In 2015, audiobook sales rose 20.7%, to $1.77 billion, according to the Audio Publishers Association's annual sales survey. Unit sales also grew, rising 24.1%, and the number of titles published in audio rose 37.1%, to 35,574, continuing a steady increase in the last five years from a base of 7,237 in 2011.
Among other finding of the survey, conducted by Management, Practice, digital download sales continue to rise faster than any other audio format, growing more than 34% in both sales and units. Adult titles still dominate audiobooks, accounting for 90.4% of audiobook sales. Fiction accounts for 76.3% of audiobooks sold. Some 96.3% of audiobooks sold are unabridged.
The abridged version of this information: the average audiobook sold today is a digitally downloaded, unabridged adult fiction title.