June is Audiobook Month, a tradition that began decades ago to spotlight an emerging format. Nearly 30 years later, it鈥檚 something much bigger: a celebration of how audiobooks have transformed the way we experience ideas, stories, and scholarship.
What was once a niche offering is now an expectation. Today, listeners don鈥檛 wonder if a book will be available in audio鈥攖hey look forward to how it will sound, who will bring it to life, and where they鈥檒l press play. Audiobooks have become immersive, transportive, and deeply human鈥攎eeting us wherever we are, whether we鈥檙e commuting, cooking, or carving out a quiet moment to think.
This year feels especially meaningful as we celebrate a milestone of our own: over 200 快色直播 Audio titles published. It鈥檚 a perfect moment to reflect on how far we鈥檝e come鈥攁nd to relive a few highlights along the way:
2018 鈥� 快色直播 Audio launches as the first ever university press audio imprint. The first season included: Scroogenomics by Joel Waldfogel, Ibn Khaldun by Robert Irwin, Unfabling the East by Jurgen Osterhammel, On the Future by Martin Rees, Dark Commerce by Louise Shelley, Michael Rosen鈥檚 Workers鈥� Tales, Making Up Your Own Mind by Edward Burger, and Adrienne Mayor鈥檚 Gods and Robots 鈥� books designed not just to be read, but to be heard.
2019 - Whoopi Goldberg listened to the audiobook of The Fire is Upon Us by Nicholas Buccola and then listed it as one of her favorite things on the TV show, The View. After much research into its whereabouts our team made the innovative decision to include the recording of the original debate in the audiobook鈥攈ighlighting just how impactful listening to a book can be.
2020 鈥� This year we tackled our longest production yet: Stalin by Ronald Grigor Suny which included a whopping 1500 pronunciation research queries. That same year, we also included the first author-editor bonus track on Jim Al-Khalili鈥檚 The World According to Physics, which opened new possibilities for enriching this audible experience.
2021- Author, Eric Cline took listeners behind the scenes on social media as he narrated 1177 BC, sharing the highs (and exhaustion!) of becoming your own narrator. It was a vivid reminder of the dedication behind every performance.
2022 鈥� From Old Icelandic pronunciations in The Wordhord to an audio-exclusive conversation between Dr. Ruha Benjamin and Dr. Ibram X. Kendi for Viral Justice, we continued pushing creative boundaries. We also took steps toward greater representation by casting a female narrator for Complicit, helping diversify voices in economics audiobooks.
2023 鈥� We opened the vault, bringing nine important backlist titles into audio for the very first time鈥攅xtending their reach and introducing them to new audiences in a dynamic new way.
These titles included: And Still the Waters Run by Angie Debo, Empires of the Silk Road by Chris Beckwith, The Straight State by Margot Canaday, Byzantium by Judith Herrin, A Culture of Growth by Joel Mokyr, The Book of Greek and Roman Folktales, Legends, and Myths by William Hansen, Against Democracy by Jason Brennan, Between Debt and the Devil by Adair Turner, and George M. Fredrickson鈥檚 Racism: A Short History.
2024 鈥� We were thrilled to collaborate with legendary narrators like Simon Vance (Capital), Cassandra Campbell (Pox Romana), and Juliet Stevenson (The Beauty of Falling). Working with such extraordinary voices continues to be one of the most inspiring parts of this work.
2025 鈥� Our first co-publishing venture with Zone 快色直播 (Hayek鈥檚 Bastards by Quinn Slobodian) marked an exciting step toward collaboration within the indie and university press community鈥攅xpanding what鈥檚 possible for scholarly audio.
2026 鈥� In an increasingly complex and often stressful global landscape, we remain committed to producing rigorous, peer-reviewed works that help listeners think more deeply. This year鈥檚 lineup: including The 5 Questions for Ethical Decisions, The Making and Breaking of the American Constitution, and The Strategist鈥�reflects the power of audio to bring critical thinking into everyday life.
Audiobooks offer something unique: they create space. Space to think, to reflect, to absorb ideas differently. They invite us to slow down even as we move through our busy lives.
This June, I鈥檓 making a conscious effort to step away from screens; instead, I鈥檒l be listening more, walking more, and making room for deeper engagement with the world around me.
Audiobooks make that possible.
So, whether you鈥檙e brand new to listening or already a superfan, I hope you鈥檒l join me this month to discover something new, hear a new voice, or connect more deeply with a subject that moves you.
Happy listening.