When Toronto romance author Lily Chu finishes writing a book, she has her computer read it out loud while she walks or does chores to put herself in the shoes of her listeners.
Chu, who typically publishes her novels as audiobooks before they go to print, calls this an “audio edit,” aimed at creating a “really immersive” listener experience.
She says she writes her stories with multi-tasking audiences in mind. And that audience? It’s not small.
According to a recent report on leisure and reading by BookNet Canada, a non-profit organization tracking the book industry, 81 per cent of respondents reported listening to audiobooks while doing another activity like working, commuting or housework.
Lily Chu explains how her audio-first novels centre women as agents with clear goals, and how immersive narration amplifies emotional nuance to reinforce the female gaze.
Chu wrote her debut novel, The Stand-In — a romcom about a biracial Canadian woman mistaken for a famous Chinese movie star — during the 2020 pandemic.
Her agent sent it to different editors, including one at online audiobook and podcast service Audible, which decided to publish The Stand-In “audio-first” before it became a printed novel.
Six years later, Chu has a deal with Audible and recently released Just Kiss Already, her sixth book to debut as “audio-first.”
Her books are part of a trend that’s seeing romance increasingly shift from page to ear. This boom — fuelled by pandemic-era isolation and women with sexual agency wanting to multi-task while consuming books that feature guilt-free escapism — is pushing the publishing industry to pursue audio-first strategies within the genre.
Happily ever after guaranteed
Audible’s head of global consumer content, Diana Dapito, told CBC News via email that romance is one of the fastest-growing genres on the platform in Canada, with nearly a third of listeners here calling it a favourite.
According to BookNet Canada, the percentage of readers who prefer audiobooks doubled from eight per cent in 2020 to 16 per cent in 2025.
The organization’s report saw romance ranked as the fourth most popular audiobook genre, following mysteries and thrillers, science fiction and fantasy.
Though audio storytelling has been on the rise for years, Amanda Cupido, executive podcast adviser at The Walrus and author of the book Let’s Talk Podcasting believes the pandemic was a clear turning point.
“We saw some big jumps because people were looking for connection, and we know that audio is such an intimate medium and made people feel less alone.”
She says that intimacy is what allows listeners to form relationships with hosts, stories and characters.
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Chu calls romance “the genre of hope” and says it has two main rules: the story must centre on the main couple’s relationship and there will always be a happy ending.
As a fan herself, Chu says if she picks up a book marketed as a romance and it doesn’t have a happy ending, “I will throw that thing at the wall.”
Chu says readers are willing to take the angsty, emotional journey of two people falling in love, because they know the problems will be resolved — “It’s gratifying.”
‘Cinema for you ears’
Canadian romance audiobook narrator Angelina Rocca says listeners crave romance for its escape and says skilled narrators can make that escape feel “like cinema in your ears,” both by using general sound effects like rain or a cell phone ringing and vocal choices that centre women’s pleasure and point of view.
In audiobooks, Rocca says those choices are “largely informed by the text — he whispered, she moaned — and that may lead to some breath work, a light moan or expression around a line of dialogue.”
That’s important, according to Audible’s Dapito.
“The intimacy of a narrator’s voice deepens character connections and emotional immersion in ways that feel essential to the genre,” she said.
Canadian audiobook narrator Angelina Rocca reads an excerpt from Between Never and Forever by Brit Benson, produced by Lyric Audiobooks. Rocca won a Society of Voice Arts and Sciences award for her performance. The book is an angsty, spicy standalone novel that follows a rockstar looking for a second chance in a small town.
Reducing stigma, exploring sensuality
Romance novels have faced a lot of stigma over the years, partly because media that focuses on the lives of women and their pleasure has long been considered frivolous or even taboo, according to Sarah Wendell, co-founder of online romance community Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.
“I have not met a reader who was ashamed of loving romance,” said Wendell, who is based in Maryland. “I have met many readers who have been told they ought to be ashamed.”
She says immersive audio creates “your own little world” to explore in a private environment.
“So much of our daily experience involves our earbuds,” she said. “It is between you and whatever device you’re listening to. No one needs to know about it.”
And though stigma still exists, Wendell says the genre’s current popularity means people are “more likely to encounter a fan than someone who wants to give you a hard time.”
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Lizz Kidd, who works at Toronto’s Hopeless Romantic Books, a bookstore devoted exclusively to the romance genre, says she finds audio subscription apps — like Quinn, Dipsea and others — are a great way for curious listeners to sample different styles and spice levels of erotica and romance audiobooks.
“It’s fun, it’s spicy, and it’s a way for me to explore my sensuality at my own pace,” said Kidd.
“See what you like, see what you don’t like, open your world up to all these lovely stories and support artists.”
