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Audiobooks' low profile laid bare

06.07.07 Tom Tivnan

Audiobooks are not on the public's radar, do not receive adequate visibility in shops and are perceived as too expensive. Those are some of the findings of the Audiobook Publishing Association's (APA) landmark research into the market, conducted by Book Marketing Ltd (BML).

A series of focus groups found that people felt audiobooks are not displayed properly in shops and are expensive in comparison with paperbacks. The majority held a negative view of audiobooks, perceiving them as "talking books for the blind", and associating them with the elderly, infirm and the very young.

The focus groups follow a quantitative survey of 2,000 people, which found that only 8% of them had used audiobooks in the previous 12 months. Though most of the results paint a sobering picture, APA chair Jo Forshaw said that the data would help the industry invigorate the market.

"Whilst tiny recognition factor could be seen as a problem, I prefer to see the invisibility as a hugely exciting challenge," she said. "It's not often you find a corner of any industry, not just in publishing, so massively underdeveloped, and the sheer potential of audio is breathtaking."

When the focus groups were asked what would make audiobooks more attractive, suggestions included more prominent displays and promotions, pricing that is competitive and listening posts in shops.

The results will form the springboard for an industry-wide audio promotion in spring 2008. Although still at the planning stage, Forshaw recognises that audio publishers need to offer inducements to the trade: "We have to create a new audience, and to do that we need to offer three-for-twos and pricing that will encourage the shops to come on board. When we do that, I'm sure we'll double the market in three years."

The study was commissioned following The Bookseller's "Audio Revolution" seminar last autumn.

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