Princeton University Press joins forces with RBmedia in audio publishing partnership

Princeton University Press (PUP) has joined forces with RBmedia in an exclusive audio publishing partnership, that will see more than 120 titles from PUP be published as audiobooks in the next three years. 

Under the agreement, audiobook publisher RBmedia will publish selected frontlist titles across an array of subject categories, including history, arts, business, economics, and science, as well as a number of backlist titles that have not previously been released in audio format. RBmedia will publish PUP titles across its family of imprints, including Recorded Books, HighBridge, and Tantor. Upcoming releases include Becoming George Orwell: Life and Letters, Legend and Legacy by John Rodden; Chaucer: A European Life by Marion Turner and Honeybee Democracy by Thomas D Seeley.

PUP director Christie Henry said: “We have a mission to animate conversations and learning the world over with our publications. This evolving partnership with RBmedia excites us for the chance it offers more Princeton University Press titles to be heard.” 

Titles published under the agreement will be available on Audible, iTunes, Google Play, Audiobooks.com, public libraries via RBdigital, and other sites that provide digital audio in a bid to meet rising consumer demand for audio. According to the Audio Publishers Association, audiobook sales have demonstrated a seven-year trend of double-digit growth. The Association of American Publishers reports that digital audiobook sales grew by 36% between mid-2017 and mid-2018. Moreover, according to Edison Research and Triton Digital, in 2019, 50% of Americans age twelve and up listened to an audiobook. In addition to licensed audio content, PUP also publishes audiobooks directly through Princeton Audio, launched in 2018.

“As the world’s largest independent publisher of audiobooks and leader in the educational audio market, RBmedia is building on our established relationship with Princeton University Press to publish new titles in audiobook format, making the content accessible to more people,” said Troy Juliar, chief content officer for RBmedia. “We are exploring additional opportunities with Princeton University Press, with a goal of publishing audio versions of their textbooks in the future.”