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) as reported by both the Bookseller’s Tom Tivnan and Publishing News.
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. The results will form the springboard for an industry-wide audio promotion in spring 2008.
Jo Forshaw, Chair of the APA, said: “Audio is a wonderful product, but we have trouble getting across our message to the consumer. Once sampled, audiobooks are a genuine eye-opening discovery, but to get to the point of this recognition is tricky. The promotion gives us a chance to explain the format to potential buyers, show the range and breadth of titles available on audio, and to explain the price and potential of an audiobook. Focusing on, but not limited to, audio on CD, we need to explain what audio is, does and why it’s a great option.”