Why is June Audiobook Month?

Girl Listening to Audiobooks Sitting on Chair

June is celebrated as Audiobook Month primarily to raise awareness about the joys and benefits of audiobooks. Here’s why June was chosen and what the month represents:

1. Summer Reading Season

  • June kicks off summer in many parts of the world, especially in the U.S., which is when people often have more free time to read (or listen) during vacations, travel, and long commutes.

  • Audiobooks are especially convenient for travel—on road trips, flights, or beach days—making them a perfect fit for summer.

2. Industry Promotion

  • The Audio Publishers Association (APA) established June as Audiobook Month in 2008 to promote the format, showcase new releases, and highlight the work of narrators, authors, and producers.

  • It encourages people who haven’t tried audiobooks to give them a chance and explores how they can enhance reading experiences.

3. Accessibility & Literacy

  • Audiobook Month also emphasizes how audiobooks support accessibility, especially for people with visual impairments, dyslexia, or other reading challenges.

  • They help improve literacy and language skills by modeling fluent reading and engaging storytelling.


June is Audiobook Month because it aligns with summer reading trends, helps promote the audiobook industry, and celebrates the unique ways audiobooks make stories more accessible and enjoyable for a wider audience.

How to Listen to Free Audiobooks on AudiobooksNow

Woman Listening to Free Audiobooks

Audiobooks are an excellent way to enjoy books while multitasking, whether you’re commuting, working out, or just relaxing. AudiobooksNow is a popular platform that offers a vast collection of audiobooks, including bestsellers and classics. But did you know that you can listen to audiobooks for free on AudiobooksNow? In this guide, we’ll walk you through the steps to access free audiobooks on the platform.

1. Sign Up for a Free Account

To begin listening to free audiobooks on AudiobooksNow, you’ll first need to create an account. Simply visit the AudiobooksNow website or download their mobile app. Signing up is free, and it only takes a minute.

2. Take Advantage of the Free Trial

AudiobooksNow offers a 30-day free trial of their Club Pricing Plan. During this period, you can enjoy discounts on audiobooks and even get a free premium audiobook to listen to (select titles only). Be sure to check which titles are eligible and make the most of the trial period.

3. Browse the Free Audiobooks Section

AudiobooksNow has a dedicated section for free audiobooks. You can find a selection of titles that are completely free to listen to without any subscriptions or payments. Simply navigate to the “Free Audiobooks” section on their website or app and browse through the available options.

4. Look for Limited-Time Free Offers

The platform frequently offers limited-time deals on audiobooks, including free promotions on select titles. Keep an eye out for these special promotions by checking their website or subscribing to their mailing list for updates.

5. Utilize Public Domain Audiobooks

AudiobooksNow provides access to a variety of public domain books, which are free to listen to. These include classic literature, such as works by Shakespeare, Jane Austen, and Mark Twain. Since they are no longer under copyright, they can be enjoyed at no cost.

Final Thoughts

AudiobooksNow provides multiple ways to enjoy free audiobooks, whether through their free book selection, limited-time promotions, or public domain titles. By taking advantage of these opportunities, you can build an extensive audiobook library without spending a dime. Happy listening!

Have you discovered any great free audiobooks on AudiobooksNow? Share your favorites in the comments below!

Children vs Young Adult Audiobooks

Children Audiobooks

We are often asked what the difference is between children’s audiobooks and young adult audiobooks. Children’s audiobooks and young adult audiobooks are two distinct categories of literature, each crafted with its audience’s age, developmental stage, and emotional maturity in mind.

Children’s audiobooks are designed to spark curiosity and imagination in younger minds. These audiobooks tend to have themes that revolve around simple, universal ideas like friendship, adventure, and moral lessons. The language is accessible, and the plots are straightforward, reflecting the world through the lens of youthful wonder. Normally, children’s books are full of illustrations, so talented narrators must create those pictures in the child’s mind using only words.

In contrast, young adult (YA) audiobooks cater to the complex emotional and intellectual landscapes of teenagers. While still rooted in compelling stories, YA literature delves deeper into the complexities of identity, love, societal pressures, and personal struggles. The language is more sophisticated, and the themes are more mature—dealing with real-world issues that resonate with a teen’s journey toward adulthood. YA audiobooks often tackle darker, more intense subjects like mental health, social justice, and personal loss, with characters who wrestle with their place in the world. Unlike children’s audiobooks, YA novels are less reliant on visual cues, focusing instead on character-driven narratives and emotional depth.

