from 3.6 % in 2018 ), but also notes that digital audiobook sales are likely higher than reported by Booknet Canada because major publishers don ’ t disclose how much revenue they generate from the popular subscription-based sites like Audible , Scribd , or Kindle Unlimited .
“ It ’ s the blue-eyed boy of publishing at the moment ,” Fionnuala Barrett , editorial director of audio at Harper Collins , told the BBC in 2020 . “ Nobody is running scared from it ,” she continued , “ in comparison to the similar moment for ebooks where there was that fear that they were cannibalising other formats in the book world . With audiobooks , there ’ s a feeling that it ’ s an additive .”
In essence , where ebooks were seen as competing with printed books by taking existing readers away from the page and moving their eyes over to the screen , publishers feel audiobooks are bringing more people back to books overall . Frankly , if audiobooks are competing with anything , it ’ s podcasts , as more people use their phone for longform audio content in the car , on the bus , or in the kitchen .
Speaking personally and anecdotally , I can attest to this . With four- and one-year-old kids at home , my time for reading books significantly dwindled in recent years . In their place , I became a podcast addict because I could listen on-the-go or while doing chores . Over the last year , though , thanks to the Libby app and the ability to borrow audiobooks with my library card , I have loved getting into audiobooks for the first time , often listening while cleaning , exercising , or driving . I mentioned this to Ann Jansen , the head audiobook producer at Penguin Random House Canada , and it was clear my path to audiobooks isn ’ t unique .
“ We do think of podcasts as the gateway drug for audiobooks ,” she tells Professional Sound . “ It ’ s obviously a different kind of listening in terms of it not being a conversation as much , or not being as conversational [ in tone ] and a bit more shaped .”
In Canada , Jansen says there weren ’ t many audiobooks being produced until about four years ago . But since September 2017 , Penguin Random House Canada has released 300 audiobooks , and this year alone , it ’ s on pace to record almost 120 titles out of its own in-house recording studio . That makes Penguin easily the largest publisher of audiobooks in Canada , but certainly not the only one . Until 2017 , any Penguin books by Canadian authors that got recorded were done in the U . S . or U . K ., which meant only the biggest Canadian authors , like Michael Ondaatje or Margaret Atwood , received that privilege .
“ Audiobooks were starting to really be a big thing and Penguin Random House Canada got into producing audio books in 2017 . That ’ s when I joined the company and we started
DAMIEN COX RECORDING FOR PRHC
with two people and now we have seven people on staff . We also have a recording studio in-house , which is very lovely ,” says Jansen , noting that a second in-house studio is planned . She says that , considering how invested the company was in ramping up its production of audiobooks , they quickly realized that it made a lot more economic sense to have a simple in-house studio and staff engineer ( now two engineers ) than to pay for studio time . “ I don ’ t think any other publishing company in Canada has that ability to have and staff an in-house studio and all that kind of thing . Other companies are of course doing great things , like ECW Press is doing a lot . So , it ’ s been going strong . Since then , we ’ ve been seeing the numbers go up . I don ’ t have specific stats , but there ’ s a reason why Penguin Random House has put that much money and focus on audiobooks .”
Of course , with a growing number of titles being recorded in Canada , that means that – while still a small segment of the recording industry – there is a growing need for audio engineers to record and edit these books .
“ I think Audible was key , particularly Audible Canada . It coming in and really focusing on Canadian publishers and Canadian customers has been huge ,” says Bobby Singh , who has worked full-time as a freelance audiobook recording engineer and producer since 2017 , which is the same year Audible . ca launched . Prior to working in audiobooks , Singh was in audio production and pre-production for Corus Entertainment and Nelvana , a Canadian animation and production studio . Since his transition to recording audiobooks full-time – which wasn ’ t planned but happened gradually after being introduced to this corner of the industry by his friend and colleague Kevin Bonnici — Singh has recorded a wide array of books , including This Team is Ruining My Life ( But I Love
Them ) by popular hockey commentator and Maple Leafs superfan Steve “ Dangle ” Glynn for ECW Press , and Tanya Talaga ’ s award-winning book Seven Fallen Feathers for House of Anansi Press .
“ I think the Canadian publishers are really focusing on Canadian stories and small books . I mean , the large publishers , they ’ re doing the Harry Potter epics , and they ’ re doing incredible work . But small publishers , thanks to grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Government of Canada , they ’ ve really been helping to fund these productions that are happening . So , it ’ s been really good for us to really highlight smaller books and small Canadian stories ,” says Singh .
But in terms of the actual recording process , is it as straightforward as it seems ? Well , yes and no . It ’ s certainly not as complicated as recording music at a professional level , but it ’ s also not as forgiving as podcasts — even highend professional podcasts .
“ When I was brought on , it was an office space ; three floors of an office tower in downtown Toronto . I was tasked with building and maintaining the in-house studio ,” begins Caleb Stull about his foray into audiobooks . Now the technical director at Penguin Random House Canada , he ’ s been involved in almost every part of the recording process since 2017 . Prior to that , he had a diverse career in audio , working in recording studios and corporate audio , as well as post-production and location sound for TV and film .
“ So , at that point [ the Penguin office ] had an interior room that wasn ’ t any anywhere near the elevator shafts – it was actually pretty well located – and didn ’ t have any exterior walls . It was an interior room , and they had used it for a podcasting space … They had bought a
PHOTO : COURTESY OF PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE CANADA
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