Tag: Audiobooks Landing Page

Turn Up the Heat With These Spicy Romance Audiobooks

February 13, 2025

Looking for the perfect Valentine’s Day escape? Uncover a world of passion with Spotify’s selection of romance audiobooks. Our Spicy Audiobooks hub has something for every listener, with curated playlists and recommendations ranging from flirty and full of feels (🌶️) to downright explosive (🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️). Here are five editor-approved picks to get you started.

Blood of Hercules

By Jasmine Mas

Narrated by Meg Sylvan, Teddy Hamilton, Aiden Snow, and Tristan Morris

The first installment in the Villains of Lore series, Blood of Hercules is a dark fantasy romance reimagining of Hercules from bestselling author Jasmine Mas. The overnight viral sensation follows Alexis, a shy young woman who discovers she’s part of the immortal Spartan elite.

Collide

By Bal Khabra

Narrated by Julia Knippen and Max Meyers

Summer Preston, an honors student with ambitious grad school plans, collides with Aiden Crawford, the captain of the hockey team, when they’re forced to work together on a research project. But their bickering soon turns to bantering, and once they let their guards down, there’s nothing to check their feelings.

The Pairing

By Casey McQuiston

Narrated by Emma Galvin and Max Meyers

In bestselling author Casey McQuiston’s latest queer romance novel, exes Theo and Kit wind up on the same food and drink tour of Europe. They start a hookup competition to prove they’re over each other—but sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can’t have.

Leather & Lark

By Brynne Weaver

Narrated by Samantha Brentmoor and Eric Nolan

A dark romantic comedy packed with danger, chaos, and heat, Leather & Lark is the second installment in Brynne Weaver’s Ruinous Love Trilogy. The book follows Lachlan Kane, a contract killer, and Lark Montague, an indie musician with a dark secret, as they find themselves in a marriage of convenience.

This Could Be Us

By Kennedy Ryan

Narrated by Ines del Castillo, Jakobi Diem, and Kennedy Ryan

Soledad Barnes has her life meticulously planned until betrayal shatters her world. Forced to rebuild from the ground up, she focuses on providing for her daughters and rediscovering herself. But when an unlikely man enters the picture, she’s torn between caution and desire. Can she trust him—and herself—to embrace what’s next?

Looking for more sizzling listens? Head to our Spicy Audiobooks hub.

Spotify, The Black List, and The Jed Foundation Team Up To Champion Mental Health in Fiction

February 12, 2025

Stories have the power to change the way we see the world, and when it comes to mental health, the right story can make all the difference. That’s why Spotify is partnering with The Black List, a platform for writers to showcase their projects for industry professionals, and The Jed Foundation (JED), a nonprofit that protects emotional health and prevents suicide among our nation’s teens and young adults, to launch the Spotify x JED Impact Award—an initiative supporting exceptional depictions of mental health in unpublished fiction.

The Spotify x JED Impact Award will provide five $10,000 grants to recipients with unpublished manuscripts, with the goal of reshaping the conversation around mental health, diversifying mental health narratives in fiction, and promoting positive storytelling around mental health. As part of the initiative, Spotify will cover fee waivers, which will allow up to 140 writers to receive a free month of hosting and a free evaluation on the Black List platform.

“Stories about mental health have immense power to erase stigma and help people get the help that they need,” said Casey Acierno, Social Impact Lead at Spotify. “We’re so excited to partner with The Black List and The Jed Foundation to uplift unpublished manuscripts with meaningful depictions of mental health. Having entered the audiobooks space, Spotify knows the power of storytelling, and we’re thrilled to support writers in looking after themselves and the way they write about mental health.”

Supporting mental health through storytelling

This initiative underscores Spotify’s commitment to both creators and consumers, recognizing the power of storytelling to humanize mental health and foster understanding. In addition to supporting the creation of powerful new literature, we’re also working to amplify existing mental health audiobooks on our platform.

“Narratives in fiction can have a very real impact on our mental health—helping shape how we see ourselves, perceive our place in the world, navigate challenges, and discover possibilities for healing and growth,” said Courtney Knowles, Senior Media Advisor for The Jed Foundation. “JED and I are proud to partner on this initiative, celebrating and inspiring unpublished novels that entertain while creating connection and fostering emotional well-being.”

