Audies Gala in New York Honors Scores Of Narrators And Publishers For Excellence, by John Florian
John Lee and Katherine Kellgren beam after winning Audie Awards for Solo Narration-Male, and Solo Narration-Female.
Audies Award Gala In New York Honors Scores
Of Narrators and Publishers For Excellence
May 31, 2009
By John Florian
VoiceOverXtra
Elegance … laughter … anxiety … applause … whoops!… tears … and the big winners include:
- Audiobook of the Year: The Graveyard Book, written and read by Neil Gaiman (pictured)
- Solo Narration – Female: Katherine Kellgren, for Curse of the Blue Tattoo
- Solo Narration – Male: John Lee, for The Count of Monte Cristo
Guided by actor and audiobook narrator host Tony Roberts, the 2009 Audies Awards Gala at the New York Historical Society Friday night bestowed scores of the coveted Audie Awards on voice actors and audiobook publishers for their excellence in 2008.
Sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA), the Audies are the only awards program in the U.S. devoted entirely to honoring spoken word entertainment. This 14th annual competition drew a record 1,000 entries in 31 categories.
A reception amid fluted columns and treasured paintings was followed by the awards show and a lively dessert and champagne toast honoring winners like narrator Johnny Heller (pictured), who this year won his second Audie.
In addition to the audiobook awards, Special Achievement Awards were presented to Brilliance Audio President and Publisher R. Michael Snodgrass and VP/Associate Publisher Eileen Hutton for their industry innovations and dedication.
‘BETTER AND BETTER’
The Gala’s format was a change from the sit-down dinners of previous years, and few winners had a chance to voice “thank-you’s” from the stage – all prompted by a desire to speed the night along.
“We were unsure how the publishers, authors and narrators in attendance would react to the new format,” says Anthony Goff, president of the APA and publisher at Hachette Audio.
“But it turned out to be one of the best Audies galas we can remember, and everyone was in fantastic spirits.
“We all have such a great appreciation for the work being produced, and that clearly came through during the awards presentation,” he adds. “The quality of the work keeps getting better and better!”
For a listing of all nominees, please see this earlier VoiceOverXtra article. Following are the 2009 Audie Award winners.
AUDIOBOOK OF THE YEAR
- The Graveyard Book, written and narrated by Neil Gaiman; HarperAudio
AUDIOBOOK ADAPTATION
- English Majors: A Comedy Collection for the Highly Literate, by Garrison Keillor; Narrated by
Garrison Keillor and cast, with special guests Billy Collins, Roy Blount Jr., Robert Bly, Donald Hall, Allen Ginsberg, and Calvin Trillin; HighBridge Company
AUDIO DRAMA
- The Odyssey, by Homer, Narrated by Tim McInnerny, Amanda Redman and a full cast; BBC Audiobooks America
BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR
- The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch; Narrated by Erik Singer; HyperionAudio
BUSINESS / EDUCATIONAL
- The Little Red Book of Selling, by Jeffrey Gitomer; Narrated by Jeffrey Gitomer; Simon & Schuster Audio
CHILDREN’S TITLES FOR AGES 8-12
- The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman; Narrated by Neil Gaiman; HarperAudio
CHILDREN’S TITLES FOR AGES UP TO 8
- James Herriot’s Treasury for Children, by James Herriot; Narrated by Jim Dale (pictured); Macmillan Audio
CLASSIC
- Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens; Narrated by Simon Vance; Tantor Media
DISTINGUISHED ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
- Curse of the Blue Tatoo, by L.A. Meyer; Narrated by Katherine Kellgen; Directed by Alisa Weberman; Sound Editing by CDM Sound Studios; Listen & Live Audio
FICTION – a tie
- The Duma Key, by Stephen King; Narrated by John Slattery; Simon & Schuster Audio
- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows; Narrated by a full cast; Books on Tape
HISTORY
- Gandhi and Churchill, by Arthur Herman; Narrated by John Curless; Recorded Books
HUMOR
- The Learners, by Chip Kidd; Narrated by Bronson Pinchot; Blackstone Audio, Inc.
INSPIRATIONAL / FAITH-BASED FICTION
- Prague Counterpoint, by Bodie and Brock Thoene; Narrated by Sean Barrett; FamilyAudioLibrary.com
INSPIRATIONAL / FAITH-BASED NON-FICTION
- The Word of Promise®: Next Generation-New Testament, by Various Authors; Narrated by Sean Astin and a full cast including Codey Linley, AnnaSophia Robb and Jordin Sparks; Thomas Nelson, Inc.
LITERARY FICTION
- Elmer Gantry, by Sinclair Lewis; Narrated by Anthony Heald; Blackstone Audio, Inc.
MULTI–VOICED PERFORMANCE
- Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan; Narrated by Joey Collins, Peter Jay Fernandez, Kate Forbes, Ezra Knight, Brenday Pressley and Tom Stechschulte; Recorded Books
MYSTERY
-
Voice of the Violin, by Andrea Camilleri; Narrated by Grover Gardner (pictured); Blackstone Audio, Inc
NARRATION BY THE AUTHOR or AUTHORS
- David Sedaris, When You Are Engulfed in Flames, Hachette Audio
NON-FICTION
- Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman; Narrated by Oliver Wyman; Macmillan Audio
ORIGINAL WORK
- Louis Vuitton Soundwalk, China: Beijing, by Stephan Crasneanscki; Narrated by Gong Li; Soundwalk
PACKAGE DESIGN
- Founding Fathers, edited by Arthur M. Schlesinger; Narrated by Ira Claffey and Richard Rohan; Macmillan Audio
PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT .
- You Staying Young, by Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz; Narrated by Johnny Heller; Recorded Books
POLITICS — JUDGES AWARD
- Hot, Flat, and Crowded, by Thomas Friedman; Narrated by Oliver Wyman; Macmillan Audio
ROMANCE
- The Dark Highlander, by Karen Marie Moning; Narrated by Phil Gigante; Brilliance Audio
SCIENCE FICTION / FANTASY
- Calculating God, by Robert J. Sawyer; Narrated by Jonathan Davis; Audible, Inc.
SHORT STORIES / COLLECTIONS
- Armageddon in Retrospect, by Kurt Vonnegut; Narrated by Rip Torn and Michael Vonnegut; Penguin Audio
SOLO NARRATION — FEMALE
- Katherine Kellgren, narrator of Curse of the Blue Tattoo, by L.A. Meyer; Listen & Live Audio
SOLO NARRATION — MALE
- John Lee, narrator of The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas; Blackstone Audio, Inc.
SPANISH LANGUAGE
- Por un Dia Más, by Mitch Albom; Narrated by Jose Manuel Vieira; FonoLibro Inc.
TEENS
- Curse of the Blue Tattoo, by L.A. Meyer; Narrated by Katherine Kellgren; Listen & Live Audio
THRILLER / SUSPENSE
- Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith; Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris; Hachette Audio
The Audio Publishers Association 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.
For details about the APA, please visit www.audiopub.org.