Though the Audio Publishers Association’s full accounting of sales in 2019 has not yet been released, we know that the audio industry has recorded seven years of double-digit annual growth in both dollar sales and unit sales through 2018. And during the May 26 BookExpo Online presentation “Audiboooks and Consumer Behavior,” APA executive director Michele Cobb revealed some key findings from the organization’s 2020 consumer survey, which was conducted by Edison Research.
One of the bright spots is the fact that the number of audiobooks listened to by people who have listened to an audiobook in the past year rose to 8.1 in 2020, compared to 6.8 in 2019. Another positive trend is that 51% of audiobook listeners are making “new” time to listen—perhaps due to the current pandemic. And while the pandemic has hurt sales of print books, sales of downloadable audio rose 16.6% in the first quarter of 2020 over the comparable quarter in 2019, according to the Association of American Publishers’ StatShot report.
All of this rosy news means that publishers are continuing to provide lots of variety for listeners, and that more publishers are getting in the game. The American Academy of Pediatrics has launched an audiobook program, and Workman Audio, under the leadership of industry veteran Ana Maria Allessi, current president of the APA, is finalizing the bulk of the titles on its debut list set for release later this year.
We’ve gathered some highlights from publishers’ fall audio offerings, hoping to give a glimpse of the bounty of titles available. Happy listening!
Note: All titles listed are available as digital downloads, and many are available in multiple formats. Unless otherwise noted, prices and ISBNs are for digital editions.
Adult
AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings (4th ed.) by R. Ginsburg, read by Miles Meili (Aug., $16.95, ISBN 978-1-61002-490-7). This bestselling guide for parents offers strategies intended to help children cope with and bounce back from various challenges and life stresses, and is part of AAP’s newly launched audiobook program.
BLACKSTONE
City of Saints and Madmen by Jeff VanderMeer (Oct., $29.95, ISBN 978-1-982615-07-9) is a collection of stories set in the haunted city of Ambergris, the first in a series of speculative works.
An Inconvenient Woman by Stéphanie Buelens, read by Erica Sullivan (Sept., $16.95, ISBN 978-1-09-406562-5). Claire is convinced her ex-husband murdered their daughter and goes to desperate lengths to prevent him from committing another murder. Sloane, a fixer and former cop, is on the case.
The Parasitic Mind by Gad Saad (Oct., $19.95, ISBN 978-1-79993-165-2) argues that the West’s commitment to freedom, reason, and true liberalism have become endangered by a series of viral forces in society.
TMI by Perez Hilton (Oct., $22.95, ISBN 978-1-79991-383-2). Celebrity blogger Hilton reflects on the highs and lows of his life and career.
BRILLIANCE
The Alignment Problem: Machine Learning and Human Values by Brian Christian (Oct., $37.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-5366-9518-2) explores everything that can go wrong building AI systems and offers a plan to solve those problems.
The Arsonist: A Mind on Fire by Chloe Hooper, read by Cat Gould (Aug., $28.99 CD, 978-1-7135-3045-9), tells the true story of the search for the man who in 2009 started a devastating Australian bushfire.
Bane’s Choice by Alyssa Day (Oct., $17.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-7135-5100-3) begins the paranormal romance series Vampire Motorcycle Club.
A Girl Is a Body of Water by Jennifer Makumbi (Sept., $37.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-7135-3071-8) follows a Ugandan girl as she consults a local witch to learn more about the mother who left her to be raised by her grandmother and aunts.
CHRISTIANAUDIO
Always a Guest by Barbara Brown Taylor, read by the author (Oct., $19.99, ISBN 978-1-5459-1585-1), presents stories and sermons of faith, grace, and hope.
Kids Off the Block by Diane Latiker, read by the author (Sept., $19.99, ISBN 978-1-5459-1573-8), details how Latiker used her personal passion to develop the Diane’s Kids Off the Block program for helping at-risk Chicago teens.
A Sky Full of Stars by Meg Apperson, read by the author (Oct., $19.99, ISBN 978-1-5459-1540-0). Apperson shares her experience of welcoming her special-needs daughter and how she discovered hope in the midst of pain.
