These are all of the new Spotify Audibook features

If you’re passionate about epic fantasies or crave the latest celebrity memoirs, immersing yourself in a great book is always a worthwhile way to spend your time. Spotify is stepping up to make this experience even better with three exciting new features that help you curate personalized audiobook playlists, explore your interests through conversation, and seamlessly pick up your favorite series right where you left off.

These updates are designed to help you spend less time searching and more time enjoying the stories that captivate you. With these enhancements, Spotify is bringing literature to a wider audience, solidifying its reputation as the ultimate destination for book lovers.

“Books have become one of the most impactful ways for users to engage with Spotify, and we’re dedicated to simplifying the process of discovering and enjoying great stories,” said James Jacoby, Senior Director of Engineering & Insights for Audiobooks at Spotify. “These innovative features are all about reducing the barriers between listeners and the books they’ll adore, allowing for more meaningful time spent within those narratives while we continue our mission to connect more people with more books.”

Introducing Prompted Playlist for Audiobooks

Last year, Spoify launched Prompted Playlist in beta, allowing listeners to create the perfect soundtrack for any moment by simply describing what they’re looking for in their own words. We then extended this feature to podcasts, with over half of users discovering new shows they hadn’t come across before. Now, we’re excited to announce that Prompted Playlist is coming to audiobooks, bringing personalized discovery to an entirely new format.

Just tell us what type of book you’d like to listen to, and Spotify will generate a custom playlist tailored to your preferences and the latest trends in the literary scene.

If you’re eager to dive into what’s buzzing right now, you might say, “Give me a list of books with adaptations from the past three years that are either beloved or critically acclaimed.”

Feeling a bit adventurous? You could ask, “Curate an audiobook calendar for me. Start with this month and select one book each month, keeping it under 15 hours. Each book should align thematically with its month while also matching my listening habits.”.

As Spotify gathers insights from their listeners and their feedback, they will keep enhancing the experience. During this beta phase, some features may change, and there will be usage limits as we test and learn. Prompted Playlist for Audiobooks is now available in beta for eligible Premium users in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden.

Just ask Spotify

Discovering and enjoying music, podcasts, and audiobooks has just gotten a whole lot easier!

Now you can simply type or speak to have a conversation with Spotify. Feel free to ask for new recommendations, inquire about the story you’re listening to, or dive into questions like, “What Scandinavian noir should I explore before my trip to Sweden?” or “Where does the Cyclops first show up in The Odyssey?”

Thanks to Spotify’s ability to handle follow-up questions, your listening session can adapt in real time, effortlessly switching between music, podcasts, and audiobooks based on your requests.

This engaging new experience is currently available in English for eligible Premium subscribers aged 18 and over in the U.S., Ireland, and Sweden.

Never lose the plot between books

When a story leaves you hanging at the end, you can’t wait to dive into the next chapter. Now, with just a simple tap, you can discover where the adventure leads next.

Once you finish a book in a series, Spotify has you covered by recommending the next title, ensuring the excitement continues. Multi-part sagas are now clearly marked, and dedicated series pages will help you navigate the perfect reading order. Plus, checking out an author’s profile page lets you explore all the series they’ve crafted.

This new next-in-the-series feature is available to users in the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Sweden.

Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.