Eric Bartoletti, Head of Business Development at Bookwire
Audio continues to be one of the key growth drivers in our industry. It attracts new audiences to books, enables publishers to extract greater value from their content, and continues to deliver double-digit annual growth in many markets worldwide.
But with AI beginning to shape many areas of book publishing, will it ultimately benefit audiobook growth, or undermine the opportunity just as it is gaining momentum?
The greatest fear among many stakeholders in audiobook publishing is that human narrators will be replaced by artificial voices. While this fear is understandable, we do not expect this to happen any time soon. Even providers of AI-based narration acknowledge that editing long-form audio remains time-intensive, particularly for fiction, where emotional nuance and tonal consistency are critical. As a result, while AI narration is significantly cheaper at a technical level, the time required to meet consumer expectations often offsets much of the cost advantage.
Replacing human narrators is therefore unlikely to be the right approach. But supporting human narrators with AI is! We do see more and more AI-supported recording and editing software being used, making the production process more efficient, and the recording experience for professional narrators more convenient. As a result, production costs can in many cases be lowered, and production times reduced. This in turn allows publishers to bring a broader share of their catalogue into audio, including titles that were previously not commercially viable. It also enables publishers to leverage one of the most powerful drivers of audiobook consumption: simultaneous multi-format release!
Marketing budgets are under pressure, and despite audio’s growth, most spend still supports print. If the audiobook version launches months after print, the marketing window has already closed. Audio-first consumers won’t wait. If it’s not available at launch, the opportunity is lost. Releasing all formats simultaneously concentrates marketing impact, captures demand at its peak, and maximises revenue across print, eBook and audio.
Historically, simultaneous release has been challenging to achieve, as audiobook production could only begin once the manuscript was finalised. AI-enabled production tools now allow publishers to accelerate this process, enabling coordinated release of print, eBook and audiobook formats. Beyond production, AI is also improving audiobook discoverability. Audiobook marketing tools like Fabely use audiobook-specific semantic search and AI-based personalised recommedations to increase visibility for audiobooks which complement targeted marketing strategies.
Despite these advances, audiobook production still requires investment and operational effort. As a result, the gap between available audiobooks and eBooks continues to widen. Driven by self-publishing and AI-assisted writing, the number of eBooks is expanding at an unprecedented pace. How can this gap be closed?
In March 2026, Bookwire and ElevenLabs entered into a partnership, inviting publishers to distribute both eBooks and audiobooks to consumers via the ElevenReader app. ElevenLabs’ mission is to make every book accessible in audio globally, particularly for audiences who are not keen on reading or who previously lacked access to audiobooks. Using advanced AI-powered read-aloud technology, ElevenReader makes eBooks accessible in audio where no audiobook version exists and where one would likely never have been produced. This significantly expands the addressable audience for publishers’ catalogues, particularly for backlist titles. While AI narration does not yet match the quality of human performance, it is certainly more valuable than offering no audio option at all.
At the same time, AI providers are continuously improving their models, which brings us to AI licensing. Although still an emerging business model with evolving structures, demand from both established and emerging AI companies for high-quality, human-created book content remains strong. In negotiating global AI licensing agreements, Bookwire applies clear principles to ensure publishers receive fair compensation and robust guardrails against unauthorised use, reproduction or distribution. Increasingly, AI companies are seeking long-term partnerships that provide legal certainty, high-quality content from trusted sources, and well-structured metadata across diverse catalogues. We believe AI licensing offers publishers an important opportunity to accelerate the return on their audiobook investments, thereby reducing risk, and sustainably expanding market share.
In summary, the introduction of AI into the audio space creates significantly more opportunities than risks for publishers. When applied effectively, AI enables publishers to reach wider audiences in their preferred formats, creating additional value for authors, listeners and themselves. Bookwire’s mission is to support publishers in capturing this opportunity. The coming years will reward those who view AI not as a shortcut, but as a foundation for building a more sustainable, inclusive and commercially resilient audiobook ecosystem.