CHRONICLE
Always a Song: Singers, Songwriters, Sinners, and Saints—My Story of the Folk Music Revival by Ellen Harper (Jan., $24.95, ISBN 978-1-79720-159-7). Singer-songwriter Harper (mother of Grammy-winner Ben Harper) provides a portrait of folk music’s beginnings in California and a history of the Folk Music Center, a legendary music venue founded in Claremont by her parents.
Discover Your Dharma: A Vedic Guide to Finding Your Purpose by Sahara Rose (Jan., $25.95, ISBN 978-1-79720-907-4). Rose uses the Vedas, ancient religious texts originating in India, to formulate advice meant to help readers solve today’s problems and find their life’s purpose.
Trumpty Dumpty Wanted a Crown: Verses for a Despotic Age by John Lithgow, read by the author (Oct., $19.95, ISBN 978-1-79720-949-4). In the wake of bestseller Dumpty, Lithgow serves up a second helping of satirical poetry chronicling the Trump era.
EERDMANS
I Understand: Pain, Love, and Healing After Suicide by Vonnie Woodrick, read by a full cast (Sept., $6.95, ISBN 978-0-8028-7804-5). Woodrick relates the story of her husband’s suicide and the healing that followed, and her motivation to help others cope with loss through her nonprofit organization i understand.
Sanctuary: Being Christian in the Wake of Trump by Heidi B. Neumark (Sept., $14.95, ISBN 978-0-8028-7839-7) reflects on what it looks like to live out essential Christian convictions in what Neumark describes as an age of prevailing spirits of exclusion and hatred.
HACHETTE
Chaos by Iris Johansen, read by Elisabeth Rogers (Sept., $35 CD, ISBN 978-1-5491-4145-4), introduces Alisa Flynn, a CIA agent who may be willing to go rogue to catch the most heartless criminals she’s ever encountered.
The Grifter’s Club: Trump, Mar-a-Lago, and the Selling of the Presidency by Sarah Blaskey et al. (Aug., $25.98, ISBN 978-1-5491-0267-7) expands on the authors’ reporting for the Miami Herald, offeringrevelations about the federal investigation of malware at Mar-a-Lago, the consistent misuse of taxpayer dollars there, and more.
Jagged Little Pill by Alanis Morissette and Diablo Cody, read by the authors and cast members of the Broadway production (Oct., $25.98, ISBN 978-1-5491-5884-1), is an official behind-the-scenes look at the new musical based on Morissette’s Grammy-winning, generation-defining album Jagged Little Pill.
Shit, Actually by Lindy West, read by the author (Oct., $35, ISBN 978-1-5491-8628-8). West rewatches and reassesses beloved rom-coms and cult classics, “making fun of them, explaining why they’re bad,” she told the Seattle Times.
HARPERAUDIO
Battlegrounds by H.R. McMaster, read by the author (Sept., $36.99, 978-0-06-289949-1). Former national security advisor and retired U.S. Army lieutenant general McMaster offers a reexamination of critical foreign policy and the national security challenges that face our country.
The Cold Millions by Jess Walter, read by Edoardo Ballerini (Oct., $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-303386-3), focuses on two adventure-seeking brothers in early-20th-century America and the women who introduce them to the unjust realities of a nation grappling with the chasm between rich and poor.
Don’t Panic by Neil Gaiman (Aug., $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-298185-1). Gaiman’s 1988 biography of author Douglas Adams comes to audio for the first time.
Monogamy by Sue Miller, read by the author (Sept., $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-296971-2), serves up a tale about marriage, love, family, and heartache.
HARPERCOLLINS LEADERSHIP
Game Changer by Michael Solomon and Rishon Blumberg, with Daniel Weizmann (Sept., $18.99, ISBN 978-1-4002-1910-0), attempts to teach listeners how to identify, attract, vet, employ, and retain—or become—game-changing talent making a difference in the work world.
