A few weeks ago, I reported that Spotify had opened up its family and duo plans in a number of markets so that all plan members could add fifteen hours of audiobooks, not just the person who runs the plan. I noted then that it was surely just a matter of time before this feature was opened up to US audiences. Well, sure enough, that has now happened. It means everyone on a Family or Duo plan can top that plan up to access fifteen hours of audiobooks.
ALLi News Editor Dan Holloway
And, as with the previous markets, the Audiobooks+ plan has also been rolled out in the US to people who have Spotify Premium. This allows them to add, for $11.99 a month, a second batch of fifteen hours of listening on top of the fifteen hours that come with Spotify Premium.
Frankfurt’s Growing Visual Focus
That’s the audio news. The remaining stories in this end-of-week roundup both focus on the visual—specifically, comics and graphic novels. First up, courtesy of Publishing Perspectives, news that Frankfurt is expanding its visual offering to include webtoons. Webtoons feature fairly regularly in this column relative to other graphic forms. That’s because they are a literary form where indie authors have large followings and substantial opportunities, thanks to platforms like Korean giant Naver’s Webtoon.
A New Opportunity for Young Comics Creators
Finally, a callout to anyone based in the UK who knows a brilliant comics creator between the ages of eighteen and thirty. Or, indeed, anyone who is a brilliant comics creator between the ages of eighteen and thirty. A new initiative seeks to appoint, in a funded capacity (£8,000 of funding for a wide range of purposes), a Young Comics Laureate for 2025–26. The postholder will have the role of advocating for young creators and helping bring a new generation of writers into the trade.
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