BOOK OF THE YEAR AUDIOBOOK: FICTION


OVERVIEW


Spanning classics to débuts, the audio  showcases the      David Tennant, join  


THE LORD OF THE RINGS The first new recording of The Lord of the Rings in a genera- tion is an epic suite that contin- ues Andy Serkis’ legacy as the voice of J R R Tolkien’s classic text. It took 29 days of record- ing and a launch—preceded by in-studio videos of Serkis below—culminated in 14,000 pre-orders and more than 30,000 units sold in the first week. Since release, 100,000 copies have been sold.


CARELESS Orion Audio partnered with Open Door—an organisation that helps young actors from disadvantaged backgrounds—to make their audio edition of the début by Kirsty Capes right. An open casting programme was run, and Amber Gadd was signed as narrator. Gadd has since been recognised in the PA’s Best New Voices promotion and is in discussion to return for Capes’ next book.


THE MAN WHO DIED TWICE With the second-highest pre-orders of all time, the audiobook of The Man Who Died Twice continued to build on Richard Osman’s remark- able sales trajectory. Lesley Manville left returned as the voice of the series by recording sessions in between shooting for “The Crown”. Bonus content includes an insightful Q&A between Osman and Manville.


PUBLISHERS 1 HARPERCOLLINS AUDIO 2 ORION AUDIO 3 AUDIBLE ORIGINAL


4 PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO


5 PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE AUDIO


6 HODDER CHILDRENS BOOKS


THE NIGHT SHE DISAPPEARED A huge pre-order drive saw Lisa Jewell’s latest hit number one on Audible and Apple UK charts in publication week. Joanne Froggatt brought depth and complexity to the three female voices, with Jewell right praising it as a “perfect match” for novel and narrator. A strong performance since publication has catalysed sales across all of Jewell’s titles.


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WIZARD OF ONCE: NEVER AND FOREVER The latest instalment in the series was Hachette Children’s most pre-ordered audiobook ever. Filled with songs and poetry, it was the perfect foil for David Tennant to flourish with unique accents and meta- moments to boot: “As David Tennant I am the narrator who is narrating Cressida Cowell’s left narration of the real narra- tor behind this story.”


THE SANDMAN ACT II The multi-cast dramatisation, a follow-up to the title short- listed last year, took a bold direction incorporating sound- scapes and an atmospheric soundtrack by Bafta-winning composer James Hannigan. A cast of 72 playing 206 characters and a team of five sound designers helped make the “unadaptable” text by Neil Gaiman below into a bestseller within a week of release.


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© Jai Stokes


© Lucinda Chua © Debra Hurford Brown


© Kyle Cassidy


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