What do you primarily use Spotify for? Enjoying music? Keeping up with your favorite podcasts? Listening to audiobooks? Well, the next time you open it (at least on Android) you can just use it to buy a book — not just an e-book, mind you, but a physical book.
Spotify is officially a book seller.
As reported by TechCrunch.Spotify is now selling physical books on its Android app to users in the US and UK, with plans to roll out the feature to iPhones next week. The company first announced the initiative in February, revealing that it was partnering with Bookshop.org To facilitate transactions. This isn’t your typical corporate deal, either: Bookshop.org is designed to connect buyers with their local independent bookstores, rather than a giant conglomerate or distributor. Bookshop says 50% of the book’s sales price goes directly to the publisher (who then pays the author), while 30% goes to the bookstore you select upon purchase. Another 10% goes to a profit sharing fund that is distributed to all bookstores the site works with.
It might seem a little silly to think about buying a book through Spotify, an app that was originally just for music. But like many platforms, Spotify has adapted and expanded its offerings over the years. It already sells audiobooks, so why not print and e-books? In fact, Spotify is now competing directly with Amazon as your go-to place for all your literary needs, whether you prefer reading or listening to your books. A Spotify-branded e-reader might be next — although the last time Spotify tried to sell its own device, This work is not finished Very well
Note that there is no dedicated storefront for buying books on Spotify. Instead, you’ll see a “Get a copy for your bookshelf” button below the individual audiobooks. When you select it, you’ll be taken to that book’s Bookshop.org page.
What do you think so far?
Spotify’s “Page Match” and “Audiobook Recaps” are also getting updates.
In addition to this news, Spotify also announced an update to Page Match, its feature that lets you match your place in a book using your phone’s camera. The feature now supports more than 30 languages, including French, German and Swedish. Spotify’s audiobook summarization feature, “Audiobook Recaps,” is now accessible on Android as well. Previously, this feature was exclusive to iOS, and let users listen to a summary of what they’ve already heard in an audiobook.
There are also updates to the audiobook charts throughout the app, which show users which books are currently selling best. Audiobook charts recently launched in Germany, and US and UK users now have a dedicated chart for the most popular children’s and family-oriented audiobooks as well.




