Audible Begins Distributing the 2026 Japan Booksellers' Award Winner 'In the Megachurch' on April 9th
Audible announced the immediate release of the 2026 Japan Booksellers' Award winner 'In the Megachurch' by Ryo Asai. Additionally, all 10 nominated works, including the first-ever 'audio-first' nominee, are available for unlimited listening.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 10, 2026 at 02:06
- 🔍 Collected: April 10, 2026 at 09:01 (6h 54m after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 20, 2026 at 07:11 (238h 9m after Collected)
Amazon Audible (hereafter Audible), one of the world's largest audiobook and voice content production and distribution services, will begin distributing the 2026 Japan Booksellers' Award-winning work 'In the Megachurch' by Ryo Asai on Thursday, April 9th.
The Japan Booksellers' Award, celebrating its 23rd year, is a literary award decided by the votes of bookstore employees who have actually read works published in the past year and deemed them 'interesting' and 'highly recommendable to customers.' It has produced numerous bestsellers to date.
This time, an Audible Original 'audio-first' work, 'Gyosei' by Kanae Minato, was nominated for the Booksellers' Award. This is the first time an audio-first work—written specifically to be delivered via 'voice' first—has been nominated for the Booksellers' Award.
To allow listeners to experience stories through their ears in various scenarios such as commuting or during housework, Audible is distributing highly discussed works, starting with the winning title 'In the Megachurch,' as audiobooks. By providing notable literary works in an audio format, we propose broader ways to enjoy reading and will continue to support the excitement in the literary scene, including the Booksellers' Award, alongside the publishing industry.
In addition to the grand prize winner, all 10 works nominated this year can be listened to on Audible.
'Gyosei' (Author: Kanae Minato), 'Arika' (Author: Maiko Seo), 'Epicurus's Prescription' (Author: Sosuke Natsukawa), 'The Hitman's Sales Techniques' (Author: Yu Nomiya), 'Ripe Persimmon' (Author: Shogo Sato), 'Detective Koishi Does Not Fall in Love' (Author: Basil Mori), and 'PRIZE' (Author: Yuka Murayama) are currently available as unlimited listening titles under the premium plan. Additionally, 'The Lost Face' (Author: Tomoya Sakurada) and 'Goodbye Jabberwock' (Author: Kotaro Isaka) will be available soon.
Please take this opportunity to enjoy the 2026 Japan Booksellers' Award winner and nominees, as well as past winning and nominated works on Audible.
Past Booksellers' Award works available on Audible: https://www.audible.co.jp/ep/honya-taisho
[Details of 2026 Japan Booksellers' Award Related Works]
Grand Prize Winning Work
The Japan Booksellers' Award, celebrating its 23rd year, is a literary award decided by the votes of bookstore employees who have actually read works published in the past year and deemed them 'interesting' and 'highly recommendable to customers.' It has produced numerous bestsellers to date.
This time, an Audible Original 'audio-first' work, 'Gyosei' by Kanae Minato, was nominated for the Booksellers' Award. This is the first time an audio-first work—written specifically to be delivered via 'voice' first—has been nominated for the Booksellers' Award.
To allow listeners to experience stories through their ears in various scenarios such as commuting or during housework, Audible is distributing highly discussed works, starting with the winning title 'In the Megachurch,' as audiobooks. By providing notable literary works in an audio format, we propose broader ways to enjoy reading and will continue to support the excitement in the literary scene, including the Booksellers' Award, alongside the publishing industry.
In addition to the grand prize winner, all 10 works nominated this year can be listened to on Audible.
'Gyosei' (Author: Kanae Minato), 'Arika' (Author: Maiko Seo), 'Epicurus's Prescription' (Author: Sosuke Natsukawa), 'The Hitman's Sales Techniques' (Author: Yu Nomiya), 'Ripe Persimmon' (Author: Shogo Sato), 'Detective Koishi Does Not Fall in Love' (Author: Basil Mori), and 'PRIZE' (Author: Yuka Murayama) are currently available as unlimited listening titles under the premium plan. Additionally, 'The Lost Face' (Author: Tomoya Sakurada) and 'Goodbye Jabberwock' (Author: Kotaro Isaka) will be available soon.
Please take this opportunity to enjoy the 2026 Japan Booksellers' Award winner and nominees, as well as past winning and nominated works on Audible.
Past Booksellers' Award works available on Audible: https://www.audible.co.jp/ep/honya-taisho
[Details of 2026 Japan Booksellers' Award Related Works]
Grand Prize Winning Work