The world has come a long way from age-old library book borrowing to now having Kindles and eBooks in the palm of your hands.
The further we’re traversing into the digital age, the farther we’re leaving behind textual scriptures as the only means of bookkeeping.
Now, as all things are bound to change with the passage of time, the relatively new innovation in the world of electronic books and audiobooks is also facing the shifting of the tides. The pace of innovation is now tremendously fast, with more advancements in technology than ever before, and audiobook market trends are equally shifting.
The concept of audiobooks did, in fact, take some time to settle in with book readers and professional ebook writers. In fact, it opened book reading to a newer audience less fond of reading in itself but open to listening to narration. So, audiobook market trends are also about to see some evolution and innovation.
The realm of audiobook and ebook writing services are about to change, and your auditory odyssey is going to be packed with a lot more than you’re used to. So, let’s explore the future of audiobooks and potential market trends.
A Look into The Future – Audiobook Market Trends
It’s time for the world of audiobooks to face this race against time for innovation.
Here’s a rundown of all the latest audiobook market trends and innovations. Be the first to find out, so you’re always ahead of the audiobook game.
1. AI and Audiobooks
Artificial intelligence has already taken the world by storm, altering the reality we were all so used to. It is potentially the biggest new catalyst for the shift in audiobook market trends. AI has been around for quite some time, but its release with easily accessible software in every market has completely shifted the competition.
And so, with artificial intelligence comes the looming reality of AI narrators. While human narrators can still be prominent in the market, artificial intelligence will shift the game by offering cheaper alternatives.
AI will also produce audiobooks exponentially faster than human narrators, leading to mass production in the audiobook industry.
However, once the audiobook market is filled with low-quality AI narration, audiobooks recorded with real human narrators giving an engaging performance will stand out from the crowd more than ever, capturing real hearts and imaginations while genuinely satisfying audiences in comparison.
Audiobook narration services are becoming more and more popular by the day. With just a skilled narrator, listening to an audiobook becomes an exceptionally immersive experience. In fact, it adds a lot more emotion and drama to the story, bringing words to life in a completely different manner than simple reading.
2. Increasing Competition
It’s important to know that audiobooks definitely do not compete with books and eBooks anymore. In fact, they’re in the race with podcasts, music playlists, YouTube, and, believe it or not, phone calls and real-life conversations.
We weren’t joking when we said we’d traversed pretty far into the digital realm.
As music listening is generally on the rise, so are the aspirations of all these audio experience providers. It’s a race to the finish line for a complete and futuristic audio experience. As streaming platforms compete for more screen time, audiobooks, podcasts, and music applications compete for “ear time.” It’s safe to say things are getting louder in the audio world.
3. Things Are About to Get Engaging
Narration with no background often puts a lot of people to sleep… It’s not engaging.
Now, things are about to sound a whole lot different. In order to trap these readers and bring them over to the other side, it’s likely that very soon, we’ll be introduced to sounds in audiobooks like never before.
This allows for audio customisation, such as dramatic background music fitting for the scene or even a greater use of sound effects.
This brings about a promising new future with a larger audience than ever before, as listening to audiobooks is becoming more engaging and immersive compared to just narration.
4. Converging Media
At this moment in time, book, eBook, and audiobook purchases for the same title are separate. However, that may not be the case for too long.
It’s very likely that in the not-so-distant future, we’ll see audiobooks bundled with these other services, such as books and eBooks, for free or at a standard price. Captioning on audiobooks might possibly be the new eBooks. Sounds crazy, right?
In fact, Amazon’s Audible already has two new features in the works that fit this exact potential shift. Immersion Reading and Audible Captions are its two new features, coming soon to shift the dynamics of the audio world.
Summary
The future is almost here, and you’re the first to know, so make sure your head is in the game to take your audiobook to a whole new level.
Real voices will stand out amongst the oversaturation of low-quality AI voiceovers. Audiobooks are becoming a more immersive audio experience with greater use of SFX. And it’ll be easier than ever for audiences to switch between listening and reading.
So, are you ready to captivate a world of readers AND listeners?
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