Spotify launches audiobooks in SA

Audiobooks are now available on Spotify in South Africa. The catalogue spans bestsellers, new releases and genre favourites. They include Shining Girls by South African author Lauren Beukes, as well as Heated Rivalry, Fourth Wing and the You and Me on Vacation.

“Whether you are commuting, exercising or winding down, modern life does not always leave time to sit down and read,” said Spotify in a press release. “Audiobooks make it easier to fit books into everyday routines, with your next listen sitting right alongside your favourite playlists and podcasts.”

For publishers, the platform offers an additional distribution channel and tools to track how audiences engage with titles. For authors, it provides exposure within a service already used by millions, creating opportunities to reach new audiences and build longer-term readership.

Together, these additions place audiobooks alongside music and podcasts on Spotify, integrating long-form listening into the platform’s existing audio offering while expanding how books are accessed and consumed in SA.

Getting started with Spotify audiobooks

Premium Platinum subscribers receive 12 hours of audiobook listening per month as part of their plan. Users who need more time can purchase an additional 10-hour top-up.

To access the offering, users can visit the audiobooks hub at the top of the Spotify homepage or use search to find a specific title. The hub includes recommended sections highlighting new and trending releases.

Spotify allows users to preview titles by listening to snippets, reading short reviews, and following authors within the app. Audiobooks can be saved to a user’s library for easier access, including offline listening.

Audiobooks include features aimed at making it easier to switch between reading and listening. Page Match allows users to continue from where they stopped reading by scanning a page from a physical book or e-book, after which Spotify matches the corresponding audio.