American audiobook and podcast service Audible has opened the first “bookless bookstore” in New York. For a month, the Audible Story House wants to be a ‘listening lounge’ and meeting place, which should give digital listening to audiobooks a physical dimension.
Sven Van Malderen
Journalist at HLN
Source: Belga
According to Audible, audiobooks are “the fastest growing format in the publishing industry.” Young people are simultaneously looking for offline experiences and connection with the real world. “We wondered how we could bring audiobooks to life. We wanted an environment where you can discover new titles, but also meet people with similar interests,” says Audible CEO Bob Carrigan.
More than 300 titles
“The result is not really a bookstore and not really a library,” writes the American newspaper ‘USA Today’. More than 300 titles are available spread over 550 square meters and three floors. Visitors can play ‘story tiles’ – tangible representations of audiobooks – out loud at a listening station or stream them in the Audible app on their smartphone.
There are also six listening rooms, from listening stations with headphones to a lounge with the Dolby Atmos surround sound system. In addition to a café, there is a listening bar, where a ‘story tender’ (a play on ‘bartender’) recommends stories to visitors.
Panel discussions with authors
Panel discussions with authors, content creators from BookTok (the side of TikTok that focuses on books) and podcast creators should further involve listeners. There is also a running event and a Harry Potter-themed quiz.
According to the American Association of Audiobook Publishers, 1.9 billion euros worth of audiobooks will be sold in 2024. That is an increase of 85 percent in five years.
