Former Audio Book Distributor Launches Online Store

by Carmen Cusido -- Críticas, 6/15/2008 8:57:00 AM

After years as a marketing manager at the Miami Beach-based Spanish-language music and audio book distributor YoYo Books, Luis Carlos Leaño decided to go on his own to form the online store Audiolibros en Español, based in Pembroke Pines, FL. Audiolibrosenespanol.com offers about 400 different book titles from every single genre, including children’s, fiction, philosophy, inspirational, and self-help. The online retailer carries titles from YoYo Books, Spanish Audio Books, and Fonolibro, as well as self-published titles.

“The audio books industry is a billion-dollar industry in the United States,” says Leaño, who is Colombian-American. His company is “not only trying to sell to the [Hispanic] community, but also educate [them about] audiolibros en Español.”

“This is an emerging market; the Latin community doesn’t know this exists for their pleasure. We spend so much time in cars, flying or gym, we have no time to read,” says Leaño, a self-described “book maniac.” “Audio books are a perfect tool—it’s like listening to telenovelas.”

According to Leaño, since the Audiolibros web site went live in April, sales have averaged 20–25 purchases daily. He believes that, by participating in different community events, Audiolibros can reach audiences in their 40s and older and alert them to this alternative form of reading. Besides the web site, Audiolibros offerings will be made available through their direct mail catalogs.