“We’re heading toward a more fluid concept of audio storytelling—less about strict categories, more about listening experiences.”

Frankfurt Audio puts the spoken word in the spotlight. With its Audio Ambassador, the book fair has offered a special service to its exhibitors and trade visitors. As an expert from the audio publishing industry, the ambassador helps to connect interested trade visitors with exhibitors in the Frankfurt audio area. 

After two years as Frankfurter Buchmesse’s Audio Ambassador Carlo Carrenho, publishing consultant and founding member of the Alpine Global Collective, hands over this role to Ama Dadson, founder and CEO of AkooBooks Audio. In an interview, they shared their personal connection and background to the audio market, the potential of AI, trends from the business and consumer perspective, and the African and Scandinavian audio markets.

Carlo, as an audio ambassador, you have played a crucial role in connecting people from the publishing and audio industries. What is it about the audio market and industry that you like especially? Is there one special moment associated with that role that still sticks with you?
What I like most is, honestly, the people. There's something different about them. They are fun, open, and outgoing. At Frankfurt, the two best parties—on Wednesday and Thursday—are always tied to the audio scene, which says a lot.
Audiobooks are also the "last format" in our industry, still growing and evolving, which attracts forward-thinking professionals with a startup mindset and drive for innovation. Whether I'm talking to people in Germany, Sweden, Argentina, or Africa, those working in audio are among the most dynamic and creative in publishing. The best parties at Frankfurter Buchmesse being hosted by audio folks is ultimate proof of this, isn't it?
A special moment, that stayed with me, happened in 2024: On Saturday, during my last meeting at the fair, I met a group from Uzbekistan behind a platform called Mutolaa. It's fascinating: over one million users offering both audiobooks and eBooks for free in Uzbek. I was amazed by the scale and quality, a region I find truly intriguing. The team was incredibly kind—they even brought gifts from Uzbekistan. It was one of the most unexpected and enriching meetings I've had. 

Ama, you have a background as a computer scientist and tech innovator. Tell us, how did you get into the audiobook business?  
Books are essential on our path to literacy. However, for millions of Africans on the continent books are often unavailable, unusable or unaffordable.
Access to text is a major barrier to literacy. My mother, a children’s book writer, taught me to read and the seeds for my business go back over a decade ago when she became blind and I was looking for a way to get her accessible African books.
African book discovery is non-existent. One side of the problem is access. Africa is stuck in the analogue publishing model – beautiful, printed books on paper, expensive to produce, distribute and store. With AkooBooks Audio we’ve built a but a pan – an African digital home for African books. A global storytelling platform for Gen Z and Gen A millennials. It consists of a web-based platform and mobile apps, and we also distribute through major audiobook platforms, such as Spotify and Audible.

Everyone is talking about the use and potential of AI narration in the audio market at the moment. Which opportunities and developments do you see in this area?  
Ama: AkooBooks is taking a leading position in AI narration, which we see as essential to helping us become a more productive and efficient business. AI narration as part of our regular audio production process helps cut down production costs and time to produce  African literature  backlists. We utilize voice interaction and Machine Learning (ML) to bring community tools for book discovery, reviews, sharing and showing readers where to find their African books. We have a partnership with the innovative Australian company BookBot, for an AI reading tutor programme in Ghanaian accented English and local languages.

Carlo: I believe the real opportunity with AI narration lies in empowering smaller publishers—especially those operating in smaller markets or working with "smaller languages." Until now, high production costs have been a major barrier. Creating an audiobook has required significant upfront investment with a long and uncertain path to profitability. For many publishers, that has simply been out of reach.
AI has the potential to change that by lowering the cost of entry and allowing publishers to experiment more affordably. The costs still need to decrease further to make it truly viable across the board, but we're clearly moving in the right direction.
I see AI as a force for democratization in the audiobook industry. It created opportunities for new players and local audiobook ecosystems in countries and languages that have been underserved. Perhaps even more exciting: I believe we'll see a stronger flow of content from smaller markets into larger ones, rather than just the opposite. For instance, Estonian publishers are more likely to release English-language audiobooks than British publishers are to produce titles in Latvian. AI can help make that happen—both through narration and translation.
There will always be room for high-quality human narration, especially in premium productions. Having a more affordable alternative through AI gives the industry a chance to grow, diversify, and include more voices.

@ both: Audiobooks continue to gain popularity and further market growth is being predicted in numerous countries. Which trends are you currently seeing in listener preferences or production styles? 
Ama: When it comes to African markets: Audiobooks appeal to Africans because we tell African stories in our own voices, speaking to a part of us that not only identifies with storytelling, but also bonds with it as it reminds us of folklore and oral traditions that are slowly fading. 
To name some trends: Short forms and episodic listening are popular, as these are convenient ways to listen to content on a regular basis. Achieving goals and success are important to young Africans, which means that self-help and business books are popular, help achieving their goals and increasing productivity. Also, biographies are popular as well, as young adults seek inspiration, consolation and the unvarnished truth from other people’s life experiences.

