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. 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.

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.