Digital audiobooks are the fastest-growing segment, and in 2023, US revenue rose 9% 2023 and generated 2 billion dollars. Individual audiobooks are expensive; the average title is around $59.99, although most people borrow them from the library or subscribe to a separate streaming service such as Audible, Kobo, or Spotify. Since audiobook sales are expensive, it is driving people to pirate them.

The Audio Publishers Association’s Sales Survey, conducted by Toluna Harris Interactive, found that audiobook piracy is becoming a real problem for the industry; 47% of those who listened to an audiobook last year say they got one for free through YouTube or another file-sharing website.

Publishers realize audiobook piracy is becoming a significant issue, and they have started getting the DMCA submissions into overdrive. Most audiobook piracy Bittorrent sites have hardly any content besides big-name authors and recent titles. Moblism, often the go-to piracy site, has its links dead. Z-Library is hard to trust due to the number of clone sites that exist to steal donation money and are victims of massive data breaches.

I have found that YouTube has the most pirated audiobooks available, and a YouTube Premium subscription allows people to listen to them without ads. It was easy to see the latest bestsellers: The Women by Kristin Hannah, The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson and ERUPTION by Michael Crichton and James Patterson. You will also easily find all the audiobooks of Stephen King, Harry Potter and the Hunger Games.