Back in the 90’s I remember going to a library and checking out an abridged audiobook that came on multiple cassette tapes. I listened to it on a road trip and didn’t like it at all. The unabridged version is so much better than the abridged! I want every word of a novel, the way the author wrote it. That said, I certainly understand why they abridged audiobooks back in the day. 15-20 cassette tapes would have been needed to span a full-length, unabridged novel. Production costs, even of abridged books, were high. So the sale price was very high. So only a few books were offered in audio format.
Later, the industry graduated to unabridged books made available on CDs. For a few of my titles, the company who bought the audio rights sent me little cases filled with CDs containing the audiobook!
In 2012, when I popped the first CD from My Stubborn Heart’s audiobook into a boom box and pressed “play”, I found it incredibly weird to listen to someone reading my book aloud. It was so unsettling and cringey, in fact, that I turned it off after only a minute or two. I don’t fault the quality of the audiobook or the narrator for that. I reacted that way because 1) I had no practice listening to books other than the children’s books my mom read to me when I was little and 2) I’d only ever experienced my own novels by reading them with my eyes. At that moment in time, audiobooks felt like a bridge too far.
But then in 2014, I learned about a platform called Audible. They were offering a free trial. I could download an app on my phone and stream audiobooks. [!!!] No cassette tapes or CDs needed. In 2014, I was a busy mom who spent a hefty chunk of each day driving my kids around Dallas. I’d decided to read a biography written by a pro football player in order to research the hero of the book I was working on, Her One and Only. It struck me how time-efficient it would be if I could listen to that biography while driving. So, in September of 2014, I listened to my very first audiobook on Audible.
And–just like that–I fell in love with audiobooks.
A lot of you were falling in love with them around the same time. What had once been a niche in the book market experienced tremendous growth, with revenue from audiobooks more than tripling between 2015 and 2025.
For my Sons of Scandal series, I decided to produce the audiobooks myself. That was largely a creative decision. I’m such a fan of audiobooks that I was set on hearing my books the way that I wanted them to sound with both a male and female narrator. I had no idea whether I’d earn back the money I spent on them. But, to my great surprise, the growth of the larger audiobook market has played out with these novels. In 2023, these books accounted for 15% of my income. In 2024 (and so far in 2025) they account for 30%. Readers listening through their libraries are driving most of that! Followed by Audible listeners. Followed by all the other outlets. So thank you for listening to books via any platform. They’re ALL helpful!
To celebrate completing this series, I’m giving away 100 audiobooks! Enter to win Memory Lane or Rocky Road, by filling out the form below. [And if you have reader friends who love audiobooks, I’d be grateful if you’d encourage them to enter. :)]
What is your history with audiobooks? Do you remember abridged audiobooks, casettes, CDs?
Becky Wade
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I remember listening to books on tape as a child. My dad was in the military and we lived overseas and didn’t have TV. I think that sparked my love of reading. Now as a busy mom and grandma I listen to a lot of books. We also listen as a family on trips. I have books I listen to with my 15 year old son and ones I listen to with my 10 year old daughtee too. I listen on Libby through the library, Youtube (love Jay Dyess), Chirp, Sporify, and Bookfunnel.
Thanks for the giveaway. God bless, Kim in NC
Kim, I LOVE that audiobooks are something you shared with your family when you were growing up and something you continue to share with your children now. It makes me smile to picture you all listening on family trips!
We had them all, cassettes, CDs, and now digital audiobooks. Love to listen on the way to work or on road trips.
Yes, they make driving so much more enjoyable!!
My very first experience with audiobooks was actually via vinyl… I had this little red record player and some of my books (I remember Winnie-the-Pooh and Strawberry Shortcake) came with records tucked into the back cover. I can still hear the “beep” to indicate it was time to turn the page. Haha. But audiobooks didn’t carry with me through the years until I found some on CD. I wasn’t a big listener though until a few years ago when I joined Audible. I do think those early years of listening while holding the book have sparked my love of immersion reading.
