As publishers continue to set new benchmarks for the sophistication and quality of audiobook production, lending numbers of the print-enhancing format keep growing year over year. In fact, OverDrive data shows that libraries broke digital lending records in 2025, with 820 million checkouts and over one billion minutes streamed.

Using actors and professional narrators, many titles now feature dual narration, with different readers for each point of view, alternating chapters or sections; duet narration, with different readers voicing each character as if in conversation; or full-cast narration, which features complex, cinematic productions reminiscent of old-school radio dramas.

“I listened to a book with duet narration recently,” says Megan Smith, digital engagement marketing manager for Dreamscape Media. “And I can understand why people say that they specifically will read that one on audio versus print.”

But Michelle McGuire, senior marketing manager of audio for HarperCollins, doesn’t think it needs to be an either/or decision: “So many people are either straight audiobook listeners or print readers. But we really think you get that full experience by having both formats. It creates this immersive reading experience.”

HarperCollins Audiobook Producer Sydney Mathieu adds that audio production should augment the print format, examples of author-narrated titles that include bonus off-script additions and asides. Other titles feature cinematic sound effects or original music.

“We’re all just working together to make sure that the book is out there and accessible to anybody who wants it, no matter what format it’s in,” says Abby Nutter, executive editor of content acquisitions for Penguin Random House Audio. “But I can personally attest, once you are an audiobook listener, you’re a listener for life.”

Here, publishers share some of their best spring titles to recommend to patrons, from the audio-curious to audio aficionados.

Dreamscape Media

Established in 2010, Ohio-based Dreamscape Media has been an imprint of RbMedia since 2024. RBMedia’s catalog comprises 100,000 audio titles, 7,000 of which fall under the Dreamscape imprint.

With Dreamscape releasing approximately 1,000 new audiobooks a year for listeners across genre preferences and age ranges, it means something when Digital Engagement Marketing Manager Megan Smith selects five new titles that she’s most excited about.

Top of Smith’s list is the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden’s latest thriller, Dear Debbie, narrated by Julia Whelan, January Lavoy, and Scott Brick, January 2026, ISBN 9798349114472. For years, Debbie has offered her best advice to New England women in her “Dear Debbie” column. But now it is her life that is spiraling out of control. She’s out for payback—and needs to take her own advice.

“You get some unhinged excerpts from Debbie’s advice column that are a hoot,” Smith says. “Julia Whelan is probably everyone’s favorite narrator, and her work in Dear Debbie is full of her exceptional talent and range. She really knows how to bring out that dark humor and wit.”

A middle grade title by Robin Gow, the award-winning author of Dear Mothman, Saber-Tooth, narrated by J.J. Hawkins, January 2026, ISBN 9798349108426, is an LGBTQIA novel-in-verse about trans boy Jasper. When Jasper’s brother leaves for college, Jasper is left to go on fossil-finding missions and dig in the backyard alone. One day, he digs deep enough to unleash a long-buried saber-toothed tiger.

“This book explores a bunch of complex themes and feelings, such as anger, grief, gender identity, autism, and loneliness,” Smiths says. “Both children and adults will find its lessons very impactful.”

I Hope You Find What You're Looking For by Bsrat Mezghebe, narrated by Délé Ogundiran, February 2026, ISBN 9798349163302, is historical fiction set in the close-knit Eritrean community of Washington, D.C. in 1991. While Eritrea is on the verge of independence from Ethiopia, three immigrant women—13-year-old Lydia; her mother, Elsa, a former rebel fighter; and the family matriarch, Mama Zewdi—grapple with the meaning of peace.

“The perspective shifts among the three women, and their ages allow for a nice juxtaposition of someone younger raised in the Western diaspora versus the older generation,” Smith says. “It shows their daily life in 1991 Washington, while revealing glimpses of their past and how it impacts them even years later.”

