Jaipur: The market size of audiobooks is increasing rapidly in the country, with even those traditionally disinclined to read books taking up this mode to consume content. That was the opinion of top publishers discussing the evolution of audiobooks at the Jaipur Literature Festival Friday.Speaking at a session titled ‘Listen in: The Evolving Story of the Audio book’, Khushi Anand, who leads the audiobook segment at Penguin Random House India, said people who are not traditional book readers are increasingly crossing over to this form of content.“The spirituality genre is one of the top preferences for audiobook listeners, followed by business, self-improvement and mythological fiction. We try to make sure that books are available in all formats, so that people can access them as per their choice,” said Anand.Speaking at the session, Arcopol Chaudhuri, managing editor at HarperCollins India, explained that not every genre of literature works in audio.“In the US and the UK, fiction and crime thrillers are preferred genres, while non-fiction attracts more listeners in India. Audio books really took off with online platforms that gave people easier access,” said Chaudhuri, adding that publishing houses must tap niche markets if audio book listenership is to grow.Ashutosh Ramgir, head of publishing at Sakal Media Group, said audio books will not cannibalise print but rather extend the reach of printed books.“I stopped buying books for the last three years and was completely hooked on audiobooks as I can use my free time listening to them while performing other tasks,” he said.Touching upon the kinds of audio books that are gaining listeners, Ramgir gave the example of one on Ganesh puja that went viral in Maharashtra during the festive season. Titles on different rituals have good listeners among women, while content related to farmers enjoys similar popularity among the agricultural community, he added.
