May 31, 2026

People Power

Last week, workers at the American Library Association voted overwhelmingly to unionize with AFSCME Council 31, and employees at comics publisher Dark Horse requested voluntary recognition for their own union with the Communications Workers of America. A coalition of five public library organizations called on the Big Five to lower their e-book lending costs and introduce more sustainable digital licensing models. Spotify reported that subscriptions to its audiobook streaming add-on were on track to generate $100 million in revenue. And ElevenLabs, an AI voice-generation software firm, launched its own audiobook streaming subscription service offering 200,000 titles.

Ryan O’Connell’s new essay collection Inspiration Porn launched at Strand Bookstore in Manhattan on May 27. O’Connell (r.) was joined in conversation by fellow author Coco Mellors (l.).
(Courtesy Strand Bookstore)

ALA Workers Near Unanimous in Vote to Unionize

A May 27 ballot count found that more than 95% of union-eligible American Library Association employees voted yes to establish a union, ALA Workers United, with the AFSCME Council 31. more

Dark Horse Employees Form Union

Organized with Communication Workers of America, Dark Horse Workers United has requested voluntary recognition by June 3. The unionization effort follows a tumultuous period at the comics publisher. more

Library Orgs Urge Big Five to Address Digital Pricing

Five public library organizations—the Association for Rural and Small Libraries, Chief Officers of State Library Agencies, Canadian Urban Libraries Council, Public Library Association, and Urban Libraries Council—released a joint letter appealing to publishers and digital platforms to make e-book and audiobook licensing more sustainable. more

Spotify Audiobooks+ Add-On Draws Users, Drives Revenue

The audio streamer is touting 60% year-over-year growth in audiobook listeners and expects to take in $100 million in recurring revenue this year just from its Audiobooks+ add-on, which launched last year and now counts some one million users. more

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