Actors, authors, producers, and other audiobook industry insiders gathered at the New York Historical Society in Manhattan on May 31 for the Audio Publishers Association’s 23rd Annual Audie Award gala, hosted by Simon Vance, the most decorated audiobook narrator in the history of the APA and last year’s winner for Best Male Narrator award.
Random House Audio took home the top honor of the night, winning Best Audiobook of the Year for George Saunders’s Booker Prize winning novel Lincoln in the Bardo. The audio edition, which was named Best Audiobook of 2017 by PW, consists of a cast of 166 people including big name authors and actors and even employees of Penguin Random House Audio. PW praised the book as “emblematic of the exciting and innovative world of audiobook publishing as a whole, with its mix of celebrities, veteran narrators, writers, and others.”
Amanda D'Acierno, the publisher of Penguin Random House Audio, accepted the award and invited anyone involved in the production on stage. As numerous audience made their way, she turned the mic over to producer Kelly Gildea who praised Saunders for his work both on the book and audio production. “George Saunders being in the world and writing about the world makes it such a better place,” she said.
The award for Best Male Narrator went to comedian Trevor Noah, who was unable to attend the event, for the audio edition of his memoir, Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood (Audible Studios).
Bahni Turpin won the award for Best Female Narrator for The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (HarperAudio), which also won for best audiobook in the Young Adult category. The book follows a 16 year-old protagonist who becomes active in the Black Lives Matter movement after witnessing a police shooting. PW’s starred review of the audiobook praised Turpin for conveying the complexity of the novel’s main character, noting “Turpin’s remarkable sensitivity carries this performance to the ranks of greatness.” In her acceptance speech, Turpin described the YA novel as “an important book for our time.”
The rest of the night’s winners are as follows:
NARRATION BY AUTHOR
Norse Mythology, written and read by Neil Gaiman.
HarperAudio
LITERARY FICTION & CLASSICS
House of Names by Colm Toibin, read by Juliet Stevenson, et al.
Simon & Schuster Audio
NON-FICTION
American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakeslee, read by Mark Bramhall.
Random House Audio
FICTION
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman, read by Cathleen McCarron.
Penguin Audio
HISTORY/BIOGRAPHY
Loving Vs. Virginia by Patricia Hruby Powell, read by Adenrele Ojo and MacLeod Andrews.
Dreamscape Media
MIDDLE GRADE
See You in the Cosmos by Jack Cheng, read by Kivlighan de Montebello, Brittany Pressley, Michael Crouch, and a full cast.
Listening Library
AUDIO DRAMA
Brother Francis: The Barefoot Saint of Assisi, by Paul McCusker, read by a full cast.
Augustine Institute
AUTOBIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
Born to Run, written and read by Bruce Springsteen.
Simon & Schuster Audio
BUSINESS/PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Peak Performance by Brad Stullberg and Steve Magness, read by Christopher Lane.
Brilliance Publishing
EROTICA
Claim & Protect by Rhenna Morgan, read by John Lane.
Harlequin Audio
EXCELLENCE IN DESIGN
In Death: Limited Collector's Edition by J.D. Robb
Design by Carissa Dreese
Brilliance Publishing
EXCELLENCE IN MARKETING
Transform Your Commute Campaign
Penguin Random House Audio
EXCELLENCE IN PRODUCTION
Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle and Stephen Fry, read by Stephen Fry.
Audible Studios
FANTASY
The Strange Case of the Alchemist’s Daughter by Theodora Goss, read by Kate Reading
Simon & Schuster Audio
HUMOR
Carpet Diem: Or...How to Save the World by Accident by Justin Lee Anderson, read by Matthew Lloyd Davies.
Tantor Audio, a division of Recorded Books
INSPIRATIONAL FAITH-BASED FICTION
Catching the Wind by Melanie Dobson, read by Nancy Peterson.
Two Words Publishing
INSPIRATIONAL FAITH-BASED NON-FICTION
Fire Road: The Napalm Girl’s Journey through the Horrors of War to Faith, Forgiveness, and Peace by Kim Phuc Phan Thi, read by Emily Woo Zeller.
HighBridge Audio, a division of Recorded Books
MULTI-VOICED PERFORMANCE
Restart by Gordon Korman, read by Jonathan Todd Ross, Laura Knight Keating, Ramon de Ocampo, Andy Paris, Suzy Jackson, Graham Halstead, and John Kroft.
Recorded Books
MYSTERY
The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz, read by Simon Vance.
Random House Audio
ORIGINAL WORK
Romeo and Juliet: A Novel by David Hewson, read by Richard Armitage.
Audible Studios
PARANORMAL
Curse on the Land: Soulwood, Book 2 by Faith Hunter, read by Khristine Hvam.
Audible Studios
ROMANCE
The Duchess Deal by Tessa Dare, read by Mary Jane Wells.
HarperAudio
SCIENCE FICTION
Provenance by Ann Leckie, read by Adjoa Andoh.
Hachette Audio
SHORT STORIES/COLLECTIONS
The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic by Leigh Bardugo, read by Lauren Fortgang.
Audible Studios
THRILLER/SUSPENSE
The Fourth Monkey by J.D. Barker, read by Edoardo Ballerini and Graham Winton.
Recorded Books
YOUNG LISTENERS
Trombone Shorty by Troy "Trombone Shorty" Andrews and Charles R. Smith, Jr., read by Dion Graham.
Live Oak Media
