Audio books increase interest in the good story
Books can both be read and listened to, and as one of Denmark’s largest publishing houses, Lindhardt og Ringhof must adapt when the culture of reading changes.
Audiobooks are more popular than ever, and this has not escaped our publishing house, Lindhardt og Ringhof.
"I listen to a lot of audiobooks myself and was initially worried about whether people would really want to listen to a 26-hour-long audiobook. But they do," says Sune de Souza Schmidt-Madsen, literary director at Lindhardt og Ringhof. Particularly fiction has been embraced by listeners, where the traditional storytelling is a key aspect of the stories.
Lindhardt og Ringhof views audiobooks as a bridge that can bring the publisher's stories to a wider audience, and as Sune de Souza Schmidt-Madsen says, "there are a lot more people who are interested in our content now than we have reached in the past."
The digital development requires a new understanding from both authors and publishers and emphasizes the importance of a good story. As Lindhardt og Ringhof has learned, digital bestsellers are also the ones that sell best in print.
"We now have twice as many listeners as we do readers," says Sune de Souza Schmidt-Madsen. At the same time, he sees it as a natural development of the book's potential, as audiobooks are largely an adapted version of the printed books.
For Lindhardt og Ringhof, it is important to follow this development, and with the success they have experienced with audiobooks, it is clear that a new era is coming. And while audiobooks are embraced and the number of listeners grows, readers still hold on to the charm of the printed word.