The audiobook vs. reading debate, explained
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When it comes to reading, few arguments feel more "of the moment" than that of the audiobook enthusiast versus skeptic.
Why it matters: Books on tape aren't new, but audiobooks have risen in popularity in recent years — igniting debate around whether listening to a book truly counts the same as reading.
By the numbers: Audiobook sales increased 13% in 2024 to $2.2 billion, per survey data cited by Publishers Weekly.
- Digital users checked out 6,100 audiobooks and 4,583 ebooks from the Detroit Public Library in the past month, Christine Peele, assistant director of public services, told Axios in mid-December.
State of play: We asked three local experts for their views on audiobooks:
- Margaret Thorpe Williamson, president of Pro-Literacy Detroit, believes they are a valuable tool for intellectual growth. "I think it's really not a debate. If you are using whatever medium to learn and grow … then get it. However you get it."
- Stephanie Steinberg, founder and CEO of the Detroit Writing Room, enjoys physical books, but isn't opposed to audiobooks. She senses writers she works with want their books turned into audiobooks in order to reach more audiences.
- Peele, of DPL, says audiobooks make for a good way to get away from the concerns of the world for a bit. "... If you try to read, you know, 'The Autobiography of Malcolm X' or 'Moby Dick' … I still think that listening to it has the same benefits as reading it."
The other side: California-based author Nathan Bransford recently wrote that he believes audiobooks are "great," but do not count as reading.
- "When you read a book, you place yourself in a very unique mental state where you're taking symbols on a page … and fusing your consciousness to the author's to co-create every single element of the book in your own head …"
- And a university student columnist in Illinois once wrote: "If you say listening to an audiobook is 'reading' — you may as well say watching someone else play a video game is playing it. You are not the one in the driver's seat …"
Caveat: This debate applies to those with a preference for listening, not those who utilize audiobooks due to medical issues and disabilities.
👂 Annalise's thought bubble: I listen to audiobooks more than I listen to music, so I feel the need to disclose my bias here.
- I think audiobooks are a beautiful way to internalize a story's themes, and don't think they're "lazy" at all. But I do get that the reading experiences are different.