Finalists for Audie Awards Announced

by Kevin Howell -- Publishers Weekly, 2/5/2008

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) just announced the finalists for the 2008 Audie Awards that honors audiobook excellence in 30 categories.

Inspired By … The Bible Experience: Old Testament (Zondervan) was the audio production with the most nominations, gathering four in the categories of multi-voiced recording, inspirational/spiritual, achievement in production and package design. Last year, Zondervan’s Inspired By … The Bible Experience: New Testament won an Audies for inspirational/spiritual and as Best Audiobook of the Year.

Stephen Colbert’s I Am America (And So Can You!) (Hachette Audio) had the next-highest number of nominations, in three categories: humor, achievement in abridgement and multi-voiced recording,

Neil Gaiman has the distinction of having three nominations for three different audiobooks (InterWorld, M Is for Magic and Neverwhere, all published by HarperCollins).

Three former presidents are also among the nominees: Bill Clinton’s Giving (Random House Audio) is nominated in personal development/motivational; Jimmy Carter’s Sunday Mornings in Plains: Bringing Peace to a Changing World (Simon & Schuster Audio) in the original works category and Ronald Reagan’s The Reagan Diaries: Abridged Selections (HarperAudio) in achievement in abridgement.  

A complete list of finalists is available at the APA’s Web site.

The awards will be given on May 30, 2008 at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles.  

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