HARPER HORIZON
Make Life Beautiful by Syd and Shea McGee, read by the authors (Oct., $20.99, ISBN 978-0-7852-3389-3). The couple behind Studio McGee aims to show readers how classic interior design principles can be used to build an authentically beautiful life.
HIGHBRIDGE
A Lover’s Discourse by Xialu Guo, read by Cindy Kay (Oct., $15.99, ISBN 978-1-69660-209-9), explores romantic love through fragments of conversations between two lovers.
Policing the Second Amendment: Guns, Law Enforcement, and the Politics of Race by Jennifer Carlson, read by Teri Schnaubelt (Sept., $24.99, ISBN 978-1-69660-177-1), attempts to unravel the complex relationship between public law enforcement, violence, and race.
HMH AUDIO
The 99% Invisible City: A Field Guide to the Hidden World of Everyday Design by Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt (Oct., $30, ISBN 978-0-358-39636-9). The creators of the 99% Invisible podcast point out essential elements of cities that often go unnoticed.
Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour (Jan., $26, ISBN 978-0-358-44933-1). In this satirical debut, a young man is given a shot at stardom as the lone black salesman at a mysterious, cultlike, wildly successful startup where nothing is as it seems.
The Daughters of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War by Catherine Grace Katz (Sept., $28, ISBN 978-0-358-39377-1) tells the true story of three young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference with Stalin in the waning days of WWII.
Heart, Breath, Mind: Train Your Heart to Conquer Stress and Achieve Success by Leah Lagos, read by the author (Aug., $28, ISBN 978-0-358-17229-1), offers a program intended to alter the body’s physical baseline response to stress to fine-tune reflexes and help participants perform at maximum potential.
INSATIABLE
Beam by Frankie Love, read by Jameson Adams and Kelsey Navarro (Aug., $19.95, ISBN 978-1-62461-725-6). In the third Men of Whiskey Mountain romance, Beam learns the woman he’s loved for years has finally escaped her tough situation and is now in Alaska, where Beam landed after leaving his own troubled past.
THOMAS NELSON
It’s Never Too Late by Kathie Lee Gifford, read by the author (Dec., $26.99, ISBN 978-0-7852-3668-9). Former TV talk show host Gifford offers insights meant to inspire and bring confidence to women who are facing major life changes and searching for the meaning behind them.
MACMILLAN
The Awakening by Nora Roberts (Jan., $32.99, ISBN 978-1-250-77030-1) kicks off the Chronicles of the One trilogy, in which parallel worlds clash in a struggle between good and evil.
No Time Like the Future by Michael J. Fox (Nov., $29.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-250-77152-0). Actor and advocate Fox reflects on illness, health, aging, and how the perceptions of time affect the way we approach mortality.
Speaking for Myself by Sarah Huckabee Sanders (Sept., $39.99 CD, 978-1-250-77039-4). Sanders describes her experiences as White House press secretary for President Trump and discusses her faith, her relationship with the press, and the challenges of being a working mom.
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini (Sept., $74.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-250-76755-4). While exploring a distant planet, Kira finds an alien relic that thrusts her into a journey to the farthest reaches of the galaxy with the fate of humanity on her shoulders.
PENGUIN
The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett, read by John Lee (Sept., $70 CD, ISBN 978-0-593-28963-1). This prequel to The Pillars of the Earth is set in England at the dawn of the Middle Ages.
Just Like You by Nick Hornby (Sept., $22.50, ISBN 978-0-593-28859-7) tells a story of what happens when the person who makes you happiest is someone you never expected.
One Life by Megan Rapinoe (Nov., $40 CD, ISBN 978-0-593-28889-4). The Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup champ urges listeners to continue the fight for justice and equality with actions big and small.
The Searcher by Tana French (Oct., $55 CD, ISBN 978-1-984838-02-5). Retired Chicago cop Cal moves to Ireland to start a new, simpler life—until a local boy whose brother has gone missing arm-twists him into investigating.
PRINCETON UNIV.
