Dennis Pierce

Audiobooks are the fastest-growing format in publishing, and this trend isn’t ending any time soon. As audiobook sales continue to rise, publishers are investing in more sophisticated recordings that use multicasting and other creative production techniques to enhance the listening experience.

The global pandemic has accelerated changes that were already under way in libraries from coast to coast, such as a movement toward patron self-service and making more online resources available for users. 

Collections are still important. But as libraries acquire more digital materials, they’re devoting less space to housing physical items. Instead, they’re creating flexible, multiuse spaces for people to gather, interact, and learn new skills. The modern library is a coffee house, a digital creation studio, a multigenerational meeting place, and much more.

Growth in the audiobook category has continued, fueled by readers seeking new experiences. In fact, more than 79,000 audiobooks were published in the United States last year, according to the Audio Publishers Association (APA). That represents a 39 percent increase in the number of audiobooks produced since 2019, Publishing Perspectives reports.

The $1.9 trillion pandemic relief legislation passed by Congress in March contains a significant amount of money for libraries to help their communities. In response, many companies are highlighting products that can be purchased with recovery funding.

Libraries have been reinventing themselves for well over a decade, as the emergence of smartphones and ubiquitous connectivity has put access to information into nearly everyone’s hands. No longer just repositories of information, libraries have morphed into full-service community centers that aim to meet a wide variety of civic and social needs.

Even before the pandemic emerged, libraries were investing in new technologies designed to save time and improve efficiency by supporting customer self-service, freeing up library staff to focus on more strategic work. COVID-19 has accelerated this trend and in the process, is transforming how libraries function in the 21^st century.

The self-help industry has exploded in recent years: According to NPD Group, U.S. sales of self-help books grew annually by 11 percent from 2013 to 2019, reaching 18.6 million volumes. Meanwhile, the number of self-help titles in existence nearly tripled during that period, from 30,897 to 85,253.

In this extraordinary time, with people shuttered in their homes instead of traveling, books can serve as windows into regions and cultures we can’t visit physically. That’s exactly what a new wave of cookbooks accomplishes, as publishers are looking to create works that are more than just collections of recipes.