A very different kind of female-centered narrative, The Better Mother by Jennifer van der Kleut, narrated by Xe Sands, February 2026, ISBN 9798349161247, is billed as a modern spin on Fatal Attraction meets The Hand That Rocks the Cradle. When a woman ends up pregnant after a casual fling, the baby father’s girlfriend is unexpectedly excited—and increasingly overbearing, cruel, and dangerous. “Xe Sands does an amazing job giving all the characters distinct voices and inflecting emotions in her delivery,” Smith says.

Taking another dark turn, Maria the Wanted by V. Castro, narrated by Kim Ramirez, February 2026, ISBN 9781666692723, is a vampire thriller laced with horror. Maria is wanted by an Aztec art trafficker and a cartel boss, when she’s drawn into a dark and dangerous world of ancient vampires, conspiracies, and a seductive devil.

“Despite being a vampire thriller, at its heart this is a character-driven story,” Smith explains. “It also has unique vampire lore that she seamlessly interweaves with biblical lore. It’s a compulsive listen, especially for those looking for more diversity in their horror and thriller stories.”

HarperCollins Publishing

Two HarperCollins Publishing divisions with very different content, HarperCollins Christian Publishing and HarperCollins Focus, are based in Nashville. HarperCollins Focus publishes books for the general market by renowned authors, celebrities, and experts, while HarperCollins Christian’s titles range from subtly faith-based to very faith-forward. Between these two divisions, the Nashville team produces between 300 and 400 new audiobooks each year.

Bestselling Christian author and speaker Jennie Allen narrates her new audiobook, The Lie You Don't Know You Believe, March 2026, ISBN 9781400249879, from HarperCollins Christian’s Nelson Books imprint. This self-help title guides readers to identify lies they’ve been believing, then challenges them to replace them with Christian teachings.

“For the audiobook, Allen added a lot of off-script asides, behind-the-scenes additions, and extra thoughts she had as she was recording that are not part of the print book,” says Audiobook Producer Sydney Mathieu. “It should be a unique experience for her audience to be able to hear her like that—really personal, up close.”

NCIS star Mark Harmon and former Naval Criminal Investigative Service agent Leon Carroll Jr. have teamed up again for Ghosts of Sicily, narrated by Scott Brick, April 2026, ISBN 9781400253005. This third title in Harmon and Carroll’s HarperCollins Focus series goes back to WWII-era New York City, to tell the story of how the Office of Naval Intelligence ended up working with the Mob to thwart German U-boats sinking ships off the coast of Long Island.

“It’s told like a fictional story, but it’s entirely nonfiction,” says Michelle McGuire, senior marketing manager of audio. “Scott Brick has done a ton of Tom Clancy audiobooks. He’s going to bring a whole new level of entertainment and capture that can’t-stop-listening element.”

Pastor and author Tyler Staton narrates his new devotional audiobook, After Amen: 50 Days of Poetry and Prayer, April 2026, ISBN 9781400257850. Staton shares the prayer, contemplations, scripture, and poetry that helped him contend with his stage-IV cancer diagnosis. The audiobook will also feature original music from Young Ocean and additional narration by Yinka Dawson.

“The audiobook is going to give readers that full, immersive experience,” McGuire says. “They’re also doing something fun and old school and offering a cassette tape of additional audio content, like a companion piece to the audiobook, on his book tour. I think it’s going to really resonate with his audience.”

Spies, Lies, and Alibis by Natalie Walters, narrated by Andrew Eiden and Dominique Salvacion, May 2026, ISBN 9781400354542, is HarperCollins Christian’s first foray into low-spice romance. “It’s a step up from your Hallmark-level clean romance, which is something we’ve always done, but this adds like half a chili pepper to the mix,” McGuire says.

Cybil has been collecting intel on her boss’s criminal network for years under the guise of her job as his executive assistant. Then she meets “Ben Bradley,” who works undercover for the FBI as a financial adviser to the wealthy and corrupt. “It’s going to be very bingeable, dual narrator, with some fun accents as well.”