A Series of Fortunate Events: Chance and the Making of the Planet, Life, and You by Sean B. Carroll, read by the author (Oct., $22.95, ISBN 978-0-691-21209-8), looks at the surprising power of chance in our lives and the world.
RANDOM HOUSE
Me and Sister Bobbie by Willie Nelson, Bobbie Nelson, and David Ritz (Sept., $17.50, ISBN 978-0-593-33966-4) tells the story of the unbreakable bond between country legend Willie Nelson and his sister Bobbie, forged through their shared deep love of music.
Squeeze Me by Carl Hiaasen (Aug., $40 CD, ISBN 978-0-593-29534-2). Panic hits Palm Beach, Fla., when a high-society dowager—and founding member of the Potussies group supporting the president—vanishes during a fancy charity ball and is later found dead in a concrete grave.
A Time for Mercy by John Grisham (Oct., $45 CD, ISBN 978-0-593-16854-7). Jake Brigance, the protagonist of A Time to Kill, returns, now at the center of a sensational murder trial that divides the citizens of Clanton, Miss.
True Crimes and Misdemeanors by Jeffrey Toobin, read by Rob Shapiro (Aug., $40 CD, ISBN 978-0-449-80754-5), offers a real-life legal thriller about the prosecutors and congressional investigators pursuing the truth about Donald Trump’s complicity in several crimes, and why they failed.
RECORDED BOOKS
A Better Man by Michael Ian Black, read by the author (Sept., $29.99, ISBN 978-1-980088-85-1). Black offers a poignant look at boyhood via a letter he crafts to his college-bound son, and makes a plea for rethinking masculinity and how to raise boys.
Christmas Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke, read by Suzanne Toren (Sept., $29.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-70500-041-0). Hannah Swensen tries to prevent a murder as she does her holiday cupcake baking.
How to Raise an Elephant by Andrew McCall Smith, read by Lisette Lecat (Oct., $29.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-70500-039-7). Precious and the rest of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency come together to raise a pipsqueak pachyderm.
Next to Last Stand by Craig Johnson, read by George Guidall (Sept., $24.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-70500-066-3) finds Walt Longmire on the trail of a dangerous art heist.
SIMON & SCHUSTER
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (Sept., $34.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-79710-582-6). A failed bank robber bursts into an apartment open house and takes everyone hostage. As the tension builds, the eight captive strangers start revealing deep secrets to each other.
Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell (Oct., $29.99, ISBN 978-1-79711-128-5) focuses on a group of people whose lives shockingly intersect when a young woman disappears.
Is This Anything? by Jerry Seinfeld, read by the author (Oct., $29.99 CD, 978-1-79711-305-0), spotlights the comedy icon’s favorite material from the past 45 years, arranged by decade.
Live Free or Die by Sean Hannity, read by the author (Aug., $23.99, ISBN 978-1-79711-094-3). The cable news host argues the case that saving the Republic rests on reelecting President Trump.
TANTOR
Victim Six by Gregg Olsen, read by Corey M. Snow (Sept., $24.99, ISBN 978-1-70522-868-5). The first book in the Waterman & Stark thriller series tracks a depraved serial killer who is stalking women near Puget Sound.
THREE ROOMS
Loudmouth by Robert Duncan, read by the author (Oct., $22, ISBN 978-1-941110-98-0). Thomas Ransom’s rise through the rock ’n’ roll world is influenced by the author’s real-life experiences as a musician and former editor of Creem magazine.
TWO WORDS
To Steal a Heart by Jen Turano, read by Andrea Emmes (Nov., $34.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-66201-395-9), launches the Bleeker Street Inquiry Agency historical romance series.
VIBRANCE
Night Bloomers: 12 Principles for Thriving in Adversity by Michelle Pearce (Sept., $19.95, ISBN 978-1-62461-747-8) provides a dozen practical strategies for transforming loss, pain, and suffering into positive growth and hope.
WORKMAN
When the World Feels Like a Scary Place by Abigail Gewirtz, read by Robin Miles (Jul., $24.95, ISBN 978-1-64904-000-8). This guide aims to teach parents how to use conversation to help kids deal with stress, anxiety, and negative emotions caused by world problems.
