Audio
Spotify has indicated plans for an “audiobook strategy” through a job listing for a Head of Audio Books position that is attracting wide notice. The job includes “manag[ing] a book editorial team and strategy” and combines the development of original content as well as licensing and packaging third-party content. The company is working to “develop long-term strategy for audio books” and has “R&D teams building the books experience in the Spotify app.” They are looking for someone from the book world, with audiobook experience.
The position is part of Spotify Studios, reportedly a new production company entity, suggesting the focus might be on original content. The job is based in either New York or Los Angeles. Earlier this year, Spotify featured the audiobook version of celebrity narrators reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (which was also available as a series of free videos.)
Book Clubs
Children’s monthly subscription service Literati is launching a book club platform on October 1, featuring “curated collections” from five “luminaries,” Stephen Curry, Malala Yousafzai, Richard Branson, Susan Orlean, and the Joseph Campbell Foundation. Each club has a specific focus: Curry’s club Underrated “is an exploration of what it means to break barriers” while Malala’s club, Fearless “amplifies the work of authors the world too often neglects.” Subscribers receive a print copy of the monthly pick along with a note and special packaging. With this expansion, Lierati’s children’s subscription service will now be called Literati Kids.