This is part of my ongoing series on using Awards Lists as a RA tool. Click here for all posts in the series in reverse chronological order. Click here for the first post which outlines the details how to use awards lists as a RA tool.
As part of my Year in Review presentation for NoveList on 2/4 (details and registration link here), Yaika Sabat and I have a lot to say not only about how much audiobook listening is growing, but how ubiquitous listening to an audiobook has become.
Look at this mind blowing report from the APA about the ubiquity of audiobooks right now. That information is in general, but then there is also this report that came out earlier this month, done with LJ and SLJ-- DIGITAL AUDIOBOOKS LEAD GROWTH IN LIBRARY CIRCULATION FOR THE SECOND YEAR.
And then, The Guardian UK went on the declare 2024, The Year if the Audiobook back in December.
All this is lead up to remind you that even if Audiobooks (and especially eAudio) are not part your general area of work, if your job is more print (physical and ebooks), you cannot sleep on audiobooks. You need to know about how the appeal of audio can be different than print, about who the best narrators are, and which books translate best to the audio format. And that is just the tip of the iceberg,
I begin my general RA training program with a reminder that audiobooks (and graphic novels) are reading and that this information is non-negotiable. If you disagree with me, I explain, you are wrong and you need to get over it. There is no room for discussion here.
I have been saying this for over 10 years now, and I think the library world is finally catching up with me.
Knowing all of this, the announcement of the Audies long lists are a treasure trove of a resource. First, the current list of finalists. From the APA's Audie Awards Press Release for 2025:
JANUARY 22, 2025, NEW YORK, NY – Today, the Audio Publishers Association (APA) announced finalists for the 30th Annual Audie Awards®, the premier awards program recognizing distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment. Full list of finalists below. Winners across 28 competitive categories will be revealed on March 4 in New York, which will be hosted by Emmy® nominated actress, comedian, and author, Amy Sedaris (2008 Audies finalist).
“As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Audie Awards, we’re reflecting on three decades of honoring the incredible talent and innovation within the audiobook industry,” said Sean McManus, President, Audio Publishers Association. “This year’s finalists represent the very best in storytelling, and we couldn’t be more excited to celebrate their achievements. We’re also thrilled to have Amy Sedaris as our host—her wit, charm, and unmistakable sense of humor will bring a unique spark to the evening. It’s a perfect match for an event that celebrates the art of voice and performance, and we can't wait for everyone to join us in this special celebration!”
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be hosting the 30th Annual Audie Awards this year,” exclaimed Sedaris. “It’s such an honor to celebrate audiobooks and the many talented voices involved—especially since mine is usually reserved for explaining how to glue things together or reading instructions on soup cans.”
Click here to see the 28 categories and the list of nominated audiobooks. I will note, for our work (matching books to their best reader), understanding the different categories is as important as the titles that are listed under them. Why? Because these categories help us to work with readers. For example, do they want a full cast recording? Or are they like me, do they prefer a specific genre or nonfiction category for their audiobooks? (I love mysteries, memoir, and history of science in audio--more than reading them in print).
And because this I say blog, notice the Horror category which has 2 Stephen Graham Jones releases and Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle-- all 3 of which are among my favorite reads of 2024. The Bury Your Gays audio has many narrators, including Stephen Graham Jones.
Again click here for the entire list.
Make sure you have as many of these as possible in your eAudio collections. If you have the means, add a few to your "skip the line" collections. Personally I just got Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham, Narrated by Jacques Roy through this exact method.
And thankfully, after years of frustration and me having to do deep searches on the APA website in order to find the backlist press releases and nominee lists so that you could have easier access to them all, the Audio Publishers Association has created easy to access lists of the last few years of nominees and winners on the main Audie Awards info page, as well as providing a link at the bottom of that page to downloadable spreadsheet of every nominee and winner ever! Since it is a spreadsheet, you can sort it however you want-- by year, by category, by narrator, etc. Have at it! And tank you APA for this wonderful resource of backlist goodness.
Remember you can make lists in Overdrive, in your catalogs, or on your websites to connect people directly to "displays" of eAudio. Or add QR codes in your buildings to get people to the lists from their phones as they browse.
Our patrons no longer look at format as much as we do. The increase in downloads of eBooks and especially eAudio means people will try to get a book in the format that comes the fastest. They don't always make the same distinctions or set up the silos we seem to be obsessed with. Make sure they know all of their options, especially their "best" options, by pointing them to Audio specific awards lists-- including those from the last 2-5 years.
Back tomorrow with one more post to round out this awards list heavy week.
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