In the rapidly evolving landscape of digital publishing, Arabookverse has emerged as a trailblazer in the Arabic audiobook and ebook market. Founded by Egyptian industry veterans Ali Abdel-Moneim, Ahmed Rewihel, and Waleed Sameh, this UK-based company is making significant strides in increasing the accessibility of Arabic digital content globally.
Ali Abdel-Moneim, cofounder and CEO of Arabookverse, brings over two decades of publishing experience to the table, including having led Storytel’s Arabic language service.
“Our vision at Arabookverse is to increase Arabic digital content on the internet,” Abdel-Moneim says. “Within one year, we have built a catalog of 1,000 audiobooks in Arabic and 13,000 ebooks, all distributed globally, available and accessible for any Arabic speakers or learners all over the world.”
The Arabic audiobook market, which started in 2017, has seen remarkable growth. “We have now around 11,000 audiobooks available in Arabic,” Abdel-Moneim says, noting “there are several players in the market, but Storytel remains dominant, with 70% of the existing licenses.”
The market demographics are promising for Arabic-language audiobook growth. According to Abdel-Moneim, 61% of audiobook listeners are male and 31% are female, while 67% of audiobook listeners are between 18-34 years old. He adds: “56% of consumption comes from Egypt, North Africa and Levant countries, while 26% comes from Saudi Arabia & Gulf countries.
“Our feeling about audiobooks is that we love what we did and what we do,” Abdel-Moneim says. “We have a passion for this, and we believe in this market and this language. It will be growing, of course, and we are growing with it, faster than ebooks.”
Despite the market’s growth, challenges persist in the Middle East and North African region. “One of them is that there is no real infrastructure for the publishing industry in printed books,” Abdel-Moneim explains. “You have censorship in a lot of countries. You don’t have strong networks for distribution, with small numbers of libraries and bookshops.” And always, in the background, is the spectre of piracy.
However, the digital revolution is changing the game. “We signed a partnership agreement with Bookwire and are the sole agents for the service in the Arabic language,” Abdel-Moneim says. This partnership has significantly expanded the distribution network for Arabic content, making it available on more than 300 applications in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, Canada, and Europe.
The company is also focusing on empowering local publishers. “We encourage them to produce by themselves,” Abdel-Moneim explains. “You can test, you can try with one or two titles only. We have our own studio, and we are acquiring this studio for Arabookverse in Egypt.” The company is also beginning to work with Saudi publishers, in what is likely to become a rush of new content from the Kingdom.
Looking ahead, Arabookverse has ambitious plans for expansion, including the U.A.E. “We are aiming to open an office in Sharjah next year, in Sharjah Publishing City,” Abdel-Moneim reveals. “There is good infrastructure in U.A.E. for production and for this network that we are building. Sharjah is a good place, with a good vision, and we aim to become a part of it.”
