audio-only book shop opens in New York
Audiobook giant Audible opened what it bills as the first “bookstore without books” in New York on Friday, as industry statistics show more and more American consumers are adopting the format.
No rustling of pages or stacks of bestselling novels in the pop-up store opened by the Amazon subsidiary in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
“This is a physical location completely dedicated to bringing audio storytelling to life,” Audible CEO Bob Carrigan said Thursday during a press tour at “Audible Story House.”
It was a bit of a “wild” idea that “took quite a bit of imagination,” Carrigan said, adding that the month-long pop-up aims to “bring audiobooks to life in this environment where you can browse, you can connect with people.”
According to the Audio Publishers Association (APA), audiobook sales will reach $2.22 billion in the United States in 2024, almost doubling over the past five years.
Inside the store, tablets of audiobooks called “story tiles” line the shelves, ready to be inserted into a player for listening through headphones.
Each vignette broadcasts a short extract and the full title is accessible on the Audible application.
The platform, which dominates the audiobook market, offers paid subscriptions, individual purchases and free access to certain titles for Amazon account holders.
The venue also has a room lined with speakers for headphone-free listening, as well as a “Listening Bar” where “Story Tenders” will “guide attendees in finding the perfect audiobook for their tastes and interests,” according to the press release.
The space aims to reflect the format’s growing popularity as well as the “shift toward offline experiences and real-world connection.”
“Audible Story House taps into the nostalgia and community feeling of book culture while bringing it fully into the present,” the company said.
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