What Makes An Audiobook An Award Winner

Audiobookland celebrates outstanding audiobooks every year with various awards and competitions. What are they and how do you get submitted?

I’m a WINNER!

What makes an audiobook an award winner, and how do you get submitted to be in the running?

Michele Cobb, Executive Director of the Audio Publishers Association (and owner of her own audiobook companies and more) says a great audiobook is

“Always a marriage of great writing and great narration, where the words and the performance come together in a way that elevate them both.”

Nia Ireland, audiobook prepper and proofer, says an outstanding audiobook happens:

“When the audio version takes an already good book and elevates it to a whole new level - either through character voices or pure feeling swoon.”

So, you need good writing and a good performance. But there’s more to it than just that.

Editor Dean Allison says,

“A terrific audiobook is made not only by the narrator but by the producer and the editor. I honestly think any judges involved in audiobook awards should have to listen to the unedited raw audio before the finished recording. As an editor, I have salvaged many (audiobooks).”

A great audiobook, then, is good writing, good acting, good production, and—in my mind—a fair amount of magic.

Like narrator Caroline Fantozzi says,

“For me, a great audiobook is when you don't notice the narrator (oh the irony for a narrator to write this!). They should lead you through the story without getting in the way. Not easy to do but such a joy when it works.”

A good audiobook transports the listener. You forget the writing, the narrating, the production, and the story seamlessly floats to the front of your mind, embraces you, and carries you away. We don’t quite know how or why it happens. You can have all the individual parts and lack the qualities of a truly transformational experience. That’s why I call it magic.

But is there a way to aim for creating a better audiobook? Of course.

WAYS TO CREATE A BETTER AUDIOBOOK:

1)     WRITERS can be aware of how their writing will work out loud. I suggest writers read their pieces aloud to themselves. Are characters names impossible to pronounce? Distracting? Are scenes overwritten and drag the plot down? Do you need a million dialogue tags, or is the writing clear enough that we know who is speaking. Just an awareness that a book might be consumed audibly can affect the writing. (In fact, some writers are now writing directly for audio, which is really exciting.

2)     PERFORMERS can do their best to perform the piece with heart, connection, and awareness. Narrating isn’t about ego; it’s not about the narrator. I’d argue that narrating is actually an act of the loss of self. It’s giving yourself over to the story and the characters the writer has given you. It’s honoring the writer, and the story they’ve created. And through this, the story somehow merges with the narrator, and it can become otherworldly. As a performer, trust your gut with acting choices. You are being led by the text, but also by (I think) something spiritual: the great connection to universal stories and their importance. Sink into the experience. Control less and let the text sing through you. You can take classes, get coaching, attend conferences—I was just on audiobooks at sea and it was AWESOME—or meet with accountability partners to work on your craft. It is a craft. Keep those muscles in use. Keep practicing.

3)     PRODUCTION TEAMS can do their best to cast the voice that truly clicks with the piece (regardless of what the narrator looks like). They can pay attention to fixes needed, levels, add music, smooth errors, take out huge breaths (but leave regular breaths in because this is a human performance), etc. The right editor can smooth out an audiobook’s rough edges so it truly shines.

4)     MAGIC isn’t something you can conjure—although maybe *some* people can. Magic just happens because of timing, the cosmic perfect partnership between writer and narrator, the story itself, the help of production teams, whatever. You can’t make magic happen, but you can be prepared for it. You can be aware that it exists and hope it imbues the audiobook with energy. Do your best. Give your best.

HOW TO GET AWARDS

Sometimes awards just happen. And sometimes, you need to give the universe (or Audiobookland) a little nudge. Tell people about the book and why it’s special. You can’t do this with every title, but you can highlight something that really resonates with you. Ask your production team (or the writer if it’s an indie title) to consider submitting it. Ask for a review. Be assertive in your belief and promotion of the project (but don’t be pushy or creepy.) Sometimes you will have to pay for the submission fee; sometimes the production team/author is willing to cover it.

Please note: Being nominated for an award (and winning that award) does not make (or break) a career. Many award winners find that their workflow doesn’t change even when they win an award. Bummer, right? It is lovely to be acknowledged publicly for the wonderful (but oftentimes lonely) work you do, but just know, you 100% do not need a list of awards to make it in this business. A string of strong titles can help you get more work through more visibility, etc. but it’s not the be-all-and-end all of a career. This is important to keep in mind.

Note also: There’s a fair amount of publishing-politics in who is nominated for an award or who is spotlighted, that is beyond anyone’s control.

Narrators, like writers, rise and fall with popularity depending on many factors.

Keep doing your best work. Be consistent. The true award (reward) for stellar performances/productions is booking that next gig.  

TANYA EBY is an award-winning narrator and writer. She is also a freelance casting director currently working with Dreamscape Media.

BONUS CONTENT FOR SUBSCRