In June, the Audio Publishers Association announced that US audiobook sales in 2023 were up 9 percent—totaling $2 billion. The audiobook industry continues to grow, and it shows no indications of slowing down. This is a fantastic opportunity for authors like you to develop an additional income stream.

Today, we’re discussing what audio subrights are, why these subrights are a hot topic this year, what’s driving the audiobook boom, and which genres work well in audio format.

What Are Audio Subrights?

You’re familiar with copyright: your exclusive legal right to reproduce, publish, sell, or distribute different forms of your work—in this case, your book. A sub-right is a right you keep and can use for additional income streams. Authors have many sub-rights to explore, but we’re focusing on just audio rights for this discussion.

If you self-published, you have these rights even if you didn’t know about them before. If you published traditionally, you’ll need to check your contract to see if you or your publisher have the audio subrights to your book. Subrights are up for grabs during contract negotiations, so you can’t just assume that you ended up with them.

Having audio subrights to your book means you can create an additional income stream from material you already have. One option is for you to sell your audio rights for audio adaptation. Do you have strong sales of your physical book (1,000+ copies)? If so, that’s a good indicator that an audio edition would also sell well. You can pitch your book directly to audiobook publishers, like Tantor Media, Blackstone Audio, Brilliance Publishing, or Podium Publishing.

The other option is to keep your audio rights and oversee your own audiobook.

Why Are Audiobook Rights a Hot Topic Now?

Back in February, Findaway Voices by Spotify caused major waves in the audiobook community when they made a big update to their terms and conditions. These new terms indicated that Spotify could change and use an author’s content—without compensation.

Authors and publishers reacted strongly and quickly, expressing concern and disapproval. Since then, Findaway Voices released a statement clarifying the new terms. But people have lingering concerns about if or how Spotify employs user content for AI training. (Check out ALLi’s full review of the situation here.)

Plus, straightforward piracy is a problem. Even if you don’t produce an audiobook, unauthorized versions may be available online. YouTube and file-sharing sites are known issues in the industry. Someone reading your entire copyrighted book on a site like YouTube is copyright infringement—unless you’ve given the account owner permission to read your work. But without a registered copyright, you may have trouble stopping the infringement or collecting damages.

What’s Driving the Audiobook Boom?

Two powerful forces are sparking growth in the audio industry: convenience and accessibility.

Convenience

Audiobook sales reflect current consumer habits, and right now, multitasking still rules. Audiobooks give listeners flexibility. Readers don’t have to choose between reading and running, driving, commuting, cooking, knitting, or gardening. They can enjoy both, and readers like having material available in a way that’s convenient for them to consume it. (Cue the old Burger King motto: “have it your way.”)

Readers appreciate this convenience. In fact, 52% of adults in the US have listened to at least one audiobook. And with new content constantly becoming available, that number is likely to increase.

Accessibility

Audiobooks also allow you to reach different audiences because having your work in another format makes the content more accessible.

People with disabilities may struggle with holding a book or tablet. Sitting for extended periods is another obstacle for some readers. And vision impairments present more difficulties, even when large-print editions or e-books with adjustable font sizes are an option. Plus, screen readers aren’t compatible with certain fonts or programs. Audiobooks eliminate those issues, removing barriers that could keep people from engaging with your book.

But accessibility goes beyond people with disabilities—parents who are concerned about screen time for their kids are also turning to audiobooks. During the APA survey, 77% of parents from the survey said this is a key benefit. When I was growing up, screen time wasn’t an issue, but even then, my parents gave me books on tape. I could either read along with the tape or use the recording as on-demand story time.

Which Genres Work Well for Audiobooks?

Are audiobooks a good option for you? It depends on what kind of book you’re writing. Although both fiction and nonfiction can shine in this format, particular genres lend themselves better to recordings.

Mysteries and thrillers are perennial favorites for readers, and true crime works really well in audio form. However, the fastest growing category for audio right now is history, biography, and memoir. Their sales are up 22 percent from 2022. Health and fitness and self-help books are also good contenders and strong sellers. And sales of religious or faith-based titles have grown 17 percent over the last year.

Although business and personal finance books have strong sales as physical or e-books, they don’t perform as well in audio format. A contributing factor is that nonfiction books can have tricky content:

This content presents issues for you and readers alike. Should you cut out the notes and illustrations? That can shortchange readers since they’ll miss out on potentially crucial information.

Should you provide the extra content as downloadable materials on a website? That could work, but it doesn’t align with readers’ expectations of flexibility and convenience. In these cases, you could rewrite material or publish an abridged audio version.

Of course, certain books just aren’t suitable as audiobooks. Reference materials, like an atlas or encyclopedia, wouldn’t work at all. Think about cookbooks or do-it-yourself and how-to titles. They rely heavily on readers’ abilities to refer to the text or visual tutorials. Investing in an audio option doesn’t make sense for them.

Takeaways

As you explore ways to maximize your author income, investigate your audio subrights and see if your genre works well as an audiobook. If so, jump into the audio market—149 million people are listening just in the US! Start an additional income stream and reach new audiences by using the material you’ve already created. Just remember to confirm and protect your audio rights before you invest in converting your book to an audio format.

And when you need help tweaking your marketing materials to include your audiobook, contact me! I’d love to help you revise your sales page, promo materials, and author bio to make your writing bulletproof.