“I had this little red record player and some of my books (I remember Winnie-the-Pooh and Strawberry Shortcake) came with records tucked into the back cover. I can still hear the “beep” to indicate it was time to turn the page” Oh my goodness! That is the sweetest memory. You were immersion reading as a child!!
My journey with audiobooks is very similar to yours. I now listen to books daily through my public library on Hoopla and Libby. They are great to listen to while driving and doing routine chores around the house!
I couldn’t agree more!!
Audiobooks and I go waaaay back. I didn’t listen during the cassette tape era, but a “brick” of CDs often accompanied me on weekend road trips in the 1990s and early 2000s. I’m so thankful for the convenience of digital audiobooks. I listen primarily through Libby, and highly recommend Libro.fm as an alternative to Audible; a portion of every Libro.fm purchase supports the independent bookstore of your choice!
Love that Libro.fm uses a portion of the purchase to support indie bookstores! Like you, I’m thankful for the convenience of digital audiobooks. 🙂
My kids had those books with a record in the back too. They loved them but still wanted me to read the books to them too. My own first memory of audiobooks is listening to a book on the 3+-hour drive to a retreat with writing friends in Kansas City every January. I could never quite finish a whole book on the round trip, but it sure made the time fly!
These days, I can’t imagine taking a road trip with an audiobook for company! Selecting my audiobook is a big part of my preparation. As you said, it helps make the time fly!
When my cousins and I were young, we listened to audio cassette books. I remember sitting around the book and turning the pages of Thumbelina as the narrator read. I have only listened to one audiobook by Tamara Alexander as an adult, but I enjoyed it so much, that I applied for a library card so I can read more.
What a sweet memory of listening to books on cassette while reading!
Growing up, audiobooks weren’t much of an option (unless one needed them for English class in school). These days, I use the Libby app and constantly have at least 1 audiobook on the go (great for background listening for work) and have maxed out the number of holds i can have. The horror now is that they all show up at once.
LOL! The Libby app is brilliant. Like you, I always have an audiobook “on the go”!
I have listened to a lot of disks, before the CDs and CDs. The late 50’s sons,60’s songs, and the classical western singers – Pasty Cline, Loretta Lynn, and others. Also on road trips with our children we listened to the Odyssey tapes. I think later on in our life we have listened to audio books on road trips. Our oldest son listens to afio books all the time. Thanks for offering your audible books in a give away. The Lord’s blessings to you and your family. Enjoy each day to its fullest.
Thank you, Elsie! The Lord’s blessings to you and your family, too.
I don’t ever remember listening to books on cassette, but I do remember stopping at Cracker Barrel, and getting books on CD to take on a road trip! Or getting them from the library on CD. But both of these were pretty rare occasions.
I really started listening to audiobooks pretty seriously about 2-3 years ago. I think this started after listening to book/author podcast pretty regularly for a while. I thought if I enjoyed those I might like listening to books. Turns out I do! I haven’t calculated the percentage, but I would guess 30-40% of my ‘reading’ is audiobooks.
Also I find myself enjoying genres I wouldn’t normally pick up a paperback of. Not sure why this is.
Is Uneasy Street available on audiobook yet?
Yes! Uneasy Street is available as an audiobook. 🙂
Isn’t it great to supplement your reading with audiobooks? That has allowed me to consume many more books per year. “I find myself enjoying genres I wouldn’t normally pick up a paperback of” This is true of me also! I’m not sure why either. Perhaps, since audio is already a different “reading” experience, we feel more comfortable taking a whirl on different genres, too?
I do remember abridged audio books on cassettes & I have listened to unabridged books on CD. I have had technical problems with both kinds–like scratches on CDs & the story skips.
My best listening experience was an unabridged book by Jody Picoult–The Storyteller, I think. I was so glad I was listening to the book instead of reading it because of the different languages spoken in the book. I don’t read or speak German or Russian. I’m not familiar with Jewish idioms. After that, I decided if I wanted to read a book in which characters of different nationalities were involved, I would select an audio version.
The only problem I have with listening to a book is my mind tends to wonder. Plus my hands want to be doing something while I listen.