LoveAudio campaign returns with online events

#LoveAudio, the Publishers Association's annual audiobook campaign, will return for a fifth year this month.

Running from 12th to 16th July, it will highlight the accessibility, creativity and innovation of audiobooks. Activity for #LoveAudio 2021 will include publishers, partners and the PA promoting audio across social media as well as a number of online events.

A ‘How to Get Into Audio Publishing’ event will be run by the PA on 13th July at 1 p.m. and Hachette will host an ‘Opening the Book’ event focused on working in audio/digital publishing on 14th July at 5.30 p.m. This event is designed to demystify publishing and make the industry more transparent and accessible to underrepresented groups. BookMachine will run an online Q&A session with Bookwire and Hera Books at 1 p.m. on 14th July and the PA will launch a list of "Best New Voices" in audiobook publishing which will showcase the best new talent in audio narration.

The PA will also share new content on its website including Q&As with National Literacy Trust researcher Emily Best and Penguin Random House audio publicist Chloe Rose.

Dominic Gribben, audio publisher at Hachette UK and chair of the PA audio publishers group, said: “#LoveAudio is a wonderful way to highlight some of the exciting and innovative things happening across the industry and, with the Best New Voices list, celebrate some of the talented and hard working people who make it all possible.”

Ruth Howells, deputy director of external affairs at the PA, commented: “We are thrilled to be celebrating the audio format with the fifth #LoveAudio campaign and encourage everyone who loves audiobooks to join in using #LoveAudio.

“Audiobooks are an incredibly accessible and fast-growing format that bring comfort, information and entertainment to many and it’s fantastic to see the innovation publishers continue to bring to audio. Given their popularity it’s a shame that audiobooks are now the only remaining digital book format that is not 0% VAT rated and we continue to make the case that they should be.”