In a deal that puts its audiobook publishing in the hands of one partner for the first time, Abrams has signed an exclusive multi-year agreement with RBmedia, giving the independent audio publisher rights to Abrams' fiction and nonfiction titles from both its children's and adult lists. The first audiobooks under the deal will be published in spring 2024.
Prior to the RBmedia agreement, Abrams produced a small number of audiobooks itself for a short period of time, and then licensed audio rights across multiple audiobook publishers. According to a spokesperson, the RBmedia deal is Abrams's first exclusive arrangement, and will include hundreds of titles.
“Abrams is committed to developing multi-platform media experiences for our audiences of booklovers,” Mary McAveney, Abrams president and CEO, said in a statement. "Audio is a critical piece in our continued development, connecting our narrative publishing with millions of audio consumers.”
RBmedia has released a number of Abrams' titles in audio in the past, including Audie Award winner Unprotected: A Memoir by Billy Porter, Lightlark by bestselling YA author Alex Aster, and the internationally bestselling Diary of Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney, with No Brainer: Diary of a Wimpy Kid Book 18 releasing on October 24, 2023.
Troy Juliar, chief content officer of RBmedia, said the company is thrilled to deepen its relationship with Abrams. "We’ve been in business with them for more than a decade, but are grateful to now formalize and make our relationship exclusive," Juliar said. "We’re committed to growing the audio audience for their books and working together to serve their authors and their fans.”
