OverDrive and Storytel Announce Agreement to Provide 25,000 Digital Audiobooks to Libraries and Schools Worldwide

Readers and students to have access to premium content in 20 languages from leading global authors

LONDON, March 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LONDON BOOK FAIR (Olympia London, UK) – Today OverDrive, the leading digital reading platform for libraries and schools, announced a global distribution agreement with Storytel, the premier audio content subscription service in the world. This agreement will offer access to an unparalleled and culturally diverse selection of tens of thousands of premium audiobooks in 20 languages. The collaboration enables all 92,000 libraries and schools in the OverDrive global network to make the catalog available to millions of readers in their communities for discovery and enjoyment.

London Book Fair attendees can learn more by visiting the OverDrive stand 2D88 at Olympia London between 12-14 March 2024.

"We are excited to be entering into this partnership with OverDrive to offer our vast and diverse language catalogs of high-quality audio stories, spanning the wide range of local and international titles to libraries, schools and their users around the world," said Stefanie Lamprinidi, Head of Catalog Management Expansion Markets at Storytel.

A portion of Storytel's global catalog, 25,000+ titles expertly produced by Storyside AB, Storytel Publishing NL, Storyside India and Kitab Sawti, will be available to libraries and schools in more than 20 languages, including English, Spanish, Arabic, Portuguese, Marathi, Hindi and many more. Each audiobook is meticulously produced with local narrators, ensuring an authentic and immersive listening experience tailored to each unique culture and language.

OverDrive founder and CEO Steve Potash added, "We share Storytel's mission to make the world a more empathetic and creative place by providing great stories to be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere and anytime. This agreement comes at a great time for our libraries and schools around the world. We are especially proud to offer stories promoting cultural experiences and voices from this important catalog of global authors and narrators."

The addition of Storytel highlights OverDrive's growth trend in providing access to high-quality content and enabling significant community engagement for libraries and schools. In 2023, libraries and schools outside of North America continued double-digit circulation growth with corresponding sales growth experienced by publishers participating in these markets. Digital book spending was led by the ebook format with 51 percent of units purchased, and titles for the adult audience account for the highest percentage (77 percent) of spending by audience. Key growth markets for publishers include Australia, Singapore, New Zealand, Germany and Japan. 

Digital book genres that are trending now with public libraries around the world: Self-help, house & home and business & finance top the charts for 2024's nonfiction trends. Fantasy, thrillers and romance thrive in fiction, with an emerging trend in gothic fiction. Teens are focused on magical realism and action adventure, while Kids dive into legends, myths, & fables and social themes. Ongoing demand for materials project 2024 as another year for expanded sales growth.

London Book Fair attendees can learn more about the Storytel catalog, as well as digital book trends in the library and school channels, by visiting the OverDrive stand 2D88 from 12-14 March 2024.

About OverDrive United Kingdom
OverDrive is a mission-based company that stands with libraries. Named a Certified B Corp in 2017, OverDrive has a dedicated team for Europe based in the United Kingdom. The company serves more than 92,000 libraries and schools in 115 countries with the industry's largest digital catalogue of ebooks, audiobooks, video and other content. OverDrive's commitment to empower every library and school includes expanding access for all, tireless industry advocacy and consistent innovation. Award-winning apps and services include the Libby library reading app, the Sora student reading platform, Kanopy, the leading video streaming app for libraries and colleges, and TeachingBooks.net, which offers one of the largest catalogues of supplemental materials that enhance literacy outcomes. Founded in 1986, OverDrive's world headquarters is in Cleveland, Ohio USA. www.overdrive.com

Contact:
David Burleigh
Director of Communications
dburleigh@overdrive.com

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