From imprint Thomas Nelson Fiction, Brighter Than Before by Courtney Walsh, narrated by Patti Murin, June 2026, ISBN 9781400352906, is one of HarperCollins Christian’s staple zero-spice contemporary rom-coms. When Claire’s marriage ends abruptly and publicly, she finds herself single with the opportunity to reinvent herself by making all her own choices. “It’s a super-cute second-chances story about doing the things you always dreamed of but felt like you couldn’t,” McGuire says. “It’s very witty, warm, uplifting—the perfect beach listen.”

Penguin Random House Audio

Adding nearly 2,000 new audiobooks each year, Penguin Random House’s Books on Tape and Listening Library imprints offer libraries a catalog of over 20,000 audiobooks. PRH Audio produces titles from every PRH division, acquisitions from other publishers, as well as originals exclusively for the audio format. Here, Abby Nutter, executive editor of content acquisitions, hand-selected some of the house’s buzziest upcoming titles.

Last fall, the dystopian romance Conform by Ariel Sullivan was the first title in Jenna Bush Hager’s Thousand Voices Books venture with Random House. Now, fans get its prequel, Beneath, narrated by Brittany Pressley, March 2026, ISBN 9798217169429. In the far future, 23-year-old Sasha is living underground with survivors of a nuclear attack when the handsome Tristan recruits her to join his elite team of soldiers on a secret mission. The sequel, and final book in the trilogy, comes out next fall.

Thanks in part to Amazon MGM Studios’ acquisition of its film rights and Anne Hathaway signing on to star in and produce the movie, anticipation for Caro Claire Burke’s debut, Yesteryear, narrated by Rebecca Lowman, April 2026, ISBN 9798217174850, is high. When a tradwife social media influencer wakes up in 1805, she’s left to determine whether she’s experiencing a hoax, some kind of reality show, or something darker.

“Not to overblow it, but [Yesteryear] has all the ingredients to be the book of the spring,” Nutter says. “It’s got a voice and a twist that defies classification. But it is a dystopian look at contemporary womanhood and trendy tradwives. I would say this [book] has one of the most exciting antiheroes since Amy Dunne in Gone Girl.”

Go Gentle, April 2026, ISBN 9798217166626, is the new novel from Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette. Adora Hazzard is a stoic philosopher and divorcée living on New York’s Upper West Side. She adheres to the ethos that the secret to happiness is to desire only what you have—until she meets a handsome stranger who turns her viewpoint upside down. “It’s a novel about a woman’s determination to live,” Nutter says. “It’s a beautiful, big lit fiction. We’re really excited that she’s on our list.” 

New York Times bestselling writer Emma Straub and beloved audio narrator Marin Ireland team up for American Fantasy, April 2026, ISBN 9798217079834. A four-day themed cruise promises 3,000 middle-aged female passengers the opportunity to meet the members of the 1990s boy band they obsessed over as teenagers. Empty-nester divorcée Annie feels out of place on the ship until she sees her teen idols on stage; then nostalgia hits and starting over begins to seem possible.

“It’s got a great hook,” Nutter says. “It’s the perfect fun and funny vacation setting. It reminded me a little of Curtis Sittenfeld’s Romantic Comedy. It’s going to be great for spring and summer.”

Author of Say Nothing, an award-winning New York Times bestseller, Patrick Radden Keefe narrates his latest book, London Falling, April 2026, ISBN 9798217174591. This true-crime story follows a London family devastated by the death of their 19-year-old son and the discovery of his secret life mixed up with seedy businessmen and gangsters. They don’t believe his death was a suicide, and they’re determined to find out what happened to him. “I think anything in his hands is going to be fantastic,” Nutter says. “And he’s an exceptional narrator—really, truly.”

Blackstone Publishing

Since 1987, Oregon-based Blackstone Publishing has been committed to the audiobook format. Today, the publisher maintains a catalog of 22,000 audio titles across multiple genres. Keeping production in-house, Blackstone publishes 800 new audio titles each year and offers CD manufacturing on demand. In 2015, the audiobook specialist added hardcover, paperback, large-print, and e-book formats to its repertoire and has published about 1,200 titles to date.

