PODCAST · arts
The Spoken World
by BurstMarketing
THE SPOKEN WORLD brings you the latest global audiobook news, trends and insights. If you’re in the publishing or audio industry, this podcast is a must-listen. Every other week our host Christopher Kenneally interviews industry leaders, providing insights about global audiobook opportunities, innovations and challenges. What’s new in production, distribution and marketing? Where are the best worldwide opportunities for growth? We’ll also bring you highlights from major international book and audio conferences. Contact [email protected] or visit spokenworld.media.
Episodes
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The Brazilian Digital Reader
NielsenIQ, the world’s leading consumer intelligence company, has conducted the first national study in Brazil of who reads, who doesn't, and why. “The Brazilian Digital Reader” reported a strong digital presence in publishing, especially for audiobooks. Following a presentation at the Frankfurt...
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Books on Spotify: A New Chapter
As the 2026 Frankfurt Book Fair opened 7 October, Spotify shared the latest news and developments in its efforts to bring more books, and more audiobooks, to more people around the world. In a program Wednesday morning, hosted by Christopher Kenneally of The Spoken World, Duncan Bruce, Director…
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Straight to Audiobook
What happens when you take the book out of the audiobook and you produce it, “audio first”? In 2026, a different kind of audiobook is emerging – one that’s not an adaptation from a book. Instead, this new content format goes straight to audiobook. These “audio first” narratives are designed...
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Closing The 'Catalog Gap' for Audiobooks
Audiobook listening continues to grow in popularity, yet much of the published book catalog remains unavailable in audio format. Closing this “catalog gap” will take publishers willing to experiment with AI and providers promising to protect the human role in audiobook production. Elredo Voice…
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Midsummerr’s Dream of Cinematic Audiobooks
Full-cast productions with original music and cinematic sound design have long represented the highest end of audiobook production and are usually reserved for bestselling titles. Midsummerr founder Anat Dayagi tells Christopher Kenneally how new technologies may soon change that equation and…
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What Audiobooks Can Learn From Online Courses
As audiobooks evolve beyond traditional storytelling, narrators, authors, and producers confront the challenge of making nonfiction work for the ear. Jeanne Bracken, founder of AudiSkills in Madrid, tells Christopher Kenneally why they may find lessons for their crafts in audio learning courses
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Brazil’s Rising Audiobook Market
Skeelo is a leading platform for audiobooks and e-books in Brazil, a Portuguese-speaking nation of 214 million inhabitants that is fast becoming one of the most dynamic audio markets in the world. Camila Leme, Skeelo Content Director, tells Christopher Kenneally how the Brazilian love of podcasts...
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Spanish-Language Audiobooks: Culture and Context
Juliana Rueda is an audiobook producer, director, and sound designer and a leading voice in Spain’s audiobook production community. She has helped drive the industry’s growth as publishers invest to reach new audiences, in Spain, across South America, and in the United States. The founder of...
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The Next Chapter in Audiobooks
The Spoken World recently presented “The Next Chapter in Audiobooks,” a “live podcast” on LinkedIn. Christopher Kenneally spoke with Robin Whitten, founder of Voices to Know, and Tom Webster, a partner at Sounds Profitable, to learn how changing audience listening habits are shaping what…
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Why Libraries Matter in the Audiobook Era
Audiobook listening is closely associated with “brand name” platforms, but another driving force in the format’s rising popularity is your public library. According to the new Audio Publishers Association 2026 Consumer Survey, nearly half of listeners have borrowed audiobooks through a digital...
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Selling Books With Audiobooks on Spotify
When people listen to audiobooks instead of reading books in print or digital, does reading itself win or lose? Duncan Bruce, Director of Audiobook Partnerships and Licensing at Spotify, is helping shape how millions of people discover stories through audiobooks. He tells Christopher Kenneally…
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Spell Check For Audiobooks… and Beyond
Adam Fritz, CEO of Pozotron, and Robin Lai with John Marshall Media, tell Christopher Kenneally why audiobook production requires an alignment of AI tools and human expertise. With publishers facing intense financial pressure in audiobook production, they say, AI-assisted workflows will help to...