Carlo: Since I mostly work on the business side of publishing and the audiobook industry, the trends I observe are mostly related to business models and formats.
The first major trend is the rise of subscription models. As Spotify expands further into Europe—starting with the Benelux region and now moving into the DACH markets—we're seeing subscriptions become the dominant model. It's not the unlimited model we know from Scandinavia, but it's still moving away from à la carte sales. Consumers clearly prefer the convenience and value of subscriptions, and I believe the industry's future lies in subscriptions as a default model, ideally one that also works economically for publishers.
The second big trend is the convergence of audiobooks and podcasts. From the consumer's perspective, the lines between the two are increasingly blurred. A book released in episodic form and a podcast with narrative structure often feel like the same product. This convergence could create some friction—especially as podcasts traditionally struggle with monetization—but subscription models might help.
To add one more trend, we are seeing overlaps of genres. True crime, for example, is hugely popular both as podcasts and in audiobook crime fiction. This shows how closely aligned listener preferences are across these formats. I think we're heading toward a more fluid concept of audio storytelling—less about strict categories, more about listening experiences.

Ama, your audio business is based in Ghana and focuses on audiobooks from different African countries. Can you tell us a bit more about (the latest developments in) African audiobook markets?
In East and West Africa podcasts featuring multiple hosts and interviews on a wide range of topics are very popular and proving to be a gateway to audiobooks. But, there are only a few independent audiobook companies in West Africa. 
North Africa is leading the African audiobook market with expansion to the Arabic- speaking markets. Major players like Storytel have expanded their presence in the Arabic-speaking world, including Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco; and there's a growing trend of African publishers producing their own audiobooks.
South Africa has a vibrant audiobook market due to the presence of major global publishing players, including Penguin Random House South Africa, Jonathan Ball Publishers, Oxford University Press South Africa and Pan Macmillan South Africa. They are extending their audio catalogues in these markets.

Which developments are you seeing in Sweden (or Scandinavia), where you are based, Carlo?
Sweden and Scandinavia are both often referred to as a supermature audiobook market. The level of penetration is remarkable. In Sweden, around one million households have an audiobook subscription, which is a massive figure for a population of just 10 million. The rest of the region, including Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and particularly Finland, shows similar or even higher penetration rates.
To put it into perspective: in 2024, 62% of all unit book sales in Sweden were in audio format. So, when we talk about "new developments" in a market this advanced, the question becomes: Is there even room to grow? 
One key development is the upcoming entry of Spotify into the Scandinavian audiobook market. They've been actively hiring, and it seems like a launch is imminent. This could go one of two ways: either Spotify's arrival will grow the overall market—lifting all boats, as the optimistic take goes—or it could lead to intense competition, simply shifting market share away from existing players.
Either way, it will be fascinating to observe what happens when a global platform enters a market that's already highly developed. I believe the rest of the world should keep watching Scandinavia closely— as they often foreshadow what's to come in other regions.

@both: And last but not least: Is there an audiobook (/audio project) you’ve been involved in developing or have recently listened to that you’d recommend to tune into?

Ama:  I’m very excited about our Apollo Africa Audio collection.
It brings the iconic Apollo Africa: African Writers Series—published by Black Star Books, Head of Zeus, part of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc—straight from the page to your ears.
It has been produced in collaboration with top recording studios across the African continent and beyond, featuring dynamic, contemporary Black and African voice talents. Our inaugural series showcases 12 titles from Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and South Africa—and we can’t wait for you to hear them!

Carlo: Rather than recommending a single audiobook, I'd like to highlight a broader audio project model—especially when it comes to children's content: speaker boxes.
Getting traction for children's audiobooks has been a challenge in many markets. Even in audiobook-strong regions like Scandinavia, growth in children's audio has lagged far behind adult content. But speaker boxes—essentially toy-like devices that play audiobooks—have started to change that. They're fun, tactile, and children-friendly, and they offer an experience that goes beyond just listening.
The best-known example is Tonies, which has seen massive success in Germany and is expanding rapidly across Western markets. More examples are Yoto to, based in the UK with a strong presence in France, and FABA in Italy.
These speaker boxes make fantastic gifts and offer one of the few truly successful pathways to introduce children to audiobooks in an engaging way. They're not just building listening habits—they're building the next generation of audiobook listeners.

Thank you for the interview!

The interview was conducted by Ines Bachor, PR Manager at Frankfurter Buchmesse.

Learn more about Ama Dadson (opens in a new window)
Learn more about Carlo Carrenho(opens in a new window)
More about Frankfurt Audio: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/highlights/professional-programme/special-topics/frankfurt-audio