Audible UK shortlisted for US Audie Awards

Three titles from Audible UK featuring "national treasures" Bill Bailey, Richard E Grant and David Tennant have been nominated for the 2016 Audie Awards in the US.

The Audie Awards, sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA), are the "premier awards programme in the United States" for audio books, designed to "recognise distinction in outstanding audiobooks and other spoken-word performances".

To qualify "audiobooks" are defined as "sound recordings containing at least 51% spoken word content and available for sale in the United States as compact discs and/or in digital format". They don't need to be based on a printed book. 

Audible.com’s two production arms, Audible Studios and ACX, received 24 nominations in total, spanning 12 different categories of the total 25. Harper Audio accounted for a total 16 finalists, Hachette Audio for 14, Macmillan Audio for 10 and Simon & Schuster Audio for seven. 

Two Audible UK works featured as finalists in the "Audio Drama" category - Amok, by Sebastian Fitzek and The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories, by Rudyard Kipling, narrated by Bill Bailey and Richard E Grant.

In the "Original Work" category, Audible UK's "classic gothic novella" Carmilla, by J. Sheridan Le Fanu and narrated by David Tennant, was also nominated. Simon & Schuster's Drunken Fireworks by Stephen King, narrated by Tim Sample, was also listed in the category, along with Locke & Key, an audio dramatisation of the graphic novel series written by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez, performed by a cast of over 50 voice actors.

Other highlights included Academy Award and Golden Globe Award-nominated actor John Malkovich’s "spellbinding performance" of Kurt Vonnegut’s satire, Breakfast of Champions, in the “Best Male Narrator” category.

APA President Linda Lee said: “With the announcement of these finalists, the vibrancy of the audiobook industry is apparent in the continued year-over-year increase in submissions. To all our esteemed finalists, ‘May the odds be ever in your favor!’ We look forward to the festivities in Chicago this year.” 

Janet Benson, Audies competition chair added: “Picking this year's top titles was a tough challenge for our judges because there were so many excellent entries. Each of these finalists is a great representative of the best our audio world has to offer. We encourage listeners to check out all of one category’s finalists, and see which one you think should win the Audie!” 

Audible e.v.p. and publisher Beth Anderson said: “We are thrilled that so many of our high-quality productions have been recognised this year. We are particularly proud that three Audible titles have been named as finalists in the “Original Work” category for the third year in a row. Four of our titles were named as finalists in the “Audio Drama” category. Both of these categories continue to offer rich opportunities for us to expand the range of listening experiences to deliver to our customers.”

Winners will be announced by the Audio Publishers Association at the Audies Gala on 11th May, 2016, in Chicago.