With numerous literacy benefits and high entertainment value, audiobooks are heating up headphones across the country. Celebrate the art of storytelling this June by promoting the audiobook format at your library—new listeners and audiophiles alike will want to join in the fun. Follow these tips and watch your audio circulation soar!
Be sure to keep checking www.booksontape.com as we celebrate all month long with new hot titles, collection development tips, exclusive behind-the-scenes stories, and even more reasons to love audiobooks.
Here’s how you can celebrate June is Audiobook Month at your library:
1. Follow @BOTLibrary on Facebook and Twitter for breaking audio news.
Share what you’re listening to with the hashtag #loveaudiobooks. And sign up for our newsletters to be the first to hear casting news, clips from new audiobooks, enter to win free giveaways, watch studio videos, and more!
2. Fill your patrons’ beach bags with hot new audiobooks.
What would a summer vacation be without some fun in the sun? Remind patrons to pack an audiobook for their next trip by adding audiobooks to your travel displays. Help listeners press play on a fun-filled summer with listening ideas from our BOT Adult and Listening Library featured collections. Plus, check out our BOT Adult Summer ’19 lists and our Listening Library Kids and Teens Summer ’19 list for the hottest new titles.
3. Purchase audio tie-ins for schools’ summer reading lists.
Did you know 85% of learning derives from listening? Help students avoid the summer learning slide by encouraging reading and listening over the summer months. It’s proven that listening comprehension improves reading comprehension, so make sure your library offers suggested reading titles on audiobook, especially for reluctant readers, auditory learners, and students with busy summer schedules—audiobooks are perfect for listening on the go!
4. Speed up any road trip with family listening.
Perfect for family trips, audiobooks provide engaging entertainment and facilitate discussions. Car rides fly by when the whole family can enjoy a story together. Guarantee getting to their destination will be a fun adventure: your patrons
won’t be hearing, “Are we there yet?” Find family road trip listening suggestions here.
5. Plan summer book clubs.
Remind patrons that their book club picks are also available on audiobook. With top-notch narration, audiobooks are an incredible way to experience stellar storytelling that will enhance patrons’ understanding of the story and your book club discussions.
6. Include audio in your LibraryReads displays.
Move LibraryReads picks front and center at your library along with the hardcover. Be sure to place audiobooks near your circulation desk for hand-selling, too. Find more LibraryReads picks in our featured collection.
7. Turn up the heat on your displays with FREE materials.
Support foot traffic to your library by offering a variety of materials that will keep patrons coming back for more. Visit our free materials page to request posters and more.
8. Audiobooks are more accessible than ever!
According to the Audio Publisher’s Association (APA) 2018 survey, audiobook listeners read or listened to an average of 15 books in the last year, and 57% of listeners agreed or strongly agreed that “audiobooks help you finish more books.” 54% of audiobook listeners are under the age of 45. The top three activities while listening to audiobooks are: driving (65%), relaxing before going to sleep (52%), and doing housework/chores (45%). 73% of audiobook consumers agree that listening to audiobooks is relaxing. 55% agreed or strongly agreed that they chose to listen to an audiobook “when they want some time to themselves.”
Smartphone usage continues to grow with 73% of listeners using these devices and an increase in the percentage of listeners using this device most often: 47% in 2018 vs. 29% in 2017 and 22% in 2015. Smart speakers are increasingly impacting the audiobook world with 24% of listeners saying they have listened on a smart speaker and 5% saying they listen most often on a smart speaker.
9. Score free audiobook downloads all summer long.
Introducing new listeners to the format or have some patrons who can’t get enough? Offer them free audiobook downloads through the SYNC YA Listener Program. SYNC offers YA listeners two free audiobooks each week to encourage summer reading and listening starting April 25th!
Available 7/18 – 7/25
10. Share our podcast
Patrons will be fascinated to hear more about the making of audiobooks from an author’s perspective and what the recording process is like. Now in its fourth season, This is the Author podcast shares weekly interviews with authors as they step behind the mic to record their own audiobooks.
11. Follow the Audio Publishers Association on Facebook and Twitter for more celebration ideas and breaking audio news.
Because a good audiobook speaks volumes! #loveaudiobooks
.@PRHAudio agrees: a good audiobook speaks volumes! #APAC2016 #loveaudiobooks @hydalton @VTomao @katie_punia pic.twitter.com/JI9rwCnRdA
— PRH Audio (@PRHAudio) May 10, 2016
