The future of listening: Frankfurt Audio 2025
Frankfurt, 9 September 2025 – The who's who of international audio publishing will come together at this year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse (15.19 October 2025). The global audiobook market continues to grow, which will also be visible at this year's fair. The Frankfurt Audio area in Hall 3.1 will be featuring audiobook publishers and service providers on 730 square metres (2024: 640 square metres). In addition to major audiobook players, new exhibitors, such as Audio-to-go, Lismio, Macmillan Audio, Narrafix, sissigrant, udnDigital Co. and watchyourhead, will present their products and services there.
Expert talks from AI to streaming – with Audible, Spotify and further players
On the Wednesday and Thursday of the fair, CEOs and experts from Audible, Spotify, BookBeat, Bookwire and Zebralution will provide insights and discuss current audiobook trends, growth markets and possible applications of AI in the audio sector in the Frankfurt Studio (15 October 2025, 12.00-4.00 pm and 16 October 2025, 1.00-2.00 pm). Speakers include Duncan Bruce (Director of Audiobook Partnerships and Licensing, Spotify), Barbara Knabe (Head of Content Acquisition EU & LATAM, Audible), Dr Anke Susanne Hoffmann (Director Strategy & Digital Management Audio, Penguin Random House), Niclas Sandin (CEO, BookBeat), and Ralf Biesemeier (Managing Director Publishing, Zebralution).
A week before the start of the fair, the free online Masterclass with Chris Kling, founder and Managing Director of Klangkantine Audiobooks, will give insights into audiobook production and ideas for process optimisation.
Selected events:
Reinventing Workflows: The Next Chapter in Audiobook Production
Monday, 6 October 2025, 3.00-4.00 pm, online
More information and free registration: www.buchmesse.de/masterclasses
Spotify Audiobooks: The Latest Chapter
Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 12.00-12.30 pm, Frankfurt Studio
AI and Audio
Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 12.30-1.00 pm, Frankfurt Studio
Tuning into the EU – Trends and Opportunities for Publishers in Audio
Wednesday, 15 October, 1.00-1.30 pm, Frankfurt Studio
What Audiobook Listeners Want in 2025: A Data Deep Dive into Trending Authors, Books, and Categories across Europe
Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 1.30-2.00 pm, Frankfurt Studio
Presentation of the Bookwire White Paper: Young and New Adult in Audio
Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 2.00-2.30 pm, Frankfurt Studio
The Bag of Gold? – Audio Dramas in the Age of Audio Streaming
Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 2.30-3.00 pm, Frankfurt Studio
Publishing Perspectives Forum: Expanding the Way We Think About Audio
Wednesday, 15 October 2025, 3.00-4.00 pm, Frankfurt Studio
New white paper: “AI and Audio: How Artificial Intelligence is Redefining the Audiobook Industry”
For anyone who wants to gain insights into the dynamic transformation of the audiobook market driven by AI tools, the free white paper, published on 8 September 2025, by audio expert Javier Celaya (Dosdoce.com) and Frankfurter Buchmesse offers an analysis of the current challenges and opportunities in the audiobook market, featuring contributions by leading players. The findings of the white paper will be discussed on the Wednesday of the book fair (15 October 2025, 12.30-1.00 pm) in the Frankfurt Studio. Free download: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/whitepaper
Connecting with audio experts through the fair’s Audio Ambassador
Ama Dadson, founder and CEO of AkooBooks, is the Audio Ambassador of the 2025 Frankfurter Buchmesse. She will be at the IG Hörbuch collective stand (3.1 K17) from Wednesday to Friday (15-17 October 2025; from 11 am to 12 pm) to connect interested exhibitors and trade visitors with audio companies that are part of the Frankfurt Audio area.
New: Podcact studio for recordings – live at the fair
For the first time, the audio agency watchyourhead is bringing a podcast studio to the fairgrounds, in cooperation with Frankfurter Buchmesse. Here, exhibitors, trade visitors and content creators will have the opportunity to produce their own high-quality podcast episodes in audio and video form – live at the fair. Special acoustic glazing of the studio preserves the sound quality while still allowing visitors to see – and hear – what's going on inside. Book fair visitors can tune into the live podcast recordings via headphones.
Events with authors and audiobook voices on the weekend of the fair
Well-known voices, bestselling authors and audiobook narrators: During the weekend of the fair (17-19 October 2025), the events on the Fabely Audiobook Stage – a service provided by Bookwire (Hall 3.1 K33) and many other stages of the fair offer a colourful programme for all audio fans. Speakers include actor and audiobook narrator Rufus Beck, bestselling authors Sebastian Fitzek and Caroline Wahl, and many more.
More information about Frankfurt Audio: https://www.buchmesse.de/en/frankfurt-audio
All events can be found in the online event calendar and in the Frankfurter Buchmesse app: www.buchmesse.de/events(opens in a new window). Please note that the calendar will be updated regularly until the fair.
Contact for the media:
Press and Corporate Communication, Frankfurter Buchmesse, press@buchmesse.de
Dr Torsten Casimir, Vice President | Communications & Content, casmir@buchmesse.de
Ines Bachor, PR Manager, Phone: +49 69 2102 189, bachor@buchmesse.de
About Frankfurter Buchmesse
Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair and the most important international marketplace for content – from novels and children’s books to academic databases and stories for films, games and virtual reality experiences. Publishing professionals from around the world meet here with partners from the technology sector and from related creative and cultural industries, sparking new partnerships and business models. Since 1976, the book fair has featured an annual Guest of Honour country, which showcases its book market, literature and culture to attendees in a variety of ways. Frankfurter Buchmesse organises the participation of German publishers at international book fairs and hosts trade events throughout the year in major international markets. Frankfurter Buchmesse is a subsidiary of the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publishers & Booksellers Association). buchmesse.de/en(opens in a new window)