APA Honors the Year's Best Audiobooks at 14th Annual Audies Gala in New York City
The Graveyard Book Is Named Audiobook of the Year and Curse of the Blue Tattoo Receives the Newly-Created Distinguished Achievement in Production Award
NEW YORK, May 30/PRNewswire/ --The Audio Publishers Association (APA) announced the winners of the 2009 Audies(R) at a formal Gala at the New-York Historical Society on May 29th in New York City. The Audies are the only awards program in the United States honoring spoken word entertainment.
Recognizing audio's most engaging and innovative audiobooks of the 2008 publishing year, APA kicked off the celebration with Broadway and television star Tony Roberts, who played host to this year's Audies gala. APA recognized the year's best titles across a variety of genres.
Newbery Medal winner, The Graveyard Book, written and read by Neil Gaiman, beat its contenders, Brisingr byChristopher Paoliniand A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs, for the coveted Audiobook of the Year award. The title earned this recognition for its combination of original musical composition, superb production and effective social media marketing. Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady, written by L.A. Meyer and read by Katherine Kellgren, received the newly-created Distinguished Achievement in Production award for its excellent production quality. This new award recognizes a production that represents the best the format has to offer in listening excellence.
"Despite current economic conditions, our industry continues to band together to provide some of the best audiobooks ever," said Anthony Goff, President of APA. "We thank the entrants for their continued support of the Audies and for their ground-breaking contributions and dedication to the industry."
APA also honored R. Michael Snodgrass, President, Publisher and Founder of Brilliance Audio and Eileen Hutton, Associate Publisher, Editorial Director and Co-Owner of Brilliance Audio with Special Achievement Awards. These audio-industry veterans have pioneered new ways to promote audiobooks, grow listenership and expand the industry's reach over the past 25 years, most recently making news with their company's sale to Amazon.
APA and AudioFile magazine have partnered to provide an interactive way to listen to this year's Audie winners. The website, www.theaudies.com, allows listeners to read a review about the winning audiobook, as well as listen to a sample. Earshot! podcasts with excerpts from each title and candid AudioFile reviews are also available at www.audiofilemagazine.com/audiopolis.
The 2009 Audiewinners by category:
Audiobook of the Year
The Graveyard Book
Author and Narrator: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: HarperChildren's Audio
Executive Producer/Producer/Director: Michael Conroy
Distinguished Achievement in Production
Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky
Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady
By: L.A. Meyer
Read by: Katherine Kellgren
Publisher: Listen & Live Audio
Executive Producers: Alisa Weberman and Alfred Martino
Director: Alisa Weberman
Audiobook Adaptation
English Majors: A Comedy Collection for the Highly Literate
By: Garrison Keillor
Read by: Garrison Keillor and cast, with special guests Billy Collins, Roy
Blount Jr., Robert Bly, Donald Hall, Allen Ginsberg, and Calvin Trillin
Publisher: HighBridge Audio
Executive Producer: Tiffany Hanssen
Assistant Producer: Katrina Cicala
Audio Drama
The Odyssey
By: Homer
Read by: Tim McInnerny, Amanda Redman, and a full cast
Publisher: BBC Audiobooks America
Producer/Director: Janet Whitaker
Biography/Memoir
The Last Lecture
By: Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow
Read by: Erik Singer
Publisher: Hyperion Audiobooks
Executive Producer: Rick Harris
Producer/Director: Karen DiMattia
Business/Educational
The Little Red Book of Selling
Author and Narrator: Jeffrey Gitomer
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Children's Titles for Ages Up To 8
James Herriot's Treasury for Children
By: James Herriot
Read by: Jim Dale
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Producers: Laura Wilson and Robert Van Kolken
Children's Titles For Ages 8-12
The Graveyard Book
Author and Narrator: Neil Gaiman
Publisher: HarperChildren's Audio
Executive Producer/Producer/Director: Michael Conroy
Classic
Great Expectations
By: Charles Dickens
Read by: Simon Vance
Publisher: Tantor Audio
Executive Producer: Ron Formica
Fiction (tie)
The Duma Key
By: Stephen King
Read by: John Slattery
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Executive Producer: Carol Shapiro
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
By: Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Read by: Paul Boehmer, Susan Duerden, Rosalyn Landor, John Lee, and Juliet
Mills
Publisher: Books on Tape
Executive Producers: Dan Musselman and Kelly Gildea
Producer/Director: Kelly Gildea
Production Supervisor: Dan Musselman
History
Gandhi and Churchill
By: Arthur Herman
Read by: John Curless
Publisher: Recorded Books
Executive Producer: Claudia Howard
Director: Jeffrey Brick
Production Supervisor: Amber Cleveland
Humor
The Learners
By: Chip Kidd
Read by: Bronson Pinchot
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Executive Producer: Josh Stanton
Director: Andrew Barnes
Inspirational / Faith-Based Fiction
Prague Counterpoint
By: Bodie and Brock Thoene
Read by: Sean Barrett
Publisher: FamilyAudioLibrary.com
Executive Producer: Shiloh Light Foundation
Producer: Luke Thoene
Director: Anne Rosenfeld
Inspirational / Faith-Based Non-Fiction
The Word of Promise(R): Next Generation--New Testament
By: ICB Translation
Read by: Sean Astin and cast
Publisher: Thomas Nelson Inc.
