Audiobook listeners fall hard for romantasy

• 20% of respondents in a survey from webnovel platform Wattpad said reading romance is a connection between them and their friends.

Driving the news: A Harris Poll survey conducted by Audible, found 23% of the listening audience is into sports romance, driven in part by the popularity of "Heated Rivalry," the second novel in the "Game Changers" series by Rachel Reid.

• Almost 80% of all Audible sales of "Heated Rivalry" happened in the week leading up to through two weeks after the show's premiere.

Zoom in: The book about two professional male hockey players who fall in love has been adapted into a hit television show on HBO Max.

• According to Audible's survey, 23% of male listeners now tune into romance.

Wattpad's survey found that reading romance affected how individuals tackled their own love lives.

• 33% say reading romance made them rethink what they want in their current relationships or future relationships.
• 31% acknowledge that they've thought about spicing up their own love lives after reading.

The bottom line: Narrative audio is no longer just entertainment. It's where culture and community are being formed.