Top Authors Skip Print, Going Right To Audio

When Michael Lewis had an idea for his next book, a political narrative, he decided he would test it out first as a 10,000-word magazine article.

But this time he made a surprising pivot. Instead of publishing the story in Vanity Fair, where he has been a contributing writer for nearly a decade, he sold it to Audible, the audiobook publisher. “You’re not going to be able to read it, you’re only going to be able to listen to it,” Mr. Lewis said. “I’ve become Audible’s first magazine writer.”

Mr. Lewis — one of the most successful nonfiction writers working today, with book sales topping 10 million copies — is betting Audible will expand his audience. Last month, he signed a contract with Audible for four audio original articles, with the first scheduled to come out in July. Mr. Lewis plans to narrate it himself.

Mr. Lewis is part of a growing group of top authors bypassing print and releasing audiobook originals, hoping to take advantage of the exploding audiobook market. It’s the latest sign that audiobooks are no longer an appendage of print, but a creative medium in their own right. Cellphones now function as audiobook players. People who felt they had little time to read are now listening while they commute, exercise or do chores.

Publishers are nervous as Audible strikes deals directly with writers, including best- selling authors like the historian Robert Caro and the novelist Jeffery Deaver.