Pan Macmillan & Spotify Launch Audiobooks for Your Feet

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Pan Macmillan has partnered with footwear brand HYPHNT and Spotify to launch what the three companies are calling the world’s first audiobook trainers. The HYPHNT ‘Nova’ junior trainer sells for £79.

The shoe carries embedded NFC technology. Tapping a smartphone against it opens the Spotify app on the featured audiobook, with no code to enter and nothing to buy separately.

The launch title is John Patrick Green’s InvestiGators graphic novel series, published in the UK by Macmillan Children’s Books. Pan Macmillan says further books and stories will be added over time, giving wearers a reason to tap the same pair again.

The companies cite research finding that 47 percent of children and young people listen to audiobooks, podcasts or both, and that 37 percent of young listeners say audiobooks sparked a broader interest in reading. The launch is pitched at the UK’s National Year of Reading in 2026.

“Kids don’t experience culture in rigid silos,” said HYPHNT founder Jason Black. “They love trainers, tech, music, and books.” Spotify books editor Roshni Radia said the aim was to make “discovering your next listen as simple as tapping your trainers.”

Source: HYPHNT footwear, Pan Macmillan and Spotify unveil world’s first audiobook trainers, Pan Macmillan, September 24, 2026.

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