US audiobook platform Libro.fm launches to indie bookshops in UK
Posted on in Business News
Independent bookshops in the UK can now sell audio books through Libro.fm. Launching in the last couple of weeks in the UK, the digital audio book platform, which already partners with independent bookshops in the US and Canada, is now available to indie bookshops in the UK, Australia and New Zealand.
Mark Pearson, Libro.fm co-founder and CEO., said: “We’re excited for booksellers to start using Libro.fm and gain confidence in the platform ahead of launch, and know they’ll look forward to sharing it with their customers."
Madison Mullen, product manager at Libro.fm, added: “In 2022, 29% of new visitors to our website were from outside the US, so we know that there are readers all around the world who are eager to support their local bookshops with their audiobook purchases. We have six years of experience working with 12,000+ booksellers across 2,100 bookshops in the US and Canada, and our highest priority is making sure that Libro.fm is an audiobook service that booksellers around the world will be proud to promote to their customers.”
Libro.fm is an employee-owned social purpose corporation founded in 2014, with a digital audiobook platform that works with 2,100+ bookshops to offer audiobooks and monthly audiobook memberships. The platform aims to enable bookshops to compete against Amazon’s Audible subscription model, offering 300,000 titles that can be redeemed through credits. Currently, more than 80% of Libro.fm partner bookshop revenue comes from monthly memberships, though customers can also purchase individual audiobooks.
Earlier this year, Bookshop.org, the online bookselling platform for independent bookshops, revealed it had completed a £1.5m fundraising round which would enable it to add audiobooks and e-books to its UK platform. The online retailer will also develop a mobile app for customers. Bookshop.org said the move would enable independent bookshops in the UK to offer audiobooks and e-books. It is planning to launch a private beta version of its service in late 2023, followed by a full launch in 2024.