Design by Craig Oldham. Photo by Carl Gosling for Bookshop.org
Bookshop.org’s audiobooks launch allows indie bookshops to earn full profit on audiobook sales for the first time
From, Wednesday 8 July 2026:
Bookshop.org, the ethical alternative to Amazon that supports independent bookshops, is launching its new audiobook offer. For the first time, readers can buy books in all formats from indie bookshops. LISTEN UP. Audiobook listening station at Real Magic Books
Customers will be able to buy and listen to audiobooks on one easy-to-use platform, while financially supporting indie bookshops in their fight against Amazon (who owns Audible). Audiobooks will be available to buy on a subscription model priced at £12.99 per credit/month, which has been designed to generate the most revenue for indie bookshops.
To mark the launch, Bookshop.org will offer exclusive audiobook content to listeners, which will be available exclusively when buying an audiobook from their platform. These “indie exclusives” include:
- A speech by Meta whistleblower and Careless People author Sarah Wynn-Williams, about the “analogue tenacity of books” in the face of powerful people trying to silence important stories.
- A conversation between best-selling thriller writer Adele Parks and her narrator, Kristin Atherton, answering questions collected from her readers & listeners.
- An exclusive new lecture from journalist and historian Max Hastings about bravery and valour across wars.
- A message directly from Cody Dahler, author of The State of This!
- An exclusive conversation between Ellery Lloyd, thriller author of Time to Burn, and narrator Louise Brealey.
The audiobook market in the UK is growing rapidly, with no signs of slowing down. The
most recent data provided by the Publishers Association revealed that in 2025, audiobooks were worth £255 million, up 10% on the previous year – significant in comparison to the overall publishing industry which only grew by 3%. A 2025
study by YouGov has shown that 30% of readers listened to audiobooks in the previous year.
While the number of independent bookshops in the UK and Ireland has risen from 1,025 to 1,086 in the last year, reaching its highest level since 2012, bookshops are still struggling with surging operational costs.
With audiobooks, Bookshop.org offers booksellers a meaningful, regular revenue stream, and a tool to advance their growth. Readers will now be able to support their local booksellers through audiobook subscriptions, while benefiting from human recommendations and the valued community that independent bookshops are uniquely positioned to deliver.
In our National Year of Reading, celebrating and encouraging all forms of storytelling – including audiobooks – is key to aiding access and development of a genuine passion for reading. Research by the National Literacy Trust revealed that 37.5% of children and young people said listening to audiobooks
'sparked their interest' in reading. There is also
evidence that audiobooks support wellbeing, help close gender gaps in enjoyment, inspire interest in reading and widen access to stories. Bookshop.org’s new offering marks a crucial step towards diversifying sources for readers to find their reading fix.
Carl Gosling and Sophie Green, from Real Magic Books: “It is fantastic that our customers will be able to use Bookshop.org for audiobooks, we’re asked about it all the time. Audiobook-loving Real Magic regulars want to be able to come in the shop, browse and use our enthusiasm and recommendations to inform their next audiobook choice. We want all audiobook users to feel fully part of our community and to be able to shop ethically on the high street. It is a huge win for independent bookshops.”
Andy Rossiter, from Rossiter Books: “We are delighted the audiobook option has been added to the offering on Bookshop.org. The ‘anytime, anywhere’ nature of listening to audiobooks is really appealing and the market is growing rapidly. Having them added to Bookshop.org is a great way to get more people into more books and to give indie booksellers access to this expanding market.”
Rosamund de la Hey, from The Main Street Trading Company: “As an indie bookseller and huge fan of listening as well as reading, it’s wonderful news that our online partner, Bookshop.org, are launching audiobooks.”
Kit de Waal, Author of The Best of Everything and My Name is Leon: “Listening to someone tell us a story is the most intimate and the oldest form of storytelling there is. That’s only one reason audiobooks are so appealing. If you add in a great narrator and the fact that you can multitask reading and commuting or housework or gardening and you have the most wonderful way of reading more books for pleasure, for work or for education. And your local independent bookshop is just the place to get started. Tell them your tastes and they will definitely know what to recommend.”
Nicole Vanderbilt, Managing Director of Bookshop.org UK, said: “We’re excited to be launching a whole new product that offers a significant, and importantly, regular revenue stream for independent bookshops. Audiobooks have become such an important part of the way we tell stories and a vital part of the book industry's growth. We are excited to give the 30% of readers who have listened to an audiobook in the last year a better way to buy their audiobooks: there's no reason for them to turn to Amazon now! With our new subscription service, indie bookshops benefit from every credit purchased.”
About Bookshop.org
Bookshop.org is an online bookshop with a mission to financially support local, independent bookshops.
Bookshop.org first launched in the USA in January 2020 and has already raised over $46m for independent bookshops in the States. Bookshop.org launched in the UK in November 2020, and currently has over 650 independent bookshops and over 11,000 affiliates using the platform. The UK site has generated over £5m for independent bookshops since its launch, being named Retailer of the Year in the British Book Awards in 2022.
Independent bookshops receive full profit on the sales and subscriptions they generate from their shopfront on the platform. On all other sales, 10% of the cover price is added to a pool distributed to independent bookstores. Print books are offered to consumers at a small discount, with free shipping on orders over £25, and in stock books are delivered within 2-3 days. Ebooks can be read and audiobooks listened to on Bookshop.org’s own app
Bookshop.org is a Certified B Corporation and has received the prestigious status as a B Corp Best for the World 2022.