Children’s Audiobooks (age range)

  • (5–7 years) – Short sentences, simple vocabulary
  • (8–10 years) – Longer stories with simple chapters and more developed plots
  • (11–12 years) – More complex storytelling, longer books and themes of friendship, adventure, and identity

Young Adult Audiobooks (age range)

  • (12–15 years) – Characters in the story are typically 12-15, with themes of coming-of-age, friendships, and early romantic experiences
  • (15–18 years) – More mature themes like identity, relationships, and societal issues. Characters in the story are usually 16-18 years old


In short, children’s audiobooks are typically aimed at younger kids with simpler stories, while young adult audiobooks tackle more complex themes suited for teens. The tone and writing style reflect the intended age group and their cognitive and emotional maturity.

What is Auto-Narration?

Auto Narrated Book

In recent years, the rise of artificial intelligence, and advanced digital technologies has led to the development of many innovative tools and techniques in the realm of storytelling. One of these innovations is auto-narration, a concept that is quickly gaining ground, especially in the fields of literature

But what exactly is auto-narration, and how does it work? Let’s take a closer look.

Defining Auto-Narration

At its core, auto-narration refers to the process in which a system, typically powered by artificial intelligence (AI), narrates a story without human intervention. The idea is that a machine, rather than a human storyteller, assumes the role of the narrator, creating an experience that mimics traditional storytelling.

While auto-narration systems can vary in complexity, they often rely on algorithms that process large volumes of data—such as books—to produce narratives that are coherent, engaging, and contextually relevant.

How Does Auto-Narration Work?

The process behind auto-narration involves several components of AI technology, including:

  1. Data Input: To create a narrative, auto-narration systems need vast amounts of data. This data could be drawn from books, articles, social media posts, or even user-generated content. By feeding the system with diverse input, it learns language patterns, narrative structures, and even emotional cues.
  2. Natural Language Processing (NLP): NLP is a subfield of AI that focuses on enabling machines to understand, interpret, and generate human language. In auto-narration, NLP algorithms help the system analyze the data and structure it into coherent sentences, paragraphs, or even entire stories.
  3. Narrative Structure: Auto-narration systems must also understand the key components of storytelling, such as plot, character development, conflict, and resolution. Depending on the complexity of the system, it can generate basic stories or more elaborate narratives that include intricate story arcs and character evolution.
  4. Voice Synthesis (Optional): In some cases, auto-narration involves voice synthesis, where a machine-generated voice delivers the story. This is particularly common in audiobooks and podcasts. Modern voice synthesis systems use deep learning algorithms to replicate natural human speech, adding emotion, tone, and rhythm to the narrative.

Conclusion

Auto-narration is an innovative and rapidly developing field that is reshaping how stories are told and consumed. From personalized educational experiences to immersive storytelling, the potential applications are vast. As AI technology continues to advance, auto-narration will likely play a significant role in how we interact with content, communicate, and even experience the world of literature.

AI-Narrated Audiobooks

AI Reading Book

Audiobooks being narrated by an artificial voice or artificial intelligence (AI) has been a hot button topic in the audiobook industry from many years. We attended the Audiobook Publishers Association’s annual conference back in May 2017 in New York City and it was being heavily discussed then. They were referring to it as Text-to-Speech Technology at the time, but the acronym AI (Artaficial Intelegnce) has taken over today’s terminology. The issues with “Text-to-Speech” technology back in 2017 was the lack of rhythm, style, and emotion. The synthesized voices also did not sound very lifelike. Those issues have come a long way since 2017 and combined with today’s AI ability to learn, they are less of an issue today.

Issues with AI-Narrated Audiobooks:

  • Lack of rhythm, style, and emotion in voice
  • Unlifelike sound of synthesized voices
  • Takes jobs away from human narrators

Human narration is considered an art, with many of today’s top narrators taking decades to refine their craft. Digital narration may have its place with manuals and self published authors, but major publishing houses say audiobooks must be narrated by a human. Why would AI narration even be considered you ask, money. The average audiobook takes about one week to narrate, AI narrations take a fraction of that time. So how long will it take before publishing houses realize the economic benefits of AI?

Today, they are cloning the voice of professional narrators who license the rights to their voice. This makes a digitally narrated audiobook sound more lifelike but has many narrators alarmed at what it could mean for their industry. Weather you agree or disagree with AI narrated audioboks, it’s clear the technology is here to stay, and more and more audiobooks will be digitally narrated in the future. The big question is, will the public accept AI-narrated literature? only time will tell.