Beyond the grants, Spotify is offering additional resources for authors, including:

    • A mental health resource hub: Developed in collaboration with JED, the hub provides support both for writing about mental health and for writers’ own mental well-being. Resources include:
    • 1:1 consulting with JED for awardees: Providing personalized support and guidance.
    • Programming and content focused on authors’ mental well-being: Addressing the unique challenges faced by writers and offering support for their mental health journeys.

“The Spotify Social Impact team and The Jed Foundation are important stewards of intentional programming with meaningful impact. I’m thrilled to be partnering with them on this initiative to amplify exceptional depictions of mental health in unpublished fiction,” said Randy Winston, Creative Director of Fiction at The Black List. “Storytelling and mental health go hand in hand. Through powerful conversations, this partnership will raise awareness and empower writers at all levels to prioritize their well-being.”

Submit your story

Submissions are now open on The Black List’s website and will close on July 8, 2025. Authors can submit their English-language manuscripts globally. A judging panel featuring experts from Spotify, The Black List, and JED, along with soon-to-be-announced notable authors, will select the five winning manuscripts.

Award recipients will be announced on October 10, 2025 (World Mental Health Day). For more details on eligibility and the application process, visit the submission page.

Spotify Partners With Crooked Lane and Alcove Press To Bring More Mystery and Crime Audiobooks

February 6, 2025

Our aim is to bring great audiobooks to as many people as possible, and we’re glad to give book fans more options as they discover their next great listens. Spotify Audiobooks—our in-house audiobook publishing imprint—has entered into an exclusive audiobook publishing partnership with Crooked Lane Books/Alcove Press, a leading publisher spanning commercial fiction genres and select nonfiction. 

Under the partnership, Spotify Audiobooks will publish titles from Crooked Lane and Alcove’s frontlist catalogs beginning March 2025. Titles will be distributed widely on Spotify via Spotify’s Audiobooks in Premium offering and available to purchase a la carte, as well as across more than 30 other digital retail and library channels. 

“Crooked Lane is thrilled. Spotify’s position as both a distributor and audiobook publisher plus their innovative approach make them the ideal partner,” said Matthew Martz, publisher at Crooked Lane and Alcove. “With over hundreds of millions of paid subscribers, we’re confident that Spotify will bring our books to new listeners. Spotify has done great work with our titles, and we know our authors are in the best possible hands.”

Spotify Audiobooks and Crooked Lane have partnered previously on multiple audio titles, including The Darkest Night edited by Lindy Ryan, I’ve Got My Mind Set on Brew by Stephanie Jayne, and A Dream in the Dark by Robert Justice. 

“We are so excited to kick off 2025 with such an important partnership,” Henna Silvennoinen, Associate Manager of Audiobooks at Spotify, said. “We’ve admired Crooked Lane’s catalog for years. Their strong commercial stories will appeal to listeners on Spotify and beyond, and this is just the beginning. We believe that partnering will elevate Crooked Lane and Spotify’s publishing to a whole new level.”

Spotify Listeners Gain Even More Great Stories With Audiobooks From Podium

February 6, 2025

Spotify listeners around the world have embraced our Audiobooks in Premium offering, and we continue to grow our catalog of titles to give them more options to discover and enjoy. Thanks to a new partnership with publisher Podium Entertainment, there are even more reasons for audiobook lovers to cheer: Podium is one of the largest audiobook publishers in the world and an industry leader in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and romance, and beginning today many of its popular and award-winning titles will be available to Spotify listeners. 

“Spotify is building a worldwide audience for audiobooks and reimagining what the format can be for authors and their fans,” said Duncan Bruce, Director, Audiobook Partnerships & Licensing, at Spotify. “We’re proud to partner with the great folks at Podium to further enrich our catalog of titles and bring more stories that readers love to Audiobooks in Premium.”

Audiobooks in Premium gives eligible paid subscribers 12-15 hours of audiobook listening per month. Through this offering, eligible listeners can easily explore, discover, and try audiobooks on Spotify with just one click. 

“We are incredibly excited to launch some of the industry’s hottest audiobooks with Spotify this week,” said Scott Dickey, CEO of Podium Entertainment. “As a rapidly expanding publisher with a catalog filled with extraordinary stories, this partnership with Spotify represents a tremendous opportunity to expand our fan base and reach new listeners on behalf of the amazing authors we represent at Podium.”

Spotify listeners can’t get enough of sci-fi, fantasy, and romance audiobooks  

On Spotify, the sci-fi & fantasy genres continue to gain popularity with listeners. At the end of 2024, the genre ranked in the top three for completion rates for audiobooks on our platform and in the top five for both return rates and hours per use. Now, with titles like Callie Hart’s #1 best-selling audiobook Quicksilver, the BookTok favorite The Serpent and the Wings of Night by Carissa Broadbent, and so much more, fans on Spotify have even more options to dive into.

