In data drawn from its database of customer downloads, Audiobooks.com found that general fiction was its most popular subject area in 2016, accounting for 23% of all audiobook downloads. The only other category to capture a double-digit share of downloads was mystery/thriller, which had a 12% slice. The most popular nonfiction subject area was biography, which had an 8% share. Overall, fiction accounted for 64% of downloads and nonfiction 36%.
The busiest month for downloads was June, which Ian Small, CEO of Audiobooks.com, attributed in part to promotions tied to June’s being Audiobook Month. In general, the spring and summer, when people are travelling the most, were the most popular times for downloads; fall and early winter were the slowest periods.
The company also found that its top users each listened to about 75 books—more than 1,000 hours of audio—in 2016.
