In the store, audiobook tablets called “story tiles” line the shelves, ready to be inserted into a player for listening through headphones.
Each tile plays a short excerpt and the full title can be accessed on the Audible app.
The platform, which dominates the audiobook market, offers paid subscriptions, individual purchases and free access to some titles for Amazon account holders.
A customer shops at the Audible Story House in New York on April 30. Photo / AFP
The venue also has a room lined with speakers for headphone-free listening, as well as a “Listening Bar” where “Story Tenders” will “guide attendees in finding the perfect audiobook for their tastes and interest”, according to the press release.
The space aims to reflect the fast-growing popularity of the format as well as the “shift toward offline experiences and real-world connection”.
“Audible Story House taps into the nostalgia and community feel of book culture while bringing it fully into the present,” the company said.
– Agence France-Presse