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Are you an American over the age of 18, and have you listened to an audiobook before? Statistically, if the answer to the first question is yes, the answer to the second probably is, also. 

According to the Audio Publishers Association (APA) Sales Survey, which was recently reviewed by Publisher's Weekly, audiobook sales have continued to continued to rise over the years. 51% of the 1,700 American adults surveyed by the APA said that they have listened to an audiobook before. And while that's great, it's a part of a more concerning picture overall. The report attributes part of the bump in audiobook listenership to the rise in audiobook piracy on YouTube specifically. "The survey found that 35% of audiobook listeners have listened to an audiobook on YouTube, up from 27% in 2023. The majority of audiobooks on YouTube are pirated copies and available for free, which was one of the top reasons consumers cited using the site," Publisher's Weekly wrote. 

Listen, I get that we're in an economic crisis and all, but there's a much better solution than listening to pirated audiobooks on YouTube: your local library. I listen to all of my audiobooks for free on Libby and Hoopla with my library card. I don't have to leave my house to check out an audiobook on there, because I've got the apps on my phone. They're both ad free, and Libby in particular has a wonderfully user-friendly interface. LibriVox and Project Gutenberg are other audiobook and eBook services provided by libraries throughout the country, from small towns to big cities. Libraries pay for the audiobooks available on Libby, which then benefit the publisher, writer, and narrator of the audiobook. Everyone wins. 

If you can't physically go to your local public library, you can see if they offer a digital library card that you can sign up for online, that will give you access to services like Libby and Hoopla. And in the event that they don't, you can sign up for an instant digital library card from Overdrive right here, wherever you live in the US. 

I understand that not every audiobook is available on Libby or Hoopla (Audible Originals for example). But I would be surprised if the rise in pirated audiobooks on YouTube is powered by the exclusivity of Audible Originals alone. The point is, it's worth supporting your local library first. 

Here's a list of all the major upcoming prose novels in our favorite genres.