Duet narration perfection)
Suzanne Simard’s latest (Backlist gold in the making)
Full breakdown of the Tuesday Drop:
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
The March 31 charts are in. 📈
From the "Project Hail Mary" cinematic resurgence to Liza Minnelli’s high-identity narration, the data shows one thing: Listeners are craving human friction.
See what #audiobooks made Top 10 + some hot new releases:
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
With 77% of listeners are demanding AI transparency - consumers are speaking up!
And the publishers might be listening because Hachette dropped a book for being 78% AI-generated text
This and more in today's Audiobook Report:
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
The biggest problem with audiobooks? It’s hard to share with friends.
Shelfie.audio is hoping to change that. Physical cards for digital files are a direct play for the gift market and a major win for the anti-AI movement.
More in the newsletter tomorrow
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
Sounds spicy!
Hachette pulling “Shy Girl” for being 78% AI-generated is yet another wake-up call.
If we’re spiking novels for AI “slop” on the page, we must fight just as hard to keep it out of the recording booth.
www.theguardian.com/books/2026/m...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
For a decade plus, #Audiobooks relied on sales-only data. But Spotify’s new Weekly Charts just flipped the script:
Engagement is the new Sales. 📉
Read the full breakdown 👇 plus:
👑 C.J. Box holds the crown
🗺️ The "GPS Effect"
🛡️ The $10 "Human Authored" Badge
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
💙📚🎧
Reminder: 70% of the world's books still have no audio version.
The biggest opportunity for authors is the ears
What are you putting into production this week?
💙📚 #WritingCommunity #IndieAuthor #Audiobooks 📚🎧
The "Immersion War" is here. ⚔️
Audible rebrands to "Read & Listen" while Spotify launches "Page Match" to sync physical books with audio.
As a producer, your narration is now a literal GPS for the reader’s eye.
Full Report:
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
The Tuesday 10 is LIVE! 🎧
🥇 C.J. Box debuts at #1
🏆 Suzanne Collins holds the "Audie Bump"
✨ Lindy West proves why AI can't touch comedic timing
Plus: Is the new @AuthorsGuild "Human Authored" badge worth the $10?
Join the debate:
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
Playing with a new AI audiobook tool. I can't stress this enough — for the time it takes to make it sound natural, you're still better off just hiring a voice actor.
This week in #Audiobooks 💙📚🎧
📈 Audible expands to 11 new global markets
🛡️ Authors Guild opens "Human Authored" badge to all
🤝 Bookwire acquires Zebralution (2.1M titles!)
📊 Spotify drops new weekly charts
The global reset is here. Read the full Friday Report:
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
The "Audie Bump" is real.
One week after sweeping the 2026 Audies at Pier Sixty, Suzanne Collins’s Sunrise on the Reaping has officially reclaimed the #1 spot.
We’re breaking down the full post-awards chart shakeup in today’s report: open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
Audible just did to audiobooks what Spotify did to music.
The $8.99 "Standard" tier isn't a deal for listeners. It's a math problem for authors — and most of them don't know they're already losing.
New piece over on Medium:
medium.com/actuallythou...
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
Plus:
🏆 'Sunrise on the Reaping' take #AudieAwards Audiobook of the Year.
✍️ Authors Guild opens "Human Authored" certification to all US writers
💙📚 #Audiobooks 📚🎧 #news
Massive week for audio:
📈 Audible launches $8.99 tier—shifting credits from "ownership" to "access."
The full report: theaudiobookreport.substack.com/p/the-spotif...
A huge congratulations to the 2026 #AudieAwards winners!
The team behind 'Sunrise on the Reaping' truly earned it—Jefferson White’s performance was a masterclass and a powerful reminder of why we do what we do.
www.audiopub.org/2026audieawa...
AI companies are selling convenience. For authors, the reality is foggier.
#ElevenLabs’ new tool promises one-click distribution, but "Plug and Play" is a myth. If you don't direct the software, you lose the soul of the story
This and more in today’s newsletter
open.substack.com/pub/wesleyed...
Wow, competition is a good thing!
Audible is dropping a lower-priced tier to fight for those Spotify listeners. Great for the audience, but we'll be keeping a close eye on how this affects the indie royalties.
Is more volume worth a smaller slice?
deadline.com/2026/03/audi...
Just dropped new Audiobook Report:
◽️ The weeks Top 10
◽️ New ones worth your ears
◽️ looking ashead to Liza Minnelli's book
◽️Why "directing" beats "exporting" every time
#WritingCommunity #Audiobooks #SelfPublishing #IndieAuthor
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
"One-click" #Audiobooks are the biggest lie in the indie author space right now.
Elevenlabs new 'Audiobooks' workflow is a massive tech leap, but if you aren't directing the #AI like a human narrator, you're making #AISlop
More in our newsletter from Friday👇
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...
"One-click" #Audiobooks are the biggest lie in the indie author space right now.
Elevenlabs new 'Audiobooks' workflow is a massive tech leap, but if you aren't directing the #AI like a human narrator, you're making #AISlop
More in our newsletter from Friday👇
open.substack.com/pub/theaudio...