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APA Announces Finalists for 2011 Audies Awards
The Audio Publishers Association (APA) has announced three Audies finalists for the prestigious Audiobook of the Year Award and six finalists for the Distinguished Achievement in Production Award. The winners will be announced at the Audies Gala awards ceremony on Tuesday, May 24, 2011 at The Times Center in New York City. The three titles in the running for Audiobook of the Year are:
- Life, by Keith Richards, narrated by Johnny Depp and Joe Hurley
- The Red Pyramid, by Rick Riordan, narrated by Katherine Kellgren and Kevin P. Free
- The Woody Allen Collection, written and narrated by Woody Allen All three titles are distinguished by excellence in production as well as by their ability to create new interest in the audiobook format through creative and innovative marketing. Here are some judges’ comments about the Audiobook of the Year Finalists: Life (Hachette Audio): Life is certainly an appropriate title for Keith Richards’ long-awaited autobiography. From humble beginnings through the early years of the Rolling Stones, narrators Johnny Depp and Joe Hurley make the most of the rich material, creating a listening experience that is both evocative and provocative. Richards himself makes an appearance, not only with his voice, but with his equally distinctive guitar. A multi-pronged marketing campaign capitalized on Depp’s contributions to great effect and left no doubt that new audiobook fans had been won. The Red Pyramid (Brilliance Audio): Narrators Katherine Kellgren and Kevin P. Free turn in bravura performances of Rick Riordan’s The Red Pyramid, a crackling story of a pair of precocious siblings on the run, Egyptian gods called back to life and a very dramatic night at the British Museum. Brilliance (aided by some cross-promotion with Disney/Hyperion) dreamed up some equally magical marketing in the weeks before publication as kids, librarians and retailers received leaked “lost recordings” from the book. The audiobook launch at the Brooklyn Museum, featuring performances from the gifted narrators, began the marketing on a high note that was perpetuated by an event kit that included audiospecific activities, setting the stage for Riordan fans seeking a new way to experience his exciting tales. The Woody Allen Collection (Audible): The Woody Allen Collection presents a different kind of listening experience as the famous technophobe shares his short stories and reflections in his well known and oft-imitated voice. Fans of the nervous New Yorker will find their way to this new method of feeding their Woody Allen habit. Audible’s broad marketing campaign touched all kinds of media, not only within its native online world, but also extending into extensive coverage off the book page in national, regional and even international media. The six titles selected to compete for the Distinguished Achievement in Production award are:
- Chapters from My Autobiography, by Mark Twain, narrated by Bronson Pinchot
- The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, by Stieg Larsson, narrated by Simon Vance
- Here in Harlem: Poems in Many Voices, by Walter Dean Myers, narrated by a full cast
- One Crazy Summer, by Rita Williams-Garcia, narrated by Sisi Aisha Johnson
- Saint Joan, by George Bernard Shaw, narrated by Amy Irving, Edward Herrmann, Kristoffer Tabori and a full cast
- The Sunset Limited, by Cormac McCarthy, narrated by Austin Pendleton, Ezra Knight and Tom Stechschulte “With record-setting submissions, this year is the most competitive yet for the Audie Awards,” said Ellen Myrick, Chair of the Audies judges. “It’s clear audiobook fans and neophytes alike will find something to savor in this year’s finalists. There’s no better place to start listening than with the finalists for these two categories.” 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 for more information.