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Audible’s Bookless Bookstore for Audiobooks
Audible’s ambitious new “Audible Story House” in New York City’s lower Manhattan is a three-floor “bookless bookstore” that offers a glimpse into the future of audiobook discovery. James Finn, Senior Vice President and Global Head of Brand and Content Marketing, tells Christopher Kenneally that…
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You Follow the Story Because the Story Can Follow You
Recent innovations by audio platform Spotify are makinglistening and reading more appealing to new audiences. At the Parix Audio Day Conference in Madrid earlier thisyear, Spotify executive Duncan Bruce explained how these new tools redefine engagement with books and audiobooks throughout the day.
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Parix Audio Day Keynotes Forecast Audiobook Future
The success of audiobooks with consumers has already been transformative for bottom lines across the publishing industry. Next, authors, publishers and readers alike can expect to see audiobooks influence the strategic direction of the global book business. That’s the takeaway from a pair of...
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Creating a Global Audio Catalog
As audiobook providers expand into new markets, they confront a basic challenge: Building audio catalogs with strong appeal worldwide. At the 2026 Parix Audio Day in Madrid, Christopher Kenneally asked three European publishers and an African-wide platform provider about their global development...
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News from APAC: What’s Next in Audio?
On Monday, March 30, 2026, 500 attendees for the Audio Publishers Association virtual conference learned about top audiobook industry topics including consumer listening trends; prospects for multicast and other expanded audio formats; and whether diversity in stories and voices remains a goal.…
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The Great Audiobook Debate
On March 12, 2026, at the London Book Fair, Christopher Kenneally, host of The Spoken World, moderated “The Great Audiobook Debate.” The growing popularity of audiobooks compels all stakeholders in publishing to ask, “What does it mean to be a reader?” Speakers included Marc Boutet, President and...
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The Blurring Lines for Listening and Reading
The Spoken World podcast is embarking on a new season for 2026. Every other Thursday, Season 2 of The Spoken World will feature interviews with top industry figures and analysts from markets around the world sharing insights on the opportunities, challenges, and innovations coming to the…
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2025 Audiobook Industry Review
In the closing days of 2025, Christopher Kenneally, host of The Spoken World, reviews our coverage of the global audiobook industry throughout the year. The Spoken World debuted in March at the London Book Fair. In our first season, we featured interviews and panel presentations from the US Book...
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Javier Celaya Reviews The Year in Audiobooks
In 2025, the global audiobook industry saw exciting changes in audiences, products, and markets. The US remains the sales leader with double-digit annual growth, while demand is rising around the world for new languages and new catalog offerings. To close out 2025, Christopher Kenneally spoke…
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Barbara Knabe Reads the Audible Compass
The French like a good laugh; Italians love adventure; and Germans want to know whodunit. Those are key findings of the Audible Compass, an annual review of listening habits commissioned last July by the world’s largest audiobook retailer. Audible’s Barbara Knabe tells Christopher Kenneally that...
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Tuning into the EU: Trends and Opportunities for Publishers in Audio
Three audiobook leaders from across Europe shared a stage on the opening day of the Frankfurt Book Fair 2025 to discuss the latest data and trends in listener behavior as well as the opportunities for publishers to grow readership through the audiobook format. The European audiobook market is...
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Season 1 Wrap-Up
As we complete Season 1 of The Spoken World, host Christopher Kenneally reflects on our global coverage of audiobook events at London Book Fair, PARIX Audio Day and the US Book Show. We look forward to the launch of Season 2 this Fall with our coverage of Frankfurt Book Fair. Check out this...
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US Book Show Audiobooks Panel with Ed Nawotka
As demand for high-quality audio content grows, Publishers Weekly’s Ed Nawotka asks a US Book Show panel how audiobook publishers are adapting strategies to keep up. Featuring Audible, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, and more.
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Checking Out How Libraries Expand the Audiobook Market
Which public institution has more branches than McDonald’s restaurants or Starbucks coffee shops? Your local library. At Parix Audio Day in Madrid, Johanna Briton with Overdrive tells Arantza Larrauri of De Marque how libraries spur growth for audiobooks because they expand awareness and...
