At PARIX Audio Day 2026 in Madrid on 19 February 2026, Jorge Reyes examines audiobook production across the United States, Latin America and Spain. Penguin Random House’s Spanish-language catalogue contains more than 7,000 titles, with approximately 800 new releases annually and production teams operating across several international studios.
Reyes describes a transition from primarily utilitarian listening—such as self-help, education and professional development—towards entertainment and immersive fiction. Fantasy and romance are expanding, while listeners increasingly expect culturally authentic voices and regional accents. For bilingual US audiences, language choice is also an expression of cultural identity.
A growing and geographically diverse pool of narrators is essential to support this expansion. Production formats now range from traditional single-voice narration to duet performances, full casts, celebrity narration and audio originals. Reyes cautions that additional production is not automatically better: a strong book and an excellent performance may need nothing else.
Artificial intelligence can improve pre-production, pronunciation research and quality-control processes, while authorised voice replicas may support selected projects. Reyes nevertheless insists on consent, transparency and human supervision. Every decision should begin with the same editorial question: what does this particular book need to create a memorable connection with its audience?
Original title: Reinventando la producción de contenidos audio
