Audible’s ambitious new “Story House” in New York City’s lower Manhattan is a three-floor “bookless bookstore” that offers a glimpse into the future of audiobook discovery.

James Finn, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Brand and Content Marketing, tells Christopher Kenneally that the month-long “pop-up” in the Bowery invites visitors to browse “story tiles,” explore immersive listening rooms, and gather around a shared love of audio storytelling.

Recent innovations by audio platform Spotify are makinglistening and reading more appealing to new audiences.

At the Parix Audio Day Conference in Madrid earlier thisyear, Spotify executive Duncan Bruce explained how these new tools redefine engagement with books and audiobooks throughout the day.

The success of audiobooks with consumers has already been transformative for bottom lines across the publishing industry. Next, authors, publishers and readers alike can expect to see audiobooks influence the strategic direction of the global book business.

That’s the takeaway from a pair of keynote presentations at the 2026 Parix Audio Day conference in Madrid.

Survey data challenges a long-standing industry myth that audiobooks compete with books and reading, says Audible’s Barbara Knabe, and independent industry consultant George Walkley details the role of AI in lowering audiobook production costs and ultimately, redefining the listening experience.

As audiobook providers expand into new markets, they confront a basic challenge: Building audio catalogs with strong appeal worldwide.

At the 2026 Parix Audio Day in Madrid, Christopher Kenneally asked three European publishers and an African-wide platform provider about their global development strategies. They spoke about business models and language investment; battles over rights and licensing; and the role of AI in production, marketing, and distribution.

From Paris, Nataly Villena Vega is Head of Editorial at Audiolib, the leading audiobook publisher in France, that is a joint venture of Hachette Livre and Albin Michel.

From Berlin, Julia Balogh is a Business Affairs Specialist for Parkum Publishing, which launched in 2025.

From Copenhagen, Lasse Korsemann Horne is the Publishing Director of Danish-based Saga Egmont and leads the company’s audiobook expansion.

From Accra, Ghana, Ama Dadson is Founder & CEO of AkooBooks Audio, a digital streaming platform for Black/African audiobooks and the spoken word.

On Monday, March 30, 2026, 500 attendees for the Audio Publishers Association virtual conference learned about top audiobook industry topics including consumer listening trends; prospects for multicast and other expanded audio formats; and whether diversity in stories and voices remains a goal.

The Spoken World’s Christopher Kenneally reports that APA Executive Director Jim Dinegar asked a keynote panel, “Who gets a voice on the future of audiobooks?” Four senior US audio publishing executives told him, “Authors and influencers do.”

On March 12, 2026, at the London Book Fair, Christopher Kenneally, host of The Spoken World, moderated “The Great Audiobook Debate.”

The growing popularity of audiobooks compels all stakeholders in publishing to ask, “What does it mean to be a reader?”

Speakers included Marc Boutet, President and co-founder of De Marque; Javier Celaya, Founder & CEO, Dosdoce.com; Luis González, Director General, GSR Foundation; Richard Lennon, Audio Publisher, with Penguin Random House UK; and Dr. Carina Spaulding, Head of Research & Evaluation, The Reading Agency.

The Spoken World is sponsored by Penguin Random House Audio, the team behind some of the most talked about audiobooks in the industry.

The Spoken World podcast is embarking on a new season for 2026.

Every other Thursday, Season 2 of The Spoken World will feature interviews with top industry figures and analysts from markets around the world sharing insights on the opportunities, challenges, and innovations coming to the audiobook industry, the fastest-growing segment of book publishing.

In this episode, in Madrid, Luis González, Managing Director of the Fundación Germán Sánchez Ruipérez and organizer of the Parix Audio Day Conference, recently gave Christopher Kenneally a hearty defense of book reading. His role at Casa del Lector – the Reader’s House – affords Gonzalez a distinctive perspective on whether listening to a book is the same as reading it.

We are also proud to welcome Penguin Random House Audio as our first sponsor, We thank everyone at PRH Audio for their foundational support of our podcast, and especially for their leadership in the global audiobook industry.

On March 12 at The London Book Fair, host Christopher Kenneally will moderate, “The Great Audiobook Debate.” The growing popularity of audiobooks compels all stakeholders in publishing to ask, “What does it mean to be a reader?” We’ll publish a recording of this discussion as our March 19 episode.

In the closing days of 2025, Christopher Kenneally, host of The Spoken World, reviews our coverage of the global audiobook industry throughout the year. The Spoken World debuted in March at the London Book Fair. In our first season, we featured interviews and panel presentations from the US Book Show in New York; the Frankfurt Book Fair; and the Parix Audio Day Conference in Madrid.