Audiobooks and Digital Book Culture:Australian Books and Publishing at a Time of Global Disruption
In Australia, as in other Western nations, one of the biggest developments in book culture in the 21st century has been the rise of audiobooks.Audiobooks materially reconfigure established understandings of books, reading and literacy and are hugely popular. Indeed, audiobooks have long overtaken ebooks in terms of market growth, and for more than a decade, have been the biggest growth sector in publishing, with consumer research showing that 6.6 million Australians have listened to audiobooks.
Audiobooks and Digital Book Culture aims to build understanding of how audiobooks are changing practices of reading, publishing and writing. It concentrates on Australian publishing and its relationship to international trends, generalising from this to understand major global changes to Anglophone publishing and media industries. It analyses local and international audiobooks’ role in Australian book culture and reading practices. This includes how they fit with established reader habits and tastes, cultural formations, and institutions, such as book clubs, festivals, prizes, reviews, libraries, and school curricula.
Funding and collaborations
This research project is funded by an Australian Research Council Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) and supported by collaborations with industry professionals including authors, narrators, publishers and libraries; advocacy organisation Vision Australia; AustLit, the national database of biographical, bibliographical, and critical information about Australian writing; and academic researchers at ANU and other institutions. Outcomes of the project will include a comprehensive database of Australian audiobook titles which will be integrated into AustLit, academic outputs such as a book and articles, and reports tailored for industry and community stakeholders.
Contact
Enquiries, including from prospective PhD or Honours students, are welcomed to Dr Millicent Weber: millicent.weber@anu.edu.au
More information
Society for Audiobook Research: www.audiobookresearch.com