Driven by input from independent booksellers, Libro.fm expands to include ebooks in the platform to provide more available formats for their bookselling partners.

By Erin L. Cox, Publisher | @erinlcox

Today, the U.S. audiobook platform Libro.fm announced they will soon offer ebooks alongside audiobooks. The company works with over 5,000 bookstores in the United States offering access to audiobooks and monthly audiobook memberships to their customers. This move to include ebooks is based on input from their partner stores who are eager to provide their patrons with additional format options in addition to print and audio.

“Since co-founding Libro, I’ve always imagined us offering more than audiobooks, and ebooks are a natural next step. We’ve built an audiobook platform that booksellers are proud to recommend to customers, and they’ve regularly asked us to do the same for ebooks,” says Mark Pearson, Co-founder and CEO, Libro.fm.

Ebooks will be available in the platform this fall and will include a few key features such as, LibroSync, similarly named and functioning to Amazon’s WhisperSync, which allows readers who own both audio and ebook formats the ability to toggle between listening to the audio and reading the ebook without losing their place; increased title availability; flexible credits that can be used on audio or ebooks; member exclusives including exclusive ebooks offers; and digital ARCs for booksellers, librarians, influencers, and educators.

Bookselling partners will have first access to the ebook platform when it is launched later this year so they can provide any necessary tweaks to the system before it goes live to customers.

“For over 10 years, Libro has provided our customers with an easy way to listen to audiobooks while supporting their favorite local indie,” Emma Kaas, co-owner of The Norwich Bookstore in Norwich, VT, says. “I’m so excited that they’re now turning their technical expertise and seamless customer service to ebooks.”