Otobank Co., Ltd.
[Audiobook Popularity Ranking in May] A new year where you want to start learning anew. “Who is your money for” and “Concrete and abstract training for ages 13 and up”, which both adults and children can learn, won 1st and 2nd place.
3rd place goes to the 2024 Bookstore Award winning work “Naruse Goes to Take Over the World”. The audiobook version is a new sensation of “listening to a youth novel” performed lively by 12 gorgeous voice actors.
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Otobank Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Yuya Kubota, hereinafter referred to as “Otobank”) is an audiobook company with over 3 million members and the No. 1 audiobook lineup (*). We are pleased to announce the monthly audiobook ranking for May (April 1, 2024 – April 30, 2024) on the distribution service “audiobook.jp”.
*Research by Japan Marketing Research Organization, November 2023. Survey of Japanese audiobook book lineups.
[Image 1: https://prtimes.jp/i/34798/395/resize/d34798-395-ef820e60ab83dba1788b-0.jpg&s3=34798-395-17a9d60245063805ed1223388536a2d2-1280×670.jpg] ■”audiobook.jp” May (2024/4/1-4/30) No. 1 in popularity ranking “Who is your money for: The mysteries of money and the workings of society that your boss taught you” ”
[Image 2: https://prtimes.jp/i/34798/395/resize/d34798-395-ead542b5937824da5859-0.jpg&s3=34798-395-7d1e767512641164111baa5fed8c93be-995×1441.jpg] Author: Manabu Tauchi
Publisher: Toyo Keizai Inc.
Narrator: Yuki Kawashima
Distribution URL: https://audiobook.jp/product/269070
Sales start date: 2024/4/12
Introduction: On a rainy day, Yuto, a second-year junior high school student, enters a mysterious mansion with Nanami, who works at an investment bank. A millionaire called Boss lives there, and he is told that he will give the mansion to someone who can appreciate the true value of this building. From that day on, the boss’s lecture on the true nature of money and the structure of society begins…
“Unprecedented 150,000 copies sold” within 3 months of release! An educational economics novel that both adults and children need to know! Introducing a money class that will enrich your life and society!
2nd place: “Training concrete and abstract skills from the age of 13”
[Image 3: https://prtimes.jp/i/34798/395/resize/d34798-395-000103b555cd856d10e0-0.jpg&s3=34798-395-85d03ddc42cfe32ce829ccf6f7610971-1168×1497.jpg] Author: Isao Hosoya
Publisher: Toyo Keizai Inc.
Narrator: Toru Ichimura
Distribution URL: https://audiobook.jp/product/268769
Sales start date: 2024/3/27
Work introduction: Cumulative total of books sold over 1 million copies! ! I want you to know as soon as possible! “How to use your head” that will be useful for a lifetime that you should know before you become an adult. Introducing “thinking” training that will make studying and interpersonal relationships smoother, such as “Why can’t we talk?” “What does it mean to be smart?” “Why do we use x and y in mathematics?” Rather than being used by AI, let’s develop the intellectual imagination to make full use of AI! You can organize anything simply by going back and forth between concrete and abstract! Clear your head!
3rd place: “Naruse is going to take over the world”
[Image 4: https://prtimes.jp/i/34798/395/resize/d34798-395-f7b1f54c5f3a113aaf02-0.jpg&s3=34798-395-7306e74f3aa9c6d49ecfc8eacac3fa3a-650×955.jpg] Author: Mina Miyajima
Publisher: Shinchosha
Narrator: Akira Yamane, Yuna Ogata, and others
Distribution URL: https://audiobook.jp/product/269102
Sales start date: 2024/4/25
Work introduction: 2024 Bookstore Award winner! The debut work, which has won 14 titles and is currently the most loved by readers, has been made into a drama format by 12 voice actors! In 2020, at the beginning of the summer vacation of my second year of junior high school, my childhood friend Naruse started saying something strange again. He goes to the Seibu Otsu store every day, which is about to close due to the coronavirus pandemic, and appears on the broadcast. Just when he thought he had taken on M-1, he began a long-term experiment with his own hair and memorized the Citizen’s Charter. Everyone will surely be able to keep an eye on Akari Naruse, who is pushing her way with all her might today!