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Children’s Audiobooks Are Serious Fun
Children’s content is an important and growing segment of global audio publishing. In Madrid at Parix Audio Day 2025, Juliana Ruedo spoke with Kiyeun Baek from Yoto, and Stephanie Simonin of Bayard Audio, about their approaches to innovative audiobook production and content development for kids…
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A Multilingual World Tour of Audiobooks
A Multilingual World Tour of Audiobooks is a panel discussion moderated by Nathan Hull, Beat Technology, with guests Videl Bar-kar, Bookwire (Germany); Carlo Carrenho (Nordic countries); Liza Faja, Editis (France); and Raúl Pérez, Grupo Planeta (Spain). Recorded in Madrid at Parix Audio Day, 2025.
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RBmedia's Miles Stevens-Hoare on Audiobooks Without Borders
RBmedia International managing director Miles Stevens-Hoare tells Mariana Féged, Bookwire general manager, why a push into non-English markets, such as Spanish and French, has played well with audiences around the world in a conversation recorded in Madrid at Parix Audio Day, 2025.
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The Converging Worlds of Audiobooks, Podcasting & Publishing With Tom Webster
How can publishers build bridges to connect listeners across multiple formats? In his Parix Audio Day 2025 keynote presentation, Tom Webster with Sounds Profitable suggests ways that podcasting monetization models might be transferable to the audiobook market.A 25-year audio research veteran, Tom...
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The Case For Labels On AI Audiobook Narration with Jon Watt, UK Publishers Association
The Audio Publishers Group (part of the UK Publishers Association) and the US-based Audio Publishers Association have published international guidelines for identifying and labeling AI-narrated audiobooks. In his Parix Audio Day keynote presentation, Jon Watt explained why and how the standards...
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The Podcast Revolution at The London Book Fair with BBC and Audible
Among monthly audiobook consumers in the US, 60% listened to a podcast in the last week. At the 2025 London Book Fair, Audible’s Lisa Higginson and BBC Audio’s Nicola Holloway told The Spoken World’s Christopher Kenneally why authors and publishers should look closely into working with both formats.
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Audiobooks Get Loud at London Book Fair, with Nathan Hull
Audiobooks are on front stage at the London Book Fair this week. The fastest growing segment of trade book publishing deserves the attention, says Nathan Hull, CSO at Beat Technology, creators of audiobook and ebook subscription apps across Europe. He tells The Spoken World’s Chris Kenneally that...
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Amanda D’Acierno Says the Future Sounds Like This
In a keynote address at Parix Audio Day in Madrid on February 13, Amanda D’Acierno, President of Penguin Random House Audio, Global, addressed the worldwide state of the audio publishing industry in 2025. In a follow-up interview with The Spoken World’s Christopher Kenneally, she also offered a...
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Parix Audio Day Promotes Listening and Reading, with Luis González
Luis González, General Director of Fundación Germán Sánchez Ruipérez / PARIX School, led the Parix Audio Day 2025 in Madrid with 250 professionals and 40 speakers from ten countries. González told Christopher Kenneally, host of The Spoken World podcast, why a conference on audiobooks supports...
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Welcome to The Spoken World
Welcome to The Spoken World, a new podcast that brings you the latest global audiobook news, trends and insights. Every other week our host Christopher Kenneally will interview industry leaders, providing inside information about global opportunities, innovations and challenges in the…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
THE SPOKEN WORLD brings you the latest global audiobook news, trends and insights. If you’re in the publishing or audio industry, this podcast is a must-listen. Every other week our host Christopher Kenneally interviews industry leaders, providing insights about global audiobook opportunities, innovations and challenges. What’s new in production, distribution and marketing? Where are the best worldwide opportunities for growth? We’ll also bring you highlights from major international book and audio conferences. Contact [email protected] or visit spokenworld.media.
HOSTED BY
BurstMarketing
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does The Spoken World have?
The Spoken World currently has 36 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Spoken World about?
THE SPOKEN WORLD brings you the latest global audiobook news, trends and insights. If you’re in the publishing or audio industry, this podcast is a must-listen. Every other week our host Christopher Kenneally interviews industry leaders, providing insights about global audiobook opportunities,...
How often does The Spoken World release new episodes?
The Spoken World has 36 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to The Spoken World?
You can listen to The Spoken World on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Spoken World?
The Spoken World is created and hosted by BurstMarketing.
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