HarperCollins joins forces with Hearst and Kobo for audiobook club

HarperCollins is teaming up with Hearst UK to launch an audiobook club through Kobo across Good Housekeeping and Prima magazines.

The new initiative will launch in the August issues, out in the first week of July, offering readers one book per month. Each issue will feature a review of that month’s audiobook, handpicked by books editor Joanne Finney, alongside an interview with the author. “The audiobook club will also provide readers with tips on how easy it is to incorporate listening to books into their lifestyle,” HarperCollins said.

HarperCollins is partnering with digital retailer Kobo to fulfil the promotion which will start with The Trouble with Goats and Sheep (Borough Press) by Joanna Cannon, read by Paula Wilcox, in Good Housekeeping and Fern Britton’s The Holiday Home (HarperCollins), read by Britton, in Prima. 

Other authors to be included in the audiobook club in coming months, will be Agatha Christie, Barbara Erskine, Cathy Glass, Philippa Gregory, Susan Lewis, Karin Slaughter, Susie Steiner and CL Taylor.

Fionnuala Barrett, senior audio editor at HarperCollins, said: “With their engaged readership of book fans, Good Housekeeping and Prima are the perfect partners for this book club.  I hope this initiative will bring more people to the delights and convenience of audio.”

Kate Elton, executive publisher for fiction, non-fiction and Avon, said: “Audio is such an exciting area of the market and I’m thrilled to be working with Hearst to introduce yet more readers to the joys of this enormously satisfying and creative format.”

HarperCollins makes all print narrative titles available in audio download format, publishing simultaneously with the print and e-book editions of each title – a policy first implemented in 2013.