ZONDERVAN
I Am Restored by Lecrae, read by the author (Oct., $20.00, ISBN 978-0-310-35805-3). Hip-hop artist Lecrae relates the story of how he faced the unhealed wounds of his past with God’s help.
CHILDREN’S & YA
BLACKSTONE
The Lost Wonderland Diaries by J. Scott Savage (Oct., $34.95 CD, ISBN 978-1-79990-515-8). Celia and Tyrus discover the journals of Lewis Carroll’s actual travels to Wonderland and get pulled into the same fantasy world where dangerous monsters now lurk.
Peacemaker by Joseph Bruchac (Oct., $29.95 CD, ISBN 978-1-09-419983-2). Twelve-year-old Okwaho rethinks avenging a friend’s kidnapping when the mystical Peacemaker appears and urges him to join the multi-tribe peace movement that created the Iroquois Confederacy treaty.
The Toymaker’s Apprentice by Sherri L. Smith (Sept., $39.95 CD, ISBN 978-1-79990-748-0) reimagines Hoffman’s The Nutcracker and the Mouse King and introduces the toymaking Drosselmeyer family.
BRILLIANCE
All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys’ Soccer Team by Christina Soontornvat (Oct., $34.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-7135-4781-5) delivers an account of the 2018 event that blends science, cultural insight, and a you-are-there style.
The Suffragist Playbook by Rebecca Roberts and Lucinda Robb (Sept., $26.99, ISBN 978-1-71354-160-8) offers a look at the strategies that worked in the women’s suffrage movement and examines their similarity to tactics used by activist movements today.
The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel by Sheela Chari (Oct., $27.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-71354-809-6). This tale based on the podcast of same name finds Mars Patel and his outcast friends pitted against an enigmatic billionaire as they race to find out why kids are disappearing from their school.
CHRONICLE
BenBee and the Teacher Griefer: The Kids Under the Stairs by K.A. Holt (Sept., $18.9, ISBN 978-1-79720-906-7) follows a group of kids stuck in a remedial class during summer school and relegated to a space under the stairs.
HACHETTE
Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander and James Patterson (Oct., $30 CD, 978-1-5491-5657-1). This adaptation of a biographical novel written in prose and verse presents the story of Cassius Clay, the determined boy who would one day become boxing legend Muhammad Ali.
Loretta Little Looks Back by Andrea Davis and Brian Pinkney (Sept., $24.98, ISBN 978-1-5491-5873-5) weaves together fictional first-person narratives, spoken-word poems, folk myths, and gospel and rhythm and blues influences to illustrate the dramatic events that led to African Americans earning the right to vote.
Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer, read by Jake Abel (Aug., $45 CD, ISBN 978-1- 5491-3465-4), returns listeners to the world of the Twilight series and retells Bella and Edward’s love story from the vampire’s viewpoint. Abel previously starred with Saoirse Ronan in the movie adaptation of Meyer’s adult novel The Host.
HARPERAUDIO
Class Act by Jerry Craft, read by a full cast (Oct., $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-303205-7). In a companion to the Newbery-winning New Kid, Jordan’s friend Drew shares his own story about being one of the few kids of color at a prestigious private school.
The Ninth Life by Taylor B. Barton (Sept., $26.99, ISBN 978-1-4882-0920-8). When a dying cat wishes to come back to be with the owner he adores, he finds himself in the body of a teenage boy, experiencing human desires, awkwardness, and heartbreak.
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam (Sept., $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-302570-7). Zoboi and prison reform activist Salaam present a novel in verse about a boy who is wrongfully incarcerated.
LISTENING LIBRARY
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson (Sept., $25 CD, ISBN 978-0-593-34123-0). ZJ’s pro-football player dad’s behavior starts changing after a career of head injuries and ZJ and his family must adjust to their new reality.
