Storytel expands into France with new model and string of publishing partnerships

Storytel is expanding into France with a string of publishing partnerships and a new model. 

The audiobook streaming service is joining forces with key publishers such as Hachette Livre, Madrigall, Editis and Actes Sud, to offer audio content to the French market. 

The service is now available in France, offering subscribers a “new time-based model” offering plans with different levels of listening hours depending on customers’ personal habits and preferences. French listeners will have access to more than 7,000 French titles and 290,000 titles in other languages such as Arabic and English.

“French influence and innovation have shaped global culture and literature in many prolific ways,” said Helena Gustafsson, chief content strategy officer at Storytel. “Now, French readers are embracing new digital formats such as audiobooks more than ever before. I am thrilled that we have secured partnerships with some of the best publishing houses with reach and respect beyond French borders. Together, we will offer a unique and immersive proposition to French book lovers.”

Valérie Lévy-Soussan, c.e.o. of Audiolib, France’s biggest publisher of adult audiobooks, a subsidiary of the Hachette Livre and Albin Michel groups, added: “We have followed Storytel’s international expansion and welcome its arrival on the French market, with a model that is both in line with contemporary listening habits and reassuring for the publishers and authors who entrust us with their audio titles. The development of new platforms is a great opportunity to find new audiences and continue to develop the supply of audiobooks in France”.

Titles will be available in all genres, including Nordic Noir, classics and the latest bestsellers. The development of the French catalogue will be headed up by Constance Parpoil, Storytel’s new editorial lead for the European region.

“Our focus in France will be local, reflecting the diversity of the country and of French-speaking communities worldwide,” she said. “Storytel Originals, exclusive titles created for audio first, will also be a unique part of our portfolio. I cannot wait to make this amazing selection available to our Francophone audiences”.