Executive Producer/Co-Producer: Dan Lynch
Producer: Carl Amari
Directors: John Kirby and Jeff Lupetin
Production Supervisor: Brenda Noel
Literary Fiction
Elmer Gantry
By: Sinclair Lewis
Read by: Anthony Heald
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Executive Producer: Josh Stanton
Multi-Voiced Performance
Mudbound
By: Hillary Jordan
Read by: Joey Collins, Peter Jay Fernandez, Kate Forbes, Ezra Knight,
Brenda Pressley, and Tom Stechschulte
Publisher: Recorded Books
Executive Producer: Claudia Howard
Director: T.J. Reynolds
Production Supervisor: Amber Cleveland
Mystery
Voice of the Violin
By: Andrea Camilleri
Read by: Grover Gardner
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Executive Producer: Josh Stanton
Narration by the Author or Authors
Author and Narrator: David Sedaris
For: When You Are Engulfed in Flames
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Executive Producer/Producer/Director/Production Supervisor: Maja Thomas
Non-Fiction
Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By: Thomas Friedman
Read by: Oliver Wyman
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Producer: Laura Wilson
Original Work
Louis Vuitton Soundwalk: Beijing
By: Stephan Crasneanscki
Read by: Gong Li
Publisher: Louis Vuitton/Soundwalk
Executive Producer/Director: Stephan Crasneanscki
Producer/Production Supervisor: Clementine Duzer
Package Design
Founding Fathers
By: Arthur M. Schlesinger
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Designed by: Margo Goody
Personal Development
You Staying Young
By: Michael F. Roizen, M.D., and Mehmet C. Oz, M.D.
Read by: Johnny Heller
Publisher: Recorded Books
Executive Producer: Claudia Howard
Director: Marc J. Avila
Production Supervisor: Amber Cleveland
Politics - Judges' Award
Hot, Flat, and Crowded
By: Thomas Friedman
Read by: Oliver Wyman
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Producer: Laura Wilson
Romance
The Dark Highlander
By: Karen Marie Moning
Read by: Phil Gigante
Publisher: Brilliance Audio
Executive Producer: Colleen Rockey
Director: Laura Grafton
Production Supervisor: Brian Pepera
Science Fiction/Fantasy
Calculating God
By: Robert J. Sawyer
Read by: Jonathan Davis
Publisher: Audible
Executive Producers: Steve Feldberg and Mike Charzuk
Producer: Gayle Hendrix
Director: Keith Reynolds
Short Stories/Collections
Armageddon in Retrospect
By: Kurt Vonnegut
Read by: Rip Torn and Mark Vonnegut
Publisher: Penguin Audio
Executive Producer: Patti Pirooz
Producer/Director: Kevin Thomsen
Solo Narration - Female
Katherine Kellgren
For: Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of
Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady
By: L.A. Meyer
Publisher: Listen & Live Audio
Executive Producers: Alisa Weberman and Alfred Martino
Director: Alisa Weberman
Solo Narration - Male
John Lee
For: The Count of Monte Cristo
By: Alexandre Dumas
Publisher: Blackstone Audio
Executive Producer: Josh Stanton
Spanish Language
Por Un Dia Mas
By: Mitch Albom
Read by: Jose Manuel Vieira
Publisher: FonoLibro
Executive Producer/Producer: Arquimedes Rivero
Director: Jorge A. Rivero
Teens
Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky
Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady
By: L.A. Meyer
Read by: Katherine Kellgren
Publisher: Listen & Live Audio
Executive Producers: Alisa Weberman and Alfred Martino
Director: Alisa Weberman
Thriller / Suspense
Child 44
By: Tom Rob Smith
Read by: Dennis Boutsikaris
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Executive Producer: Michele McGonigle
Producer/Director: Robert Kessler
Production Supervisors: Jon Klemm and Michele McGonigle
About Audio Publishers Association (APA)
The Audio Publishers Association (APA) is a not-for-profit trade organization whose primary goals are to promote awareness of the audiobook industry, gather and disseminate industry statistics, encourage high production standards, and represent the interests of audiobook publishers. Since 1986, the APA has worked to bring audio publishers together to increase interest in audiobooks. Please visit www.audiopub.org for more information.