4th place: “Noh Mask Prosecutor” (Shichiri Nakayama, published by Kobunsha) https://audiobook.jp/product/268749 5th place: “Become a millionaire in a year” (Mayuko Totsuka, published by Sunmark Publishing) https://audiobook .jp/product/269061 6th place: “Wonderful Medicine: An intellectual adventure that approaches the mysteries of your body” (Kento Yamamoto, published by Diamond)
https://audiobook.jp/product/268514 7th place: “I can’t put it into words ” (Takuro , published by Diamond Inc.)
https://audiobook.jp/product/269092 8th place: “People with an annual income of 100 million yen only do “this”.Managers with MBAs 9th place: “The divine chatter skills that interesting people have unconsciously” (Masaaki Kamioka, published by PHP Institute) 9th place: “The divine chatter skills that interesting people have unconsciously” (Tomohiro Nakakita, Published by Toyo Keizai Inc.) https://audiobook.jp/product/269063 10th place “Super” Work Techniques in the Age of Generative AI” (Published by Hosuke Sei, Accenture AI Center, Toyo Keizai Inc.) https:// audiobook.jp/product/269086 ■Considerations This time, works that can be learned by both adults and children won 1st and 2nd place. The first place “Who is your money for: “Mystery of money” and “The structure of society” taught by the boss” is an enjoyable novel about “the essence of money, the structure of the economy, and the meaning of work”. It is a work that can be easily learned. In addition, the second place book, “Concrete and Abstract Training for Ages 13 and Up,” seems to be aimed at junior high and high school students based on the title, but it is said that even adults can learn a lot from it. April is the start of a new year, and many people want to start learning something new after joining a company or being transferred. These works are thought to have gained popularity as an introduction to learning. The 2024 Bookstore Award winning work “Naruse Takes the World” suddenly ranked in 3rd place even though it was only released on April 25th. The audiobook version uses 12 voice actors and is produced in a drama format. Some people say, “It was so interesting that I listened to it all at once.”
■“audiobook.jp” Unlimited Listening Plan Details This is an audiobook plan that allows you to listen to eligible works as much as you want for a monthly fee of 1,330 yen (tax included). We distribute audio content in a wide range of genres, including business books, novels, radio dramas, news, and rakugo. You can try it out for free for the first two weeks (14 days). Detailed URL:
https://audiobook.jp/user/membership/options/unlimited [Interview regarding audiobooks] Otobank Co., Ltd. Public Relations Office Email: pr@otobank.co.jp For other inquiries, please contact: https:// www.otobank.co.jp/contact/
■What is an audiobook?
[Image 5: https://prtimes.jp/i/34798/395/resize/d34798-395-9cfd072a3d4b19578511-0.png&s3=34798-395-2b9586258f9908db53dcd6f6f1534861-650×434.png ]
An audiobook is a “listening book” in which a narrator or voice actor reads the book aloud. Since you can enjoy reading with just your ears, you can enjoy “reading while doing it” not only for people who have difficulty reading, but also for all kinds of situations in your life, such as while running, while traveling by train or car, or while doing housework. In recent years, the number of audiobook users has rapidly increased due to the rapid spread of smartphones and wireless earphones, which has rapidly improved the environment for the use of audio content, and the introduction of subscription plans that allow unlimited listening to a variety of works for a fixed fee. Currently, audiobooks are becoming the third type of book, following paper books and e-books. [Reference] Learn about audiobook production and recommended works! “Understand everything! Audiobook”
https://bit.ly/3Xg8mFJ■audiobook.jp (audiobook.jp)
[Image 6: https://prtimes.jp/i/34798/395/resize/d34798-395-1e319264024879579363-0.jpg&s3=34798-395-78a9c58d85c1e40704afc5849ef696eb-1448×276.jpg] This is Japan’s largest audiobook distribution service operated by Otobank Co., Ltd. The service was renewed from “FeBe”, which started distribution in 2007, and started service in March 2018. We aim to expand the platform to popularize the audiobook category. The number of members will exceed 3 million in February 2024.
https://audiobook.jp/[object 9]・Service name:
“audiobook.jp”・Site URL: https://audiobook.jp/・App Store page: https://app.audiobook.jp/ios・Google Play page:
https://app.audiobook.jp/android ・Price structure: Unlimited listening plan is 1,330 yen per month (tax included). You can use it for free for two weeks after joining. Individual purchases can be made for each work. (*Mainly distributed in the same price range as hardcover books (1,200 yen to 1,500 yen).)
■Otobank Co., Ltd. (Head office: Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, President and CEO: Yuya Kubota)
[Image 7: https://prtimes.jp/i/34798/395/resize/d34798-395-103de57082ee470d16b5-0.jpg&s3=34798-395-ce9dc35d36504f792b5d4275ff1ab3c1-650×280.jpg] We are developing a business centered on audio content, and aim to “create a culture of listening,” “barrier-free access for the visually impaired,” and “promote publishing culture,” and boast one of the largest distribution volumes in Japan. Audiobook company. We have partnered with over 500 publishers, and our main businesses include audiobook sales through Japan’s largest audiobook distribution service, audiobook.jp, and online book guide Shinkan JP
(https://sinkan). We also carry out a book promotion business centered on .jp/). https://www.otobank.co.jp/
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