U.S. Audiobook Sales Grew 9% in 2025, to $2.43 Billion

Audiobook industry sales revenue grew 9% in 2025, hitting $2.43 billion, according to the Audio Publishers Association’s annual sales survey, conducted by Toluna. Publishers reported more than 750,000 active titles last year, a 43% increase from 2024.

General fiction accounted for the largest share of audiobook revenue at 27%, with science fiction/fantasy, romance, and mysteries/thrillers/suspense rounding out the top genres. The fastest-growing genres in 2025 were humor, general fiction, and children’s, including YA.

Audio-first publications also posted notable gains, with sales revenue rising from $91.1 million in 2024 to $136 million in 2025, a 50% increase, accounting for 6% of total net revenue.

Along with its sales survey, the APA also released findings from its 2026 consumer survey, conducted by Edison Research at SSRS, based on an online survey of 1,706 spoken-word audio listeners ages 18 and older conducted in February 2026. Among those surveyed, 63% of audiobook listeners said they had listened to an audiobook in the past year, and 35% in the past month. Listeners averaged 3.8 audiobooks in the last year, with 26% listening to four or more titles. Overall, 58% of Americans 18 or older have listened to an audiobook, an estimated 157 million people.

Convenience remains the primary driver of audiobook consumption, according to the survey. Among listeners, 86% cited the ability to multitask while listening, and 84% cited the ability to listen on the go as the top benefits, with 70% describing audiobooks as an alternative to screen time.

Consumers’ modes of accessing audiobooks varied. Among those who listened in the past year, 49% purchased directly from websites or apps, 48% used a subscription service, 46% borrowed through a digital library app, and 42% used credits from a dedicated audiobook service—with many listeners using multiple sources.

AI-narrated audiobooks remain a marginal interest, representing just 0.03% of sales in 2025. Curiosity about AI-narrated books also appears to be in decline, as those expressing a willingness to try AI-narrated titles dropped from 70% in 2025 to 61% in 2026. Only 16% of audiobook listeners reported having listened to an AI-voiced title.

Piracy is an emerging pressure point. Edison’s data shows 45% of listeners have listened to an audiobook on YouTube, up from 35% in 2024, with the APA noting that many such recordings are pirated from legitimate rights holders. Last month, the Association of American Publishers partnered with AI licensing and protection platform Vermillio to identify and remove such illegal audiobooks from sites like YouTube.