I’ve been ranting about this for years and years, and it looks like book publishers are finally getting the message: Crafters are the perfect audience for audiobooks!
I don’t know about you, but I spend hours and hours each day working with my hands, and there’s nothing I like better than listening to an audiobook while I’m sewing, knitting, editing photos, or designing. No matter how slowly my projects are progressing, listening to a book makes me feel like I’m still getting something done—I love that! And, do you know what? The same is true for most of my crafty pals and fellow DIY professionals. So, if you ask me, marketing audiobooks to crafters is an epic no-brainer, and I’m really, really excited to see publishers starting to take notice.
Now, if only the powers that be at these companies would invest in recording more crafting-related novels, series, and mysteries. I mean, if you’re reading a cozy mystery or a romance that takes place in a knitting shop, chances are you’re also a knitter. Alas, knitting and reading aren’t generally activities that you can do at the same time. Same goes for sewing, scrapbooking, quilting, and needlework. The solution: audiobooks. Even better: audiobooks that I can download immediately from Audible/the iTunes Store/the publisher’s website while I’m digging through my yarn stash and finding the right size needles.
But, isn’t recording audiobooks really expensive?
Before you publishing-types start rolling your eyes, hear me out: I worked in book publishing before I started my career as a professional craft writer. I know that making a P&L work—especially for a specialty genre—isn’t easy. All I’m saying is, there’s a serious hole in the market when it comes to high quality crafting-related audio content and a great big community out there waiting for someone to fill it. If the audiobooks are available, I will buy them. So will many of my friends. So, let’s help each other out on this one. Whaddya say?
More information:
Have you seen other audiobook ads targeting the crafting community? I’d love to see them! Please share links in the comments.
Thanks for writing about this. I have a lot of patrons who come into the library who are crafter-audiobook lovers. It’s a real market! Librarian’s honor!
Exactly! :)
Haley,
I’ve been getting audiobooks for years at local libraries (they honor each other’s cards around here). Don’t forget that some libraries have interlibrary loan if yours doesn’t have something you want.
AND my library belongs to a SW Michigan Library cooperative effort, where they pool finances to purchase ebooks & audiobooks to loan by download. It’s worth checking with your local library because there’s lots available. Kathy B
Hi, Kathy!
Libraries certainly are a good source for audiobooks, especially if there’s a good system in place for downloading them. (The New York Public Library system is HUGE, and does transfer books/media from branch to branch, but they don’t always have the kinds of books I’m looking for.) Unfortunately, in the crafting genre, many new books aren’t recorded as audiobooks at all. Because of this, I think that book publishers have been missing out on a large and active audience for a while. Fingers crossed that this is finally starting to change!
I like to listen to Craftsy classes,while I knit…especially the ones for free.
Yes! I know a lot of crafters who do this. It’s no different than watching TV while crafting. One exception: I tried listening to Tina Fey’s Bossypants while crafting, but I kept laughing and stabbing myself with the knitting needles.