Dear Justyce by Nic Stone (Sept., $30 CD, ISBN 978-0-593-21689-7). Incarcerated teen Quan writes letters to Justyce, the protagonist of Stone’s Dear Martin, about his experiences in the U.S. prison system.
Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley, read by Bahni Turpin (Aug., $50 CD, ISBN 978-0-593-21499-2). Ten-year-old Della’s world is shaken when her older sister and fierce protector Suki attempts suicide after being sexually abused by their mother’s boyfriend.
MACMILLAN
Hush by Dylan Farrow, read by Emily Shaffer (Oct., $26.99, ISBN 978-1-250-77165-0), is a feminist fantasy set in a society based on silencing and lies, in which Shae trains to become a Bard, a position of power held almost exclusively by men.
Instant Karma by Marissa Meyer, read by Rebecca Soler (Nov., $57.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-250-75894-1). Chronic overachiever Prudence is suddenly gifted with the ability to cast instant karma on those around her.
Lobizona by Romina Garber, read by Sol Madariaga (Aug., $26.99, ISBN 978-1-250-75430-1), begins the Wolves of No World fantasy series, which has elements of Argentinian folklore and examines what it means to be “illegal.”
RECORDED BOOKS
Igniting Darkness by Robin LaFevers, read by a full cast (Aug., $29.99, ISBN 978-1-980036-11-1), continues the historical fantasy begun in Courting Darkness and set in the world of the His Fair Assassin series.
Never Look Back by Lilliam Rivera (Sept., $24.99, ISBN 978-1-980044-13-0) is an #OwnVoices retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice featuring contemporary Afro-Latinx characters in New York City.
Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure by Jeff Kinney, read by Christopher Gebauer (Aug., $14.99, ISBN 978-1-980089-91-9), views the Wimpy Kid universe through the eyes of reimagined versions of Roland and Greg as they embark on an epic fantasy quest.
SCHOLASTIC
Flying over Water by Shannon Hitchcock and N.H. Senzai, read by Christine Tawfik and Cassandra Morris (Oct., $24.99, ISBN 978-1-338-70382-5). Two girls—a Muslim fleeing civil war and an American from the South—are forced to examine their beliefs and the meaning of friendship in the midst of President Trump’s 2017 Muslim ban.
Land of the Cranes by Aida Salazar, read by Dani Gonzalez (Sept., $24.99, ISBN 978-1-338-67318-0). In this story in verse, a young Latinx girl learns to hold onto hope and love while in a family detention center for migrants and refugees.
Poisoned by Jennifer Donnelly (Oct., $34.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-338-63748-9) is a retelling of “Snow White” in which the huntsman does cut out the main character’s heart, but she survives, helped by seven mysterious and magical strangers.
Storm Warning (gen: Lock) by Melissa Scott (Oct., $24.99, ISBN 978-1-338-67297-8) whisks listeners to the world of the animated sci-fi, dystopian TV series set 50 years in the future.
SIMON & SCHUSTER
All This Time by Mikki Daughtry and Rachael Lippincott (Sept., $29.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-79711-243-5). Right after they break up on graduation night, high school sweethearts Kyle and Kimberley are involved in a car crash in which Kimberly dies and Kyle suffers a brain injury. Kyle’s not sure he’ll ever find true love again.
Spy School Revolution by Stuart Gibbs (Oct., $29.99 CD, ISBN 978-1-79711-180-3). A middle schooler and superspy-in-training must prove a fellow trainee is not a double agent by locating and thwarting the Croatoan, an evil and mysterious organization.
TANTOR
Whose Right Is It? The Second Amendment and the Fight Over Guns by Hana Bajramovic, read by Suzie Althens, (Sept., $19.99, ISBN 978-1-70525-506-3), examines the facts about the Second Amendment, the NRA, and the U.S.’s centuries-long fight over guns.
VIBRANCE
Story Magic by Laurel Gale, read by Ferdelle Capistrano (Aug., $19.95, ISBN 978-1-62461-750-8). Twelve-year-old Kaya must use story magic—a practice forbidden for girls—to save her kidnapped and imprisoned brother in this middle grade fantasy.
