August 2025 News Roundup
The August news might inspire you to speed up your audiobook playback to finish listening to your summertime road trip reads, but not so fast as to miss the rhetoric and brain-boosting powers of the spoken word. This month Amazon restructures its audiobook and podcast divisions, Spotify tests new markets worldwide, Bowker partners with John Marshall Media while Mexico awaits its audiobook boom. Julia Whelan speaks out for narrators, Audible announces a new Harry Potter series with a star-studded full cast, and Paul Giamatti reaches a new audience with Billy Budd, Sailor.
General News
Audiobooks to Save Your Road Trip
New Yorker staffers recommend some audiobooks to make road trips and plane delays a little more pleasant. [Source: newyorker.com]
Audiobook Walking Clubs Take Reading Outside
Participants listen to their book of choice, or talk about it, while following an easy route at a conversational pace. [Source: publishersweekly.com]
The Brain-Boosting Power of Audiobooks
Neuroscientist Paul J. Zak, Ph.D. discusses the effects of storytelling on the brain. [Source: success.com]
What’s your preferred playback speed: 1x, 1.5x or 2x?
Speeding up audio consumption benefits the audio platform but listeners miss out on rhetoric. [Source: economist.com]
The business of audiobooks
Amazon Restructures Audio Division
Amazon is restructuring its audio division, laying off about 110 employees and integrating Wondery's podcast operations into Audible while forming a new creator services team. [Source: webpronews.com]
Spotify’s ‘Audiobooks Plus,’ Tested in World Markets, Arrives in the States
Spotify offers its premium subscribers the option to buy 15 hours of extra audiobook listening time as a monthly add-on. [Source: publishingperspectives.com]
Bowker Partners with John Marshall Media to Deliver Audiobook Production, Distribution, and Marketing Services
With the addition of JMM’s audiobook services, Bowker enhances its suite of practical resources for publishers. [Source: finance.yahoo.com]
Spotify Promotes Audiobooks as Summertime ‘Bangers’
Spotify's Summer Read Like You Listen marketing campaign riffs on popular music promotions to encourage people to listen to audiobooks as they would music. [Source: publishersweekly.com]
Regional News
Mexico Awaits an Audiobook Boom of Its Own
Javier Celaya, founder of Madrid-based publishing consultancy Dosdoce, proposes three changes that he believes would contribute to audiobook growth in Mexico. [Source: publishersweekly.com]
FEED YOUR EARPODS
Audible’s Harry Potter Series Unveils Premiere Dates and Cast
A chorus of more than 200 voices, ranging from young newcomers to Hollywood stars, will bring new life to all seven of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter book series in a new production for Audible. [Source: variety.com]
Paul Giamatti’s narration of new Billy Budd audiobook debuts at Arrowhead launch party
Thanks to Giamatti’s narration, Billy Budd, Sailor will reach a new audience. [Source: berkshireeagle.com]
Interviews & Podcasts
Julia Whelan is the voice of the summer: Meet the narrator of your favorite bestsellers
Whelan is fighting for more pay and better working conditions for audiobook narrators, who do not receive royalties like other actors. [Source: usatoday.com]
Inside the booth: How voice actors bring characters to life
“Truth,” Hays said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s nonfiction or fiction — what you’re trying to get at is truth.” [Source: kpbs.org]