LBF launches audiobook summit

The London Book Fair will launch a new audiobook summit, Audio HQ, at this year's event.

Open to all LBF attendees, Audio HQ will run from 9.45 a.m. until 1.45 p.m. on Tuesday 10th March and feature insight, research and views on the global audiobook revolution, according to organisers, as audiobooks remain the fastest growing area in publishing.

The sessions will include new statistics on the size of the UK market from book insight experts Nielsen Book and international trends information from Michele Cobb of Audio Publishers Association US. It will also discuss the challenges of casting with Dan Zitt from PRH USA, the subscription economy with Dosdoce's Javier Celaya and the commissioning side of audio with Videl Bar Kar from Bookwire.

In addition to the summit there will be events relevant to audio across the three days of the Insights Seminar Programme across LBF from 10th–12th March.

LBF director Jacks Thomas said: "Audio’s double-digit growth over the past few years is another example of where technology and the craft of storytelling have come together to great effect. Audiobooks have expanded the reach of books bringing in new book consumers and providing another format for regular literary lovers to enjoy.

"This audio summit is a chance to get under the skin of key areas of the audiobook success story from subscription models to the expansion of new audio content. We are delighted to welcome US speakers including Michele Cobb from Audio Publishers Association and Dan Zitt from PRH as the US market has led the way in the audio revolution and I can‚Äôt wait to hear what is next for this exciting format.”