This spring, Blackstone publishes All My Children star Susan Lucci’s second memoir, La Lucci, February 2026, ISBN 9798874867751, narrated by Lucci herself and cowritten with Laura Morton, author of more than 20 New York Times bestsellers. The book revisits key moments in Lucci’s life and long career and dedicates a chapter to fans’ most frequently asked questions.

“It’s a deeply personal memoir reflecting on love, lust, reinvention, and resilience after both personal and professional challenges,” says Anne Fonteneau, chief sales officer. “It’s told with warmth, humor, and honesty—and she also shares some pretty juicy details.”

Rumor has it that the author of The Story of Marceau Miller, March 2026, ISBN 9798228364653, is a prominent screenwriter using the pseudonym Marceau Miller for the first time. Previously published in French to great success, this metafictional thriller narrated by a full cast begins with the death of renowned writer Marceau Miller. When his wife discovers a manuscript entitled The Story of Marceau Miller, questions are raised and secrets revealed about who Marceau really was and whether his death was an accident.

“It’s a very cinematic book,” Fonteneau says. “There’s a sequence when the wife runs into the forest, and you’re right there. I was out of breath following the story.”

Laura Zigman is the author of the 1988 novel Animal Husbandry, that was adapted into the 2001 rom-com, Someone Like You, starring Hugh Jackman and Ashley Judd. Blackstone describes her new novel, The Author Weekend, narrated by a full cast, May 2026, ISBN 9798228330467, as The Devil Wears Prada meets The White Lotus. A bestselling author hosts a fan retreat on a secluded island only to have a competitor turn up uninvited and a fan turn up dead. “It’s a darkly comic mystery with sharp social commentary,” Fonteneau says. “It’s a meta insider take on the toxic culture in the publishing industry.” 

The late Michael Crichton wrote A Murder in Hollywood, ISBN 9798200965724, in 1973, and Blackstone will publish it for the first time in May 2026. In this mystery, set against the backdrop of the 1970s film industry, the screenwriter of the next big western is found dead. The film’s publicist struggles to keep the production moving forward, as an investigator begins uncovering secrets about the cast and the crew. “We’re very excited to have this never-been-published novel by Michael Crichton,” Fonteneau says. “It was a manuscript found by his wife that she was holding on to and is now ready to bring to the market.”

In When Sparks Fly by Monica Murphy, May 2026, ISBN 9798874726539, Rachel, a 22-year-old heiress, escapes Manhattan for her family’s lake house after a humiliating breakup, only to set the place on fire with a candle mishap. Chagrined again, Rachel is determined to prove to her family—and to the infuriating local fire chief, Wyatt—that she can be independent. She takes on a job and a roommate but can’t stop running into Wyatt around town. “It’s a classic opposites-attract setup, featuring Monica Murphy’s popular character type—wealthy, flawed, and ultimately redeemable,” Fonteneau says.

Hachette Audio

Hachette Audio publishes 700 to 750 new audio titles per year across all divisions and imprints, covering various genres for adults, children, and young adults. The hot tickets this spring at Hachette Audio include duets, celebrity narrators, and duets with celebrity narrators.

Two million audiobooks by bestselling author Abby Jimenez have been sold since her debut, The Friend Zone, in 2019. Her spring 2026 book, The Night We Met, March 2026, ISBN 9781668652664, is a duet, featuring two stand-out Hollywood actors as narrators.

“Abby may be audio’s biggest author-fan. She relishes being an integral part of the recording process, from casting through production,” says Mary Urban, director of digital sales for Hachette Book Group.

Celebrity-read memoirs are having a moment, and Hachette has a plethora of titles coming out in 2026 from stars including Hayden Panettiere, Gaelynn Lea, Ke Huy Quan, and Christopher Lloyd. First up is Christina Applegate’s You with the Sad Eyes, March 2026, ISBN 9781668653487. Applegate was open about her diagnosis with multiple sclerosis in 2021, sharing it during a Good Morning America interview, and early in-house listeners have been incredibly moved by her candor and the intimacy of the read.

