February 2026 News Roundup
Love is in the air for audiobooks this month with the announcement of the 2026 Audies finalists, a Grammy for the Dalai Lama, an Odyssey Award of Excellence for Live Oak Media and free access to Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series including Heated Rivalry. Spotify and Audible launch new features to synchronize listening with print, which if engaged simultaneously could make you a speed reader. Or better yet, listen and learn in your sleep. There’s news of growth for Libro.FM, Storytel and BookBeat, and diversification for ElevenLabs. Breeze through some practical considerations of AI audiobooks then grab a cuppa for yet another ‘do audiobooks count as reading’ debate, inspired by Queen Camilla’s reading (and listening) initiative in Scotland.
General News
2026 AUDIES finalists are announced
Industry enthusiasts prepare for the Audies Gala to be held on March 2, 2026, in NYC where the winners will be announced. [Source: audiopub.org]
Spotify Looks to Meet Readers Where They Are
Spotify launched a new feature called Page Match which allows readers to move between print and audiobooks. [Source: publishingperspectives.com]
Audible Now Lets You Read Along With Your Kindle Books
Audible has begun rolling out a new feature that allows users to follow audiobook narration with synchronized, word-by-word highlighted text. [Source: publishersweekly.com]
Reading and listening to an audiobook simultaneously Could make you a speed reader
It sounds like a gimmick, but many book lovers swear by it. [Source: good.is]
Do audiobooks count as reading?
Queen Camilla insists listening is legitimate but a snobbery remains that’s hard to shift. [Source: theweek.com]
The business of audiobooks
Libro.fm Reports Growth in 2025, Launches Annual Subscription
Mark Pearson, Libro.fm's cofounder and CEO says, "The reason we're doing it now is we feel like we've got the growth momentum and the scale to be able to do it well." [Source: publishersweekly.com]
IPG Teams with Beat Technology for D2C E-books, Audiobooks
“As representatives of thousands of independent U.S. publishers, this new IPG group partnership is a proud moment in Beat Technology’s history,” Beat chief strategy officer Nathan Hull said. [Source: publishersweekly.com]
Specific markets
Sweden’s Storytel Reports Record Profits for 2025, Predicts Strong Growth Ahead
“With industry projections suggesting this user base will double again over the next five years, we see significant further growth potential across our entire footprint,” Storytel CEO Bodil Eriksson Torp told shareholders. [Source: publishingperspectives.com]
Can BookBeat Rival Storytel in Sweden?
The gap between the two Nordic audiobook giants has narrowed. [Source: publishingperspectives.com]
AI News
AI Audiobook: How Artificial Intelligence Is Redefining the Way We Listen to Books
This article explores AI audiobooks from a practical, real-world perspective. [Source: bnonews.com]
ElevenLabs, Valued at $11 Billion, ‘Doubles Down’ on Audiobooks
ElevenLabs has now organized their services into three tiers. [Source: publishersweekly.com]
ElevenLabs Summit: An Audiobook Company That Isn’t About Audiobooks
ElevenLabs' recent London summit made clear that audiobooks are just one vertical among many. [Source: publishingperspectives.com]
FEED YOUR EARPODS
New York Public Library Offers Instant Access to Game Changers Books
Mayor Zohran Mamdani urged readers to stay home and “take advantage of our public library’s offer of free access to Heated Rivalry”. [Source: publishersweekly.com]
Dalai Lama calls his Meditations audiobook Grammy win a recognition of shared universal responsibility
The audiobook has different tracks named water, peace, and compassion. Across different tracks, the spiritual leader reflects on humanity’s relationship with nature and one another. [Source: tibetanreview.net]
2026 Odyssey Awards for Excellence in Audiobook Production for Children and Young Adults announced
Live Oak Media, producer of the audiobook Clack, Clack! Smack! A Cherokee Stickball Story, has won the 2026 Odyssey Award for Excellence in Audiobook Production for Children. [Source: ala.org]
Interviews & Podcasts
What Happens When an Orthodox-Raised Narrator Meets a Christian Audiobook Script?
Mel Foster recounts his unexpected rise as the “Grand Haven Yid.” [Source: thejewishnews.com]
Something outside the booth
Motorists urged to learn new Highway Code rules in their sleep (but not while driving)
Dr. Deborah Lee from Dr. Fox Online Pharmacy explained: "Sleep studies show that some types of learning can be achieved in the hypnagogic state.” [Source: examinerlive.co.uk]