Spotify is continually testing ways to bring fans closer to the stories they love, so selected Podium titles will leverage video clips to help listeners explore and discover audiobooks in new ways. Much like a digital book jacket, these videos help contextualize an audiobook for users so they can assess it before they commit to pressing play.

The Year in Audiobooks and How We’re Celebrating Spotify for Authors With a Special Wrapped Experience

December 4, 2024

From building a richer, more dynamic experience for listeners to expanding the data and promotional tools for authors and publishers, we’ve continued to keep “reading” top of mind on Spotify this year. And now, as we reflect back on 2024, it’s time to see what resonated with our listeners and how Wrapped for Authors has provided authors and publishers valuable insights into their work.

What listeners loved

It’s been a year since we launched Audiobooks in Premium, and both new releases and back-catalog titles from buzzworthy authors gained audiences across every genre on Spotify. If you’re looking for new audiobooks to add to your queue, discover the top global and U.S. audiobooks of 2024 here.

This year, we’ve also seen the boom of page-to-screen novels reflected in audiobook listening on Spotify. Colleen Hoover’s romance novel It Ends with Us and Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West are examples of acclaimed books that found their way to the big screen, and listens skyrocketed. James Clavell’s historical novel Shōgun saw a resurgence in popularity this year as its television adaptation kicked off in February. Other popular television shows based on books are George R.R. Martin’s Fire & Blood and Julia Quinn’s Romancing Mister Bridgerton. 

Check out the Wrapped Audiobooks hub on platform for more listening inspiration with playlists for Breakout Authors, Best Narration, and more. 

Wrapped for Authors

This year marks our first-ever Spotify Wrapped for Authors experience, giving eligible publishers and authors the opportunity to reflect on their achievements from 2024 through personalized data stories. Authors will receive insights about who their listeners are and how their audiobooks resonated with fans around the world, from the most popular time of day for consumption of their titles to the percentage of their audiences who started listening to an audiobook because of one of the author’s other titles. 

For the Record talked with Rebecca McGuire, Manager for Audiobook Partnerships and Licensing at Spotify, to learn more about this year’s inaugural Wrapped for Authors.

What can authors expect to find in their Wrapped for Authors experience? 

When we take a step back, there’s a lot to celebrate with audiobooks in 2024! We carried that spirit into the Wrapped for Authors experience; it’s a fun way to recognize authors, their work, and their fans. For the first time, publishers and authors can get access to their own personalized, one-of-a-kind data stories that give them a sense of how their audiobooks resonated with listeners around the world this year.   

How does Wrapped help authors connect more deeply with their fans? 

Spotify is very committed to helping authors build deeper connections—that commitment comes through in all of the tools and experiences we offer to our partners. For example, we launched Countdown Pages for audiobooks this year, which allows fans to presave upcoming audiobooks and count down to their release, which we know helps build hype and leads to more week-one streams. Wrapped for Authors is an extension of that work, providing the perfect opportunity for authors to learn more about and thank the fans who have listened and come along on their journeys! 

What are some of the biggest Spotify audiobook highlights from the past year?

There is so much to celebrate. First, we’ve expanded audiobooks to more markets so more listeners around the world can benefit from our Audiobooks in Premium offer. We’ve launched powerful new tools for authors and publishers, including the recent addition of Spotify for Authors, our platform for them to gain marketing tools and insights on Spotify. And, as I mentioned earlier, we’ve doubled down on bringing authors and publishers closer to their fans. I had the privilege of attending our recent fan event in New York City with Coco Mellors of Blue Sisters, and it was very rewarding to see the magic between an author and her most devoted readers and listeners. Now I look forward to seeing how our partners across the industry enjoy their Wrapped for Authors experience. 

What was the most memorable audiobook you listened to in 2024? 

It was undoubtedly Dolly Alderton’s Good Material. I listened to it when it was first released in January, and I am still thinking about Jen and Andy and their hilariously tragic relationship woes that were masterfully brought to life by narrators Arthur Darvill and Vanessa Kirby. To me, the sign of a great audiobook is when you can’t imagine reading it in any other format. I literally laughed out loud while listening to this audiobook, and I am now a firm believer that Dolly’s snappy and hilarious dialogue simply must always be listened to! 

