Dennis Pierce

Modern libraries aren’t just places for reading and research. They’re vibrant and active community centers where the people and programming play just as critical a role as the collections.

Social media influencers are helping propel demand for lifestyle-related content. Publishers are leveraging the built-in following that content creators bring with them from TikTok, Instagram, and other social media channels to drive sales by giving them significant book deals to share their advice on living, loving, crafting, cooking, and decorating.

Military history plays a critical role in helping us understand and learn from past geopolitical conflicts. It helps us comprehend who we are as a nation and the events that have shaped our identity. For these reasons and more, books on military history continue to be quite popular among readers.

Lifestyle-related books are hugely popular, and it’s easy to understand why. Not only do these books help readers express their creativity and achieve the kind of lifestyle they aspire to, but they also bring together people with a common interest and create a sense of connectedness around their topics.

The number of audiobooks borrowed through libraries around the world has more than doubled since 2019—a telling statistic that speaks to the exploding popularity of books in audio format.

People are always a library’s greatest assets. The trained and experienced staff who interact with patrons, answer questions, recommend resources, lead story hours, and oversee workshops are what make libraries a vibrant and essential part of their communities. But librarians can’t be everywhere all at once. This is where technology can help.

Libraries have always been much more than just repositories for books and other materials. They’ve also been centers for community learning and brought people together to improve their lives. This goal has become even more important in the digital era.

Libraries have always been much more than just repositories for books and other materials. They’ve also been centers for community learning and brought people together to improve their lives. This goal has become even more important in the digital era.

"Audio is the fastest-growing format in the industry,” says HarperAudio Associate Publisher Brad Hill. This rapid growth has encouraged publishers to experiment with audiobook production. For instance, publishers are releasing more audiobook originals, adding more music and sound effects, and creating multicast productions that resemble radio plays.