Customers will be able to buy and listen to audiobooks on one easy-to-use platform, while financially supporting indie bookshops in their fight against Amazon (who owns Audible). Audiobooks will be available to buy on a subscription model priced at £12.99 per credit/month, which has been designed to generate the most revenue for indie bookshops.
To mark the launch, Bookshop.org will offer exclusive audiobook content to listeners, which will be available exclusively when buying an audiobook from their platform. These “indie exclusives” include:
A speech by Meta whistleblower and Careless People author Sarah Wynn-Williams, about the “analogue tenacity of books” in the face of powerful people trying to silence important stories.
A conversation between best-selling thriller writer Adele Parks and her narrator, Kristin Atherton, answering questions collected from her readers & listeners.
An exclusive new lecture from journalist and historian Max Hastings about bravery and valour across wars.
An message directly from Cody Dahler, author of The State of This!
An exclusive conversation between Ellery Lloyd, thriller author of Time to Burn, and narrator Louise Brealey.
The audiobook market in the UK is growing rapidly, with no signs of slowing down. The most recent data provided by the Publishers Association revealed that in 2025, audiobooks were worth £255 million, up 10% on the previous year – significant in comparison to the overall publishing industry which only grew by 3%. A 2025 study by YouGov has shown that 30% of readers listened to audiobooks in the previous year.
While the number of independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland has risen from 1,025 to 1,086 in the last year, reaching its highest level since 2012, bookshops are still struggling with surging operational costs. With audiobooks, Bookshop.org offers booksellers a meaningful, regular revenue stream, and a tool to advance their growth. Readers will now be able to support their local booksellers through audiobook subscriptions, while benefiting from human recommendations and the valued community that independent bookshops are uniquely positioned to deliver.
In our National Year of Reading, celebrating and encouraging all forms of storytelling – including audiobooks – is key to aiding access and development of a genuine passion for reading. Research by the National Literacy Trust revealed that 37.5% of children and young people said listening to audiobooks ‘sparked their interest’ in reading. There is also evidence that audiobooks support wellbeing, help close gender gaps in enjoyment, inspire interest in reading and widen access to stories. Bookshop.org’s new offering marks a crucial step towards diversifying sources for readers to find their reading fix.
In celebration of the momentous launch, audiobook listening stations will be installed in eight bookshops across the country as a pilot programme, in anticipation of a future where audiobooks are integral to the ‘physical bookshop’ experience. The biggest of these will be in Real Magic Books in Wendover (Aylesbury), where the listening station will be signposted by an eye-catch mural installation by artist and graphic designer Craig Oldham, created especially for the occasion.
Vicki Shenkin Kerr, Founder/Owner of Bard Books, East London, said: “I love listening to audiobooks, and am always listening to them on my walks. It’s great having Bookshop.org as my audiobook go-to. I would not like to use that big company that we do not talk about. We actually have a ’swear jar’ in our bookshop, so we’re not allowed to say the word – but you know what I mean. It’s great having Bookshop.org offering audiobooks because it means that we can recommend audiobooks to our customers and know that the money goes to support not just us, but other indie bookshops as well which is great. Some favourite audiobooks – one that is on Booker Shortlist is Black Bag by Luke Kennard, narrated by Luke Kennard – a weird wonderful experience of a book. A couple of other ones that I’ve enjoyed in the past which I think work really well as audiobooks are Heartburn by Nora Ephron. It’s narrated by Meryl Streep and Meryl Streep is so wonderful that you laugh out loud, you have to laugh out loud, it works so well as an audiobook. Another one is Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon, again it’s narrated by the author, and what makes this book so wonderful is getting the nuances of his Irish vernacular which is juxtaposed with this story that is set back in the time of Euripides, when you hear it in his actual voice it brings it to life so much more, so it’s a definite recommendation from me. Happy Bookshop (listening) Day!”
Carl Gosling and Sophie Green, from Real Magic Books: “It is fantastic that our customers will be able to use Bookshop.org for audiobooks, we’re asked about it all the time. Audiobook-loving Real Magic regulars want to be able to come in the shop, browse and use our enthusiasm and recommendations to inform their next audiobook choice. We want all audiobook users to feel fully part of our community and to be able to shop ethically on the high street. It is a huge win for independent bookshops.”