And while there were certainly too many great audiobooks published in 2024 to count, I also love that back-catalog titles are finding great success on Spotify, creating pathways for authors to gain new audiences and giving listeners the ability to enjoy books of all kinds, right where they already are. 

If you’re on the hunt for your next great audiobook listen, check out our first-ever Global Top Audiobooks in Premium of the Year list, led by 2024’s buzziest author, Sarah J. Mass, and her A Court of Thorns and Roses series (a series that I have personally listened to about 12 times). There are some great picks on there! 

Explore your personalized 2024 Wrapped and learn more about this year’s campaign and experience on our 2024 Wrapped hub. Eligible authors can work directly with their publishers or Spotify reps to get access to their Wrapped for Authors experience.

Bingeworthy Audiobooks and Podcasts to Nourish Your Soul

November 25, 2024

‘Tis the season for gathering with family and friends! As we come together around our communal tables to celebrate, whet your appetite with some of Spotify editors’ favorite audiobooks and podcasts focused on food.

Appetizing Audiobooks

Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals

By Dolly Parton, Rachel Parton George
Narrated by Dolly Parton, Rachel Parton George, Maurice Miner

“Hey, good lookin’—what ya got cookin’?” That’s what Dolly Parton sings to her sister Rachel Parton George whenever she walks into her kitchen. Now you’re invited to pull up a chair to a year of meals, friends, and fun with the Partons, as Dolly and her sister (and favorite cook) share beloved, crowd-pleasing recipes and family stories.

Sobremesa: A Memoir of Food and Love in Thirteen Courses

By Josephine Caminos Oría
Narrated by Julie Gonzalo

We often overlook the soulful nourishment and magic that happens at sobremesa—the time spent talking after a meal—due to busy lives. In this coming-of-age adventure, Josephine Caminos Oría travels to her family’s homeland of Argentina in search of that magic. Steeped in the lure of Latin culture, she pieces together her mom and abuela’s pasts, along with the nourishing dishes that formed their kitchen arsenal. 

Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends

By benny blanco and Jess Damuck
Narrated by benny blanco

The debut cookbook from benny blanco—pop music super-producer, artist, actor on FXX’s Dave, and consummate food freak—teaches you everything you need to know about cooking, enjoying life, and throwing the greatest dinner party of all time. 

Cooking from the Spirit: Easy, Delicious, and Joyful Plant-Based Inspirations

By Tabitha Brown
Narrated by Tabitha Brown

Tabitha Brown, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Feeding the Soul, presents her first cookbook—full of easy, family-friendly vegan recipes and stories from the spirit, inspired by her health journey and love of delicious food. After living with a terrible undiagnosed illness for more than a year and a half, Brown tried a 30-day vegan challenge—and never looked back. 

 Ratio: The Simple Codes Behind the Craft of Everyday Cooking

By Michael Ruhlman
Narrated by Michael Ruhlman

Michael Ruhlman’s New York Times bestseller takes us to the very “truth” of cooking: it is not about recipes but rather about basic ratios and fundamental techniques that make all food come together. Why spend time sorting through the millions of cookie recipes? Isn’t it easier just to remember 1-2-3? That’s the ratio of ingredients that always make a basic, delicious cookie dough: 1 part sugar, 2 parts fat, and 3 parts flour. 

Palate-Pleasing Podcasts

Ringer Food

Juliet Litman and David Jacoby sample various snacks, share personal tales about food, and round up the latest in food news from around the world. And then come hang with Joe House and his culinary comrades on their House of Carbs segments to devour the latest additions to the food universe’s menu with a slate of tasty episodes throughout the year.

The Dave Chang Show

Momofuku restaurant-founder, and creator and host of Netflix’s Ugly Delicious, Dave Chang is also an avid student and fan of sports, music, art, and film. In wide-ranging conversations that cover everything from the creative process to his guest’s guiltiest pleasures, Dave and a rotating cast of smart, thought-provoking guests talk about their inspirations, failures, successes, fame, and identities.

 Gastropod

Co-hosts Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley explore the hidden history and surprising science behind a different food or farming-related topic, from aquaculture to ancient feasts, from cutlery to chile peppers, and from microbes to Malbec. They interview experts, visit labs, fields, and archaeological digs, and generally have lots of fun while discovering new ways to think about and understand the world through food.

