Spotify is expanding further into publishing by moving into physical book sales through its app, thanks to a new partnership.
Beginning Spring 2026, Spotify will allow Premium subscribers in the United States and the United Kingdom to purchase hardcover and paperback books in partnership with Bookshop.org. The move builds on Spotify’s audiobook push, which began in 2022.
Under the agreement, Bookshop.org will set retail prices, manage inventory, and handle fulfillment for orders placed through Spotify, and the music streaming company will receive an undisclosed affiliate fee on purchases made inside the app.
The launch introduces another competitor in the book retail market alongside Amazon, which operates Audible and remains the largest online bookseller in the US.
“We want to expand the audience for books,” said Owen Smith, Spotify’s global head of audiobooks.
How Spotify and Bookshop.org will handle physical book sales
Spotify previously began selling audiobooks on an individual basis to US users in September 2022. A year later, it introduced a plan that gives Premium subscribers in select countries 15 hours of audiobook listening per month, with the option to purchase additional time.
Publishers have responded positively to Spotify’s audiobook efforts. News Corp has said Spotify helped boost audiobook sales for its HarperCollins division.
“They expanded the market, and they’re reaching a younger demographic,” said Chantal Restivo-Alessi, chief digital officer and chief executive, international, for HarperCollins Publishers.
Spotify is also rolling out a new feature called Page Match, which lets users sync audiobooks with physical copies by scanning a page from a printed book or ebook reader to jump to the same location in the audio edition.
Smith stated that more than half of Spotify Premium users are now trying audiobooks. “This is meeting people where they are,” he added.
Industry data shows audiobook growth continuing while print remains steady. Digital audiobook sales rose 2.4 percent to nearly $1 billion through November 2025 compared with the same period a year earlier, according to the Association of American Publishers.
By contrast, US print book sales in 2025 were flat, according to tracking firm Circana BookScan.
Andy Hunter, founder and chief executive of Bookshop.org, said consumer behavior is shifting toward owning books in multiple formats.
“They read at night and then listen on the way to work in their car or subway,” he remarked.
Spotify has not disclosed how many titles will be available for physical purchase at launch, or which publishers will participate when the feature rolls out this spring.
