RBmedia, the world’s largest audiobook publisher, has proudly disclosed another year of unparalleled growth. Throughout the year, the company forged new strategic partnerships, expanded its repertoire by publishing an unprecedented number of titles, and crafted audiobooks for numerous New York Times bestsellers and recipients of prestigious literary awards. RBmedia boasted a catalog that surpassed 70,000 titles in 2023—setting a new benchmark for the industry.

In 2023, RBmedia was acquired by Francisco Partners and H.I.G. Capital. Both parties said they are committed to investing in the ongoing expansion of RBmedia’s extensive audiobook catalog and robust distribution network, which spans across millions of listeners worldwide. The company achieved a remarkable feat by producing a record-breaking number of new titles across its 12 publishing brands, consistently securing top spots on bestseller lists and earning accolades from major industry awards. Notable publishing milestones throughout the year included:

Here are some of RBmedia’s major achievements of 2023 as listed in the company’s press release.

• Partnered with Spotify to provide instant access to RBmedia audiobooks as part of its Premium subscription
• Established exclusive audiobook partnerships with two leading publishers, including Sourcebooks, one of the country’s fastest-growing independent publishers, and Abrams, known for its extensive and acclaimed publishing in fiction, nonfiction, and memoir across both adult and children’s books
• Released the most audiobooks the company has ever produced in a single year
• Produced audiobooks for an impressive 58 New York Times bestsellers
• Signed multiple bestselling authors to new deals, including Rebecca Yarros, Emily Rath, Scarlett St. Clair, Sarah J. Maas, Craig Johnson, Jayne Krentz, and Jeff Kinney

RBmedia also published the audio for some of the most popular books. Those include the following:

• Rebecca Yarros’ “Fourth Wing” across multiple languages and formats
• Abraham Verghese’s “The Covenant of Water,” an instant New York Times bestseller
• Patrick Rothfuss’ “The Narrow Road Between Desires,” a new Kingkiller Chronicle novella
• Pierce Brown’s “Light Bringer,” the sixth Red Rising audiobook
• Three original Hellboy Universe audiobooks with a full cast of actors, sound effects, and cinematic music
• “Erasure” by Percival Everett, now adapted for the screen as “American Fiction”
• “Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire: The Official Novelization” by V. Castro, with the Netflix adaptation streaming now

RBmedia also published audio for several award-winning titles which include:

• One Oprah’s Book Club Pick
• Three Pulitzer Prize finalists
• One National Book Award finalist and four honors recipients
• One Audie Award winner
• One Edgar Award winner
• 11 Audible and one Apple Books Best of 2023 selections
• One Giller Prize finalist
• One Booker Prize finalist

RBmedia International Highlights

In 2023, RBmedia international brands also experienced record growth. Here are the highlights of its international achievements.

• Expanded partnerships with international publishers, including the addition of Unbound, an award-winning, independent publisher and first to harness the power of crowdfunding, and Verve Books, a dynamic independent publisher of page-turning, diverse, and original fiction
• Published, via RBmedia’s BookaVivo brand, Spanish-language editions of audiobooks by international bestselling authors, including Rebecca Yarros, Lucy Score, Mimi Matthews, Hannah Nicole Maehrer, Fernando Gamboa, Robert Greene, Adam Grant, Michael Alan Singer, and Grady Hendrix

Here are some of the top-selling audiobooks that RBmedia produced internationally:

• “Past Lying” by Val McDermid
• “A Memoir of My Former Self” by Hilary Mantel
• “Poor Things” by Alasdair Gray, now a film starring Oscar-winner Emma Stone
• “Did I Ever Tell You This?” by Sam Neill
• “Trinkerbelle” written and performed by actress Mimi Fiedler
• “Love, Theoretically” and “The Inconveniences of Love” by Ali Hazelwood
• “Wie man einen Prinzen tötet,” audio for Hugo Award–winning book by T. Kingfisher

A few other achievements:

• Won Audiobook of the Year at the Australian Book Industry Awards and Best True Crime Audiobook at the True Crime Awards
• Received a nomination for Non-Fiction Audiobook of the Year at The British Book Awards
• Acquired audio rights for additional French-language content, including:

Forthcoming works from international bestseller Paullina Simons

• “The Fourth Wing” by Rebecca Yarros
• Scarlett St. Clair’s Hades & Persephone series and Hades Saga series (10-audiobook deal)
• “The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue” and “The Fragile Threads of Power” through a seven-audiobook deal with V. E. Schwab
• Celebrated the 25th anniversary of its UK audio brand, W. F. Howes Ltd

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