Food People by Bon Appétit

Bon Appétit’s Editor-in-Chief Jamila Robinson engages in discussions about how we eat and why food matters. The show includes interviews with renowned voices from the food world, behind-the-scenes details into how the magazine is made, and insight from the latest stories.

The Sporkful

We obsess about food to learn more about people, and The Sporkful isn’t for foodies, it’s for eaters. Hosted by Dan Pashman, who’s also the inventor of the new pasta shape cascatelli, the show is a James Beard and Webby Award winner for Best Food Podcast.

A Hot Dog Is a Sandwich 

Mythical Chefs Josh Scherer and Nicole Enayati discuss, debate, and dissect the web’s most hilariously controversial culinary quandaries.

Food Network Obsessed 

Host Jaymee Sire sits down with chefs, food influencers, and Food Network personalities to dish on all things delicious in the food world. From exclusive behind-the-scenes stories, first (and worst) jobs in food, to cooking fails and culinary triumphs, no topic is off the menu. 

Spotify Inks a New Partnership With Bloomsbury To Offer A Greater Assortment of Audiobooks

November 22, 2024

Our library continues to grow. In 2022, we announced the addition of audiobooks to Spotify, and since then we’ve worked with publishers around the world to deliver more titles to our digital shelves. Today marks another exciting chapter for audiobook lovers thanks to a new partnership with Bloomsbury, one of the largest publishers in the U.K.

“As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of Audiobooks in Premium, there’s no better way to build on our momentum than with the addition of Bloomsbury’s beloved library,” said Duncan Bruce, Director of Audiobook Partnerships and Licensing at Spotify. “This partnership allows us to expand our author lineup and give listeners an even wider array of titles to enjoy, taking us another step forward in our goal of reimagining the audiobook experience.”

Spotify users will have access to more than 1,000 new titles from Bloomsbury’s award-winning catalog. It includes an array of stellar titles from acclaimed authors including Sarah J. Maas, William Dalrymple, Alan Moore, Madeline Miller, Dan Jones, Samantha Shannon, and Ann Patchett, all paired with narrations from top-tier talent such as Meryl Streep, Emilia Clarke, Adjoa Andoh, and Jamie Lee Curtis.

Listeners can lose themselves in epic, sweeping fantasies for adults, like Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, award winners such as Cuddy by Benjamin Myers (which won the Goldsmith’s prize in 2023), and the IPG Audiobook of the Year, Ghosts, read by the cast of the show. Listeners will also find thrilling adventures for kids, such as Katherine Rundell‘s Children’s Book of the Year, Impossible Creatures, read by Sam West. For lovers of nonfiction, Bloomsbury has works written and read by many distinguished historians, including Peter Frankopan, William Dalrymple, Dan Jones, and the recent number-one bestselling title, Want, Submitted by Anonymous, Collected by Gillian Anderson.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Spotify to bring our catalog of audiobooks to even more listeners. We are passionate about bringing the creative talents of our authors and narrators to as many listeners as possible, through our mission to inform, educate, entertain, and inspire readers of all ages and backgrounds. We feel confident that this partnership will help to introduce a whole new generation of listeners to audiobooks for years to come,” said Sam Halstead, Director of Audio at Bloomsbury.

The addition of this catalog continues our commitment to introducing the audiobook format to new listeners while also expanding opportunities and creating an additional revenue stream for the industry. Since launching audiobooks, Spotify has paid hundreds of millions of dollars to publishers on an annualized basis. Spotify’s aim is to be the best place for authors and publishers to get their books heard, and to bring great audio stories to as many people as possible. With a global audience of more than 615 million listeners, Spotify provides a new platform for authors and rights holders to share their content. 

There’s no experience quite like getting lost in an audiobook, and we’re thrilled to continue bringing more options and varieties to Spotify. Head to Spotify to discover your next great “read.”

6 Spotify Audiobook Features That Level Up Your Listening Experience

November 21, 2024

Since launching our audiobooks offering, we’ve continuously upped our game on designing a user experience that provides seamless and engaging listening. You may be so quick to get into your next “read” on Spotify that you don’t even notice some of the features in the app. ICYMI: Check out the innovations we’ve launched—and are testing—to enhance your audiobooks experience.

1. Author Pages

Currently in pilot mode with a select number of authors, these dedicated profiles for audiobook authors include biographical information about their backgrounds and works. Author Pages will aggregate their entire catalogs available on Spotify, making it easier for you to explore an author’s previous works, as well as new releases on our platform.

