Germany's Bastei Lübbe Launches shelfie.audio — A Physical NFC Audiobook Card for Adults

German publisher Bastei Lübbe is launching shelfie.audio, a physical audiobook format using an embedded NFC chip to unlock a digital title on a smartphone without requiring a subscription. The credit-card-sized product debuts with around 30 titles by Ken Follett, Dörte Hansen, and Jojo Moyes at €16.99, launching at the Leipziger Buchmesse with exclusive availability at Thalia stores from May 4 for nine months. The platform is open to other publishers and is explicitly positioned as a 'Tonies for adults.'