Author-read memoirs are rich listens for fans and casual listeners alike; they’re the kind of experience where those who have read the print or ebook would still get so much out of listening to the audiobook. Or doing both simultaneously, which is a new practice gaining traction online that completely immerses readers in a book without other distractions.

A terrific example of author-reads is Lindy West’s new book, Adult Braces, March 2026, ISBN 9781668653876. Adult Braces covers West’s cross-country trek from Seattle to Key West in a whimsical camper van she calls BAAA (because of the giant sheep spraypainted on it). Interspersed into the manuscript is text from voice notes she left herself on the road, the actual recordings of which are included in the audiobook.

“This book fully delivers and is the ultimate answer to the question, ‘But what happens after you have it all and it all is still not enough,’” says Urban.

Poets, too, can make stellar narrators for their prose works (see: Clint Smith and Nikita Gill). Dr. Joshua Bennett joins that list for his illuminating and enriching memoir, The People Can Fly, February 2026, ISBN 9780316576024. An award-winning poet and the MIT Distinguished Chair of the Humanities, Bennett explores the complex question of what it means to be gifted and Black in an unjust world.

A new David Sedaris book is always highly anticipated, and The Land and Its People, May 2026, won’t disappoint listeners. In his first new collection since Happy-Go-Lucky, Sedaris shares his inimitable, hilarious observations about being a foreigner, a brother, and a caretaker, among other things. Producers followed Sedaris on the road, and the audiobook will include mostly live recordings of the essays in the book. “If you have read Sedaris but have not listened to Sedaris, run, don’t walk, and be prepared for a gut-busting treat,” Urban says.

Finally, ahead of the literary event of Min Jin Lee’s next novel, American Hagwon, being released this fall, listeners can return to Lee’s previous triumph, Panchinko, October 2024, 9781668648315. The National Book Award Finalist and New York Times bestseller follows four generations of a Korean immigrant family as they struggle to control their destiny in 20th century Japan. The novel is read by actor Sandra Oh, one of the finest actors of her generation.

ECW Press

One of Canada’s largest audiobook producers, Toronto-based ECW Press takes a three-pronged approach to its audio program: producing some its own titles in house; selling audio rights to others; and acquiring and producing the audio for contemporary literature from other Canadian indie presses under its Bespeak imprint. All told, ECW currently produces audiobooks for about 30 titles each year.

“The Bespeak titles are from indie presses that might not have the ability to produce these books in audio and books that might not be picked up by bigger producers,” says Elham Ali, trade marketing manager. “We get to bring them to a wider audience.”

One of the Bespeak titles, Her First Palestinian: And Other Stories, narrated by Anas Hasan and Athena Karkanis, November 2025, ISBN 9781778525261, racked up award nominations when it was published by House of Anansi Press in August 2022. The nine stories in this debut collection by Palestinian Canadian lawyer Saeed Teebi all feature Palestinian immigrants to Canada and the struggles that they face. For example, “Do Not Write about the King” tracks the consequences of a joke that a young Palestinian Canadian doctor makes online about the ruler of an unnamed oil-rich Middle Eastern monarchy.

“It is so impressive to me what he [Teebi] has been able to achieve with these stories,” Ali says. “It’s a beautiful collection. And I’m hoping we’ll breathe new life into it and make it available to a new audience.”

One of ECW’s own titles, Three Bengal Kittens: A Dr. Peter Bannerman Vet Mystery by Philipp Schott, narrated by Miles Meili, April 2026, ISBN 9781778525940, is the fourth in the cozy mystery series about a veterinarian who solves animal-based crimes with his trusty sidekick, a black-and-white mutt called Pippin. In Three Bengal Kittens, which can stand alone, Peter’s brother Sam is the prime suspect in a murder. Sure that his brother would never kill anyone, Peter, along with Pippin and some Bengal kittens, take on the case.

“It’s very funny, very lighthearted,” Ali says. “It’s perfect for mystery fans, but also people who just love animals.”

SPONSORED CONTENT