2. Sleep Timer for audiobooks

Our built-in Sleep Timer lets you enjoy an audiobook and drift off without having to worry about it continuing on until the end. You can decide how long you want it to play before it automatically stops. For eligible Spotify Premium users who get access to a certain amount of audiobook listening hours a month as part of their subscription, this feature is a great way to ensure you’re catching every minute. Visit this article to learn more about how to make our Sleep Timer part of any bedtime routine. 

3. Video clips for exploring audiobooks 

Fear of commitment? We’re testing a new video feature that allows select authors and publishers to submit a short video about a specific title. This can be an interview snippet, a backstage video from the audio recording session, a video message from the author, or something else. Much like a book’s jacket, these videos give you a taste of an audiobook before pressing play, offering an engaging way to explore and evaluate audiobook offerings.

4. Audiobook Countdown Pages

Countdown Pages allow you to save an audiobook prior to its release date so you can easily find it in your Spotify library once it’s live. Every time you visit the page, you can see how long you have until the title is available. Authors, publishers, and narrators can also use these pages to help promote their upcoming titles ahead of launch. Learn more about how to use this feature here.

5. Follow-Along

We’re also testing a “follow-along” feature on select titles. Follow-Along is an immersive visual experience that allows you to see time-synchronized illustrations, photos, and graphics (think: the supporting material usually included in paper books) as you listen to an audiobook. These listening enhancements that help contextualize a story are available in the “extras” section of the audiobook.

6. Audiobook playlists

Track all the books you want to read—old favorites, new discoveries—with our audiobook playlists. These curations can help you keep your library organized, and be a place for you to aggregate the audiobooks on your reading list. You’ll also find editorial playlists created by our audiobook team that highlight and categorize recommendations.

Now pull up your app and find your next audiobook obsession here.

Heroes’ Journeys: Audiobooks Exploring American History

November 11, 2024

In November 1919, President Woodrow Wilson marked the first commemoration of Armistice Day with these words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory.” More than a century later, one way to continue honoring those who have served in the armed forces is to listen to their stories. Here are some of Spotify’s editors’ top picks for audiobooks focused on pivotal moments in American military history. 

American Heroes

By James Patterson, Matt Eversmann, Tim Malloy
Narrated by Joe Mantegna

U.S. soldiers who served in overseas conflicts—World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan—recount the actions that earned them some of America’s most distinguished military medals, like the Medal of Honor. Described as the stories of those who acted in the spirit of camaraderie, patriotism, and for the good of our beloved country, American Heroes invites readers to think about duty, sacrifice, and what it means to be an American.

The Fly Girls Revolt: The Story of the Women Who Kicked Open the Door to Fly in Combat

By Eileen A. Bjorkman
Narrated by Lisa S. Ware 

In 1993, U.S. women earned the right to fly in combat, but the full story of how it happened is largely unknown. The Fly Girls Revolt chronicles the actions of a band of women who overcame decades of discrimination and prevailed against bureaucrats, chauvinists, anti-feminists, and even other military women. Drawing on extensive research, interviews with women who served in the 1970s and 1980s, and her experiences in the Air Force, Eileen Bjorkman weaves a riveting tale of the women who fought for the right to enter combat and be treated as equal partners in the U.S. military. 

Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany

By Donald L. Miller
Narrated by Joe Barrett

Masters of the Air is the gripping history of the American Eighth Air Force in World War II and the story of the young men who flew the bombers that helped bring Nazi Germany to its knees. Told by historian and World War II expert Donald L. Miller, the book is also a chronicle of life in wartime England and in the German prison camps, where tens of thousands of airmen spent part of the war. And it ends with a vivid description of the grisly hunger marches captured airmen were forced to make near the end of the war through the country their bombs destroyed.

When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day

By Garrett M. Graff
Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, Garrett M. Graff

The surprise sunrise landing of more than 150,000 Allied troops on the beaches of occupied northern France on June 6, 1944, is one of the most consequential days of the twentieth century. Garrett M. Graff, historian and author of The Only Plane in the Sky and Watergate, brings it all together in a one-of-a-kind, bestselling oral history of D-Day that explores this seminal event in vivid, heart-pounding detail.  

Miracle at Midway

By Gordon W. Prange, Donald M. Goldstein, Katherine V. Dillon
Narrated by Qarie Marshall

Thanks to cutting-edge code-breaking technology, tactical daring, and a huge stroke of luck, the Americans under Admiral Chester W. Nimitz dealt the Japanese navy its first major defeat of the war. Three years of hard fighting remained, but it was at Midway that the tide turned. This graphic, in-depth bestseller is the first book to tell the story of the epic battle from both the American and Japanese sides, showing how America won its first and greatest victory in the Pacific.

