(ETX Daily Up) — Audiobooks have long struggled to gain the favor of readers. But it was without counting the epidemics and various periods of imprisonment that inspired many of us to try our hand at this form of reading. According to a recent report, audiobook sales in the UK have exploded during the first six months of 2021.

Long neglected in favor of paper, the books have managed to find their audiences during the health crisis to listen. The Publishers Association found that their sales grew 71% in 2019 compared to the same period, from £45m to £76m. “Rapid growth in the number of audio books [vendus] This is a really interesting development as it may suggest that new demographics are adopting this format,” said Stephen Lottinga, CEO of the Publishers Association.

Children are one of them. They outnumber these “spoken” books to referendum, reviving a slight memory of the evening stories that parents read before bedtime. A National Literacy Trust study from last July showed that 9.3% of British children and adolescents listened to one for the first time during lockdown. They are almost as many (9.6%) who have “read” more during the same period.

Contrary to what purists might think, audiobooks don’t compete with paper ones. They also allow some children and teenagers to take an interest in literature. One in five youth surveyed by the National Literacy Trust (21.7%) said that this digital format motivated them to read. “A story is valid regardless of its form, whether in print, on screen, or spoken. In fact, observations from children and youth suggest that they themselves can use the power of audio to complement or substitute for reading. are beginning to recognize”, note the report’s authors.

Only speaking books are not going to protest the pandemic. Readers’ tastes have changed with the health crisis, and they have largely bought novels and children’s books. According to the Publishers Association, sales of fiction books grew 28 percent in the first six months of the year. Sales of children’s titles increased by 8% compared to the same period in 2019.

Stephen said, “It is wonderful to see that books have entertained and comforted people during this difficult time. UK publishers continue to publish books of interest to readers in the UK and around the world.” Lotinga in a press release.