Miriam Spinnato
By Porter Anderson, Editor-in-Chief | @Porter_Anderson
‘Catering to Diverse Reader Preferences’
As many of our Publishing Perspectives readers know, Frankfurt Audio was a key component of the 76th Frankfurter Buchmesse. And the interest and energy in the audio sector was felt from the first day of this year’s trade show.
On Wednesday afternoon (October 16) Frankfurt Studio in Hall 4.0 just off the Agora presented four heavily attended consecutive hours of programming dedicated to issues in and around audio and audiobooks—a format sector that continues to grow in many world book markets and to attract ardent fans both inside and outside the book business.
For our Frankfurt Book Fair Show Magazine, we spoke with Miriam Spinnato, who directs digital sales trade at Mondadori Libri, encompassing not only ebooks but also audiobooks in the marketplace of Guest of Honor Italy.
Mondadori being the largest of Italy’s publishing groups, Spinnato is in an especially good position to see into the dynamics driving audio in Italy—the fourth largest of the European Union’s book markets but not the fastest to embrace digital publishing’s formats.
Gruppo Mondadori’s 2023 figures show it making €904.7 million (US$992.5 million), with 3,165 new titles published across 25 brands, including magazines and the digital publishing that’s Spinnato’s purview. The company’s workforce last year numbered 1,945 employees, 62 percent of them women and 38 percent men. Reporting an EBITDA of €152.1 million (US$166.9 million), the company reported net results for 2023 of €62.4 million (US$68.5 million).
As we open our conversation with Spinnato, we ask how much of a role audiobooks play for Mondadori, and— considering the debate in many English-language publishing markets—what seems to be the right formula for the frequency of an audiobook edition with a new release.
“At Mondadori,” Spinnato says, “audiobooks are considered an additional format to traditional print and ebooks, ensuring that our authors can reach a larger audience. What’s more, the audiobook is inherently an accessible format, allowing readers who may have difficulty with traditional reading—such as those with visual impairments—to access the content.
“But, no, not all new titles that are published in print and ebook formats are automatically released as audiobooks,” she says. “Unfortunately, only a small percentage—approximately 10 percent of the total new releases—are made available in audio within a short time frame, about a month, from the publication date of the other formats.”
Behind that limited level of activity, however, Spinnato points out, is a plan. “While the percentage might seem small,” she says, “this represents a strategic effort by Mondadori to gradually expand their audiobook offerings and cater to diverse reader preferences.”
Needless to say, the production of audiobooks is handled many ways by various publishers, some of them outsourcing the work and others, like Mondadori, building its own department for the format.
“The audio format presents a significant opportunity for the publishing market, because it caters to a different type of reader compared to traditional formats.”Miriam Spinnato, Mondadori Libri
“We have a dedicated team for the production and sale of audiobooks,” Spinnato says. That team “continuously collaborates with internal structures—such as editorial departments—and digital stores. During the recording phase, Mondadori utilizes professional studios in various cities across Italy.”
That team, she says, has gotten busy. “Mondadori’s audiobook production has increased significantly over the past two years,” she says. “This not only includes the releases of new titles in all formats but also includes catalogue titles that were published years ago, particularly long-sellers.”
Many publishing houses hope for a new life for their backlist through audio and other digital formats.
And in Italy, Spinnato says, “The audio format presents a significant opportunity for the publishing market, because it caters to a different type of reader compared to traditional formats. For instance, audio appeals to those who experience listening while engaging in other activities. This distinct advantage allows the audio format to reach an audience that might otherwise not engage with printed or digital text because of their lifestyle or preferences.
“Compared to more mature audio markets, Italy shows a greater potential for growth. The Italian audiobook market is relatively young, and the current catalogue of available audiobooks is still limited. This nascent stage provides ample opportunity for expansion and development, making it a promising area for publishers to invest in.”
Audio in the AI Discussion
Among many trade visitors at Frankfurt, one of the key conversations around audiobooks was how to handle the rising effectiveness and comparative affordability of text-to-speech technology. While many tie this discussion into the artificial intelligence, the presence of synthesized narration—with its speed, multilingual potentials, and less-than-studio costs—was growing long before “AI” was a hot-button phrase. If anything, the place of AI in contemporary business and chatter has re-energized the idea of producing whole backlists in audio for the first time, and more.
“Some market research here in Italy has shown a trend indicating that audiobook listeners are slightly more likely to be male, and a similar trend observed among podcast listeners.”Miriam Spinnato, Mondadori Libri
“This is currently one of the most debated points of attention,” Spinnato says, “especially within the broader context of generative artificial intelligence.
“As of now, Mondadori has not employed AI for audiobook narration, but it is indeed exploring this functionality.”
As fast as the automated systems have begun speaking myriad languages, however, there’s a drawback in her market, Spinnato says: “The results in Italiano do not yet match the quality achieved in other languages such as English and Spanish.
“In my opinion, while AI can present a significant opportunity in terms of production timelines, the human voice remains irreplaceable. Unlike other formats, the audiobook experience involves another key player—the narrator—who, through her or his emotional delivery, makes the listening experience unique and personal for the reader.”
Audio Adoption in Italy
As we conclude our exchange, we ask Spinnato about demographics in terms of audiobook adoption so far in Italy. Surveys in some international markets have shown audio to be a format that male consumers may be willing to try, not least because they can listen to a good book while handling errands, workouts, household duties, and so on.
This isn’t to say that women don’t respond with a clear appreciation of that multi-tasking opportunity to combine book-listening with other activities. But some wonder if the pleasure many men find in listening rather than sitting and reading visually may not help draw some of the male audience back to reading—or at least encourage them to add audiobooks as one of their regular entertainment go-to interests.
“Some market research here in Italy,” she says, “has shown the same trend, indicating that audiobook listeners are slightly more likely to be male. And it’s a similar trend observed among podcast listeners.
“Although these findings come from market research and are not definitively confirmed, they represent good news,” Miram Spinnato says, echoing publishers who have seen similar survey data among their consumers.
“It’s well known that readers of other book formats tend to be predominantly female. If this trend holds true, it would mean an expansion of the market, as we’ve discussed, by attracting a demographic that might not typically engage with traditional or digital texts.”
Penguin Random House’s Amanda D’Acierno and Audible’s Lee Jarit in a Publishing Perspectives Forum discussion on meeting the world markets’ rising demand for audio — October 16 in the Frankfurt Audio sequence of programming at Frankfurter Buchmesse. Image: Publishing Perspectives, Johannes Minkus
More from Publishing Perspectives on audiobooks is here, more on the Italian market is here, more on the Publishing Perspectives Forum is here, and more on Frankfurt Buchmesse is here.
This is an interview from our 2024 Frankfurt Book Fair Magazine, now available in a digital edition here.
Download your copy here.
You’ll also read our focused coverage of issues and events in the Guest of Honor Italy program; book market trends in Brazil, France, the Philippines, the Czech Republic, and Poland; perspectives on the international rights trade from Matthes & Seitz Berlin’s Meran Mentzel; commentary from independent publishers from Greece, Colombia, and Kenya.
PEN International president emerita Jennifer Clement speaks to Publishing Perspectives on censorship ahead of the IPA’s International Publishers Congress (December 3-5); there’s an exit interview with the outgoing IPA president Karine Pansa of Brazil; a wide-ranging interview with Scholastic chief Peter Warwick; perspectives on audio in Italy from Mondadori’s Miriam Spinnato; and more.
More on Frankfurter Buchmesse is here, and more on Guest of Honor Italy 2024 is here, and more on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is here.
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