Keep digging into the past with more historical audiobooks here on Spotify.

Five Audiobooks From Debut Authors To Add to Your Queue

November 7, 2024

There’s nothing quite as special as an author’s debut. If you’re looking for fresh finds to add to your audiobook hit list, we’ve rounded up a collection of picks from first-time authors. From a laugh-out-loud workplace romcom to a thriller made for the social media age, there’s plenty to entice you to keep listening.

I Hope This Finds You Well 

By Natalie Sue
Narrated by Nasim Pedrad

Jolene, an admin worker, accidentally gains access to her colleagues’ private emails and decides to use the intel to save her job. But as she’s drawn further into their private worlds and realizes each is keeping secrets, her carefully constructed walls begin to crumble—especially around HR staffer Cliff, whom she definitely cannot have feelings for. This office comedy gives a fresh and tender look at loneliness and love beyond our screens.

Martyr!

By Kaveh Akbar
Narrated by Arian Moayed

Kaveh Akbar’s debut—already shortlisted for the National Book Award—tells the story of Cyrus Shams, a newly sober, orphaned son of Iranian immigrants. Guided by the voices of artists, poets, and kings, Cyrus embarks on a remarkable search for a family secret. This leads him to a terminally ill painter living out her final days in the Brooklyn Museum. Martyr! explores how we spend our lives seeking meaning—in faith, in art, in ourselves, and in others.

Saints of Storm and Sorrow

By Gabriella Buba
Narrated by Danice Cabanela, Dante Basco

This Filipino-inspired fantasy introduces readers to Maria Lunurin, a bisexual nun who has been living a double life. To the world, she is Sister Maria. Behind closed doors, she is a stormcaller, the chosen daughter of a goddess. Maria does what she can to protect her people and the small family she has created in the convent, until one day she makes a devastating discovery.

We Alive, Beloved: Poems

By Frederick Joseph
Narrated by Frederick Joseph

Bestselling author Frederick Joseph explores a new genre in this poetry collection that seeks to find joy in moments of difficulty—whether by illuminating the beauty of being Black, highlighting the hope that can be found in childhood, or sharing intimate truths revealed on a mental health journey. Each poem seeks to immortalize the fleeting moments of joy, love, resilience, and inspiration that often slip through the grasp of our fast-paced lives. 

Such a Bad Influence

By Olivia Muenter
Narrated by Krystal Hammond, Amanda Stribling, Deanna Anthony, Jesse Vilinsky, Kelli Tager, Joe Hempel, Charlotte Moore-Lambert, Mark Sanderlin, Yinka Ladeinde, Amara Jasper

Evie Davis is a mega-popular lifestyle influencer with a million-dollar career at a tender age. But to Hazel, @evelyn is just Evie, her beloved little sister and a kid who has been exploited her entire childhood. So when Evie disappears in the middle of a live stream, Hazel knows something is terribly wrong. Internet fame, the allure of parasocial relationships, and some of our deepest cultural obsessions collide in this electric thriller.

For more debut authors, head to our Be the First to Discover Them playlist on platform. 

Give Yourself a Scare With These Suspenseful Audiobooks

October 24, 2024

Gather your tricks and treats because Halloween season is upon us. Spotify launched our first Spine-Chilling Audiobooks hub this month featuring the “Fear Index,” an all-new editorial meter that consists of three curated shelves for every level of fright. These include editor- and author-curated playlists from Ashley Flowers, Freida McFadden, Alaina Urquhart, Alyssa Cole, and Stephen Graham Jones.

If you’re ready to dive all the way into the Halloween vibes, a thriller or mystery audiobook is a great start. Here are a few titles selected by Spotify’s editors that are sure to make your blood run cold.

The Midnight Feast: A Novel 

By Lucy Foley
Narrated by Joe Eyre, Sarah Slimani, Roly Botha, Laurence Dobiesz, and Tuppence Middleton

Lucy Foley’s latest murder mystery thriller begins at the opening night of a luxury retreat called the Manor. The infinity pool sparkles and the cocktails are flowing, but under the burning midsummer sun, darkness stirs. Old friends and enemies circulate among the guests. Just outside the grounds, an ancient forest bristles with secrets. It’s not too long before the local police are called. Turns out the past has crashed the party—with deadly results.

The Boyfriend: A Psychological Thriller 

By Freida McFadden
Narrated by Victoria Connolly and Adam Blanford

After a tough dating streak, Sydney Shaw finally thinks she’s hit the jackpot. Her new boyfriend is charming, handsome, and works as a doctor at a local hospital. Then the brutal murder of a young woman—the latest in a string of deaths across the coast—confounds police. The primary suspect? A mystery man who dates his victims before he kills them. Now Sydney can’t shake her own suspicions that the perfect man may not be as perfect as he seems.

 All Hallows: A Novel 

By Christopher Golden
Narrated by January LaVoy and Ron Butler 

 Christopher Golden is best known for his supernatural thrillers set in deadly, distant locales. But in this suburban drama, he brings the horror home. It’s Halloween night, 1984, in Coventry, Massachusetts, and mixed in with the trick-or-treaters are four children who do not belong. They seem terrified and beg the neighborhood kids to keep them safe from “The Cunning Man.” Strange things are happening, but with families falling apart and the neighborhood splintered by bitterness, who will save the children?

 The Only Good Indians 

By Stephen Graham Jones
Narrated by Shaun Taylor-Corbett

This New York Times bestselling novel is equal parts psychological horror and cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American Indian experience. The story follows the lives of four American Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity bent on revenge, totally helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

All Good People Here: A Novel 

By Ashley Flowers
Narrated by Brittany Pressley, Karissa Vacker, and Ashley Flowers

In this debut novel from the host of the true crime podcast Crime Junkie, a journalist uncovers her hometown’s dark secrets when she becomes obsessed with the unsolved murder of her childhood neighbor and the disappearance of another girl 20 years later. Twisty, chilling, and intense, the book asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?

For more spooky picks, head to our Spine-Chilling Audiobooks hub.

Spotify Launches Audiobooks in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg—and Premium Listeners Get Instant Access

October 14, 2024

Since its launch just over a year ago, Spotify’s Audiobooks in Premium offering has helped introduce the format to an entirely new audience across the U.S., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. We’re seeing more listeners try audiobooks for the first time and embrace new and different books, with hundreds of thousands of unique titles streamed.

Today, we’re thrilled to announce that listeners in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg will now have access to audiobooks, which includes exciting work from local authors such as Gaël Faye, Maylis de Kerangal, Joël Dicker, Suzanne Vermeer, and Saskia Noort, to name a few.

Eligible Spotify Premium subscribers in those countries will be able to access more than 200,000 audiobook titles as part of their subscriptions. Any title not included in our Audiobooks in Premium offering can be purchased à la carte. Listeners in these regions without a Premium subscription can also purchase any title on Spotify.

 

 

In partnership with publishers from across these markets, Spotify, the world’s most popular audio streaming subscription service, has the potential to grow the size of the audiobook industry overall. We are enabling more listeners than ever to discover and engage with a rich catalog of titles, including in their own language, and paving the way for future innovation of the audiobook format.

“Spotify’s reach presents a significant opportunity to expand the audiobooks market across France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Luxembourg,” said Antoine Monin, Managing Director, Spotify Western Europe. “Since our launch in Western Europe 16 years ago, Spotify has evolved into a leading platform for music, podcasts, and now audiobooks. We are proud to spotlight this region’s rich literary tradition, with 15,000 French and 15,000 Dutch and Flemish titles joining our catalog, advancing our mission to empower audio creators globally and connect them with audiences both locally and internationally.”

One year of Audiobooks in Premium

While it’s still early days, the reaction to Audiobooks in Premium from authors, publishers, and listeners in available markets has been remarkable. On Spotify, we’ve seen user engagement increase among listeners who started an audiobook for the first time. In the U.S., these users spend an average of five additional hours on Spotify over their first two months after starting a book.

This launch opens up new opportunities for local authors and rights holders and helps create an additional revenue stream for the industry. With 28% of Spotify’s users located in Europe, we’ll continue investing in and growing the available audience and revenue pies for publishers and authors.

Spotify announced this latest expansion today in Paris with a panel featuring voices from across the industry: Laure Saget, CEO of Hachette’s Audiolib and Audiobook Commission President at the French Publishers Association, Liza Faja, Head of Lizzie, the audiobook imprint of Editis, Éric Marbeau, Head of Digital Distribution at Madrigall, parent company of Éditions Gallimard and Editions Flammarion, and Timothée Borne, CEO of the immersive audio content production company Blynd Media.