Book of the Year - Audiobook Non-Fiction

Memoirs from stalwarts of British media and royalty, alongside histories and self-development titles, make up this eclectic shortlist. What all the titles have in common is premium author care and innovative campaigns championing the audiobook genre.

Winner

Strong Female Character

Written and narrated by Fern Brady

Brazen

Comedian Fern Brady's "honest" and "heartfelt" memoir Strong Female Character resonated with our panel of judges, who called the audio edition "fascinating and beautiful". Voiced by the author, Brady's "profoundly impactful" account of her life as a woman living with autism was called "eye-opening" by our panel.

Brazen knew it had something special with Strong Female Character and utilised Brady's existing audience to promote awareness of neurodiversity and help the audiobook find the listeners who needed it most. Brady's tour audiences were also offered a voucher for the audio edition, which was recognised as one of Apple and Audible's audio books of the year. Our judges agreed Strong Female Character was an "intimate" and "raw" listening experience which "achieved a deep-to the-bone honesty", making it a clear stand-out in this category.

The Shortlist

Alan Partridge: Big Beacon

Written and narrated by Alan Partridge

Seven Dials/Orion

Steve Coogan dons his Alan Partridge persona once more in this hilarious account of Partridge’s attempt to return to his primetime TV slot and his efforts to rebuild a lighthouse. Narrated by Coogan and written with long-term collaborators Neil and Rob Gibbons, Big Beacon was Hachette’s biggest ever non-fiction audiobook pre-order. Seven Dials ran animated audio extracts and a pre-order competition in which the lucky winner received a personalised message from Alan himself.

Making It So

Written and narrated by Patrick Stewart

Gallery UK/Simon & Schuster

The icon of British television and film Patrick Stewart narrates his charming memoir Making It So in what was a carefully considered and thoughtful publication from Gallery UK that helped this audiobook top the Audible charts on release. The campaign lent into all aspects of Stewart’s life, from his career on screen to his childhood in Yorkshire, with outdoor advertising across the north of England presenting scannable QR codes to play audio clips.

Spare

Written and narrated by Prince Harry

Penguin Random House Audio

Prince Harry’s record-breaking memoir Spare, written with J R Moehringer, ruled the audiobook charts on release, with deft narration from the royal himself creating an intimate listening experience. Penguin implemented a meticulous, global campaign and made the decision to run no advertising on social media or spaces where users could leave comments, instead running ads with podcasts with a listening base interested in mental health and wellness.

Strong Female Character

Written and narrated by Fern Brady

Brazen/Octopus Publishing Group

Comedian Fern Brady recounts her life as a woman living with autism in her honest memoir, Strong Female Character, which was recognised as one of Apple and Audible’s audiobooks of the year. Brazen utilised Brady’s existing public profile to push audiobook sales, offering her tour audiences a voucher for the audio edition. The memoir triumphed in audio and remains the publisher’s number one title on Spotify.

The Diary of a CEO

Written and narrated by Steven Bartlett

Penguin Random House Audio

Author and narrator Steven Bartlett brings his conversational podcast style and entrepreneurial and self-development expertise to the audio edition of The Diary of a CEO. With only two weeks of Bartlett’s time available to promote the audio edition, Penguin Random House Audio instigated a no-holds-barred campaign, running its first ever advertising on Apple News and sending padlocked golden boxes to influencers with a download code for the audiobook.

Unruly

Written and narrated by David Mitchell

Penguin Random House Audio

David Mitchell’s witty history of the English monarchy ruled the autumn on release. Penguin Random House Audio launched Unruly's pre-order campaign with a 15-minute video of Mitchell and identified the ‘Twixtmas’ period as a ripe opportunity, running a fresh slew of Guardian advertising. Mitchell also wrote and hosted a pub quiz for Greene King that was then rolled out across 35 pubs.