I know people who love audiobooks. Most of them fall into groups that spend long periods of time where they are occupied with routine tasks that leave headspace to assimilate an audiobook while they're working.
The most obvious example is people who spend a lot of time driving. But I also know people who fit a different pattern. For instance, I know someone who loves to cook. She can't really be holding a book while she's doing that, but she can listen to audiobooks.
In other words, the impetus for many consumers is the utilitarian aspect.
Unfortunately, for those of us who spend much of our time doing work that requires full brain engagement, we can't really read or listen while we work. Writing is an obvious example. Even listening to music slows me down, and listening to an audiobook would be even more difficult. It turns out their is brain science to support that. Processing music takes up some brain activity, reducing concentration on other things. (That doesn't mean you should stop listening to music if that works for your creative process. It does probably mean that process will be slower than if you weren't listening to music.) When I was teaching, I could do "idiot work" (like recording who turning the homework) while listening to music. But if I tried to listen to music while grading essays, the process became much slower.
Anyway, for me as a reader, I can make more productive use of my reading time by reading rather than listening. I can cover more ground with equal appreciation and comprehension. If the audio creation situation ever settles down, I'll certainly do audiobooks again, but for those readers who like them, not for myself.
