London Book Fair 2024: The State of Audiobooks, From AI to Ads

The London Book Fair hosted a thought-provoking panel discussion titled "The Future of Audio in Publishing: Global Trends and the Impact of AI," which brought together industry experts to explore the current state and future prospects of the audiobook market. The panel was moderated by Videl Bar-Kar, v-p of audio at Bookwire GmbH, and featured speakers including Aurelie de Troyer, senior v-p and head of U.K. and European content at Audible; Owen Smith, v-p of product and technology for audiobooks at Spotify; Amanda D'Acierno, president and publisher at Penguin Random House Audio; Helena Gustafsson, chief content officer at Storytel; and Michele Cobb, executive director of the Audio Publishers Association. The popularity of the panel was belied by the extensive line of people waiting to get in, which was perhaps double the occupancy of the "main stage" room, which held 100 or so participants.