Sweden's BookBeat Rides High on the Pandemic's Audiobook Boom - Publishing Perspectives

As Panzer was tootling around in the Catosphere today, he heard clapping and cheering outside the Panzermobile. Since our traveling kitty boy is getting really, really tired of hearing only bad news every day, he followed all the jocularity outside to the Publishing Perspectives site.There he discovered a post about the Swedish audiobook listening app BookBeat.

Are you tired of this virus thingy too?

According to the post by Porter Anderson, Sweden's BookBeat subscriber numbers are skyrocketing on the heels of the coraonavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. Because of the pandemic lockdowns, people in Finland and Germany are flocking to the BookBeat subscription service app for their audiobook entertainment. BookBeat is a smartphone app for listening to audiobooks. The company's subscriber number has now hit 300,000 and is projected to continue to rise as the pandemic and lockdowns drag on. The last part of the post discusses the lack of commute time because of the lockdowns. This change in commute time has led to the loss of listeners for podcasts as listeners switch to audiobooks.

Panzer says, "MeWoW! 300,000! That's a lot of listeners!"

Note: This is a humongous length post. Bring a gallon of tea and twelve muffins for today's reading selection.

To read the post tootle over to BookBeat

'Screen fatigue' sees UK ebook sales plunge 17% as readers return to print - The Guardian

I hate thunder and lightening.

We've been having thunder storms all afternoon, so Panzer's trip into the Catosphere was very short. Our brave kitty stopped in at The Guardian site. There he found a post about the decline in ebook sales in the UK.

According to the post at The Guardian, 2016 ebook sales declined by 17 percent in the Uk. One of the main reasons mentioned in the post is consumers switching from ereaders to smartphones. Smartphone screens are not as easy to read on as ereader screens. Along with the lack of ease of use of smartphones is the fact children's books are more appropriate in printed form. The post includes other reasons for the decline as well.

Panzer says, "Sorry about the short trip, but the Panzermobile isn't soundproof."

Note: This is a v-e-r-y l-o-n-g post. Bring a thermos of tea and a half dozen cookies (biscuits) for today's reading selection.

To read the post, tootle over to ebook sales plunge

The Fastest Growing Format in Publishing: Audiobooks - The Wall Street Journal

Panzer's trip into the Catosphere today took him to The Wall Street Journal site. There our adventuresome kitty reporter found a post about audiobooks.

According to the post by Jennifer Maloney, audiobook sales are skyrocketing in the United States and Canada. Combined their sales of audiobooks are up 21 percent in 2015 over 2014. Smartphone users are a big driver behind the sales, especially with the availability of cars with built-in Smartphone connection capabilities. The availability of audiobooks through subscription services like Scribd also help propel sales as well. The post includes a lot of information about audiobooks with quotes, statistics and numbers.

I can do that. I have a good voice.

Panzer says, "Hmmm ... Maybe I need to do an audiobook of Cat Wisdom for Humans."

Note: This is a h-u-m-u-n-g-o-u-s post. Bring two thermoses of tea, two dozen muffins and a sleeping bag (for a nap in the middle).

To read the post, tootle over to audiobooks

A new app is trying to get India to read more by being the Netflix of books - Mashable

I lost my smartphone.

Panzer's trip today was a fun exploration in the Catosphere. Our brave kitty stopped in at the Mashable site. With just a little digging he found news about a new startup app company called Juggernaut.

According to the post by Sonam Joshi, a new smartphone app by Juggernaut is launching in India. The initial offering will be small at only 100 titles. The price per ebook will be between "Rs 10 (15 cents) and up to Rs 150 ($2.25)". For easy smartphone reading, the ebooks are less than 25,000 words. Currently, the books are commissioned. Juggernaut compares their service to Netflix. If the company finds the right approach, there appears to be a huge smartphone reading app market in India.

Panzer says, "This kitty will be watching Juggernaut to see how it goes."

Note: This is a l-o-n-g-ish post. A cup of tea and a muffin should be enough for today's reading session.

To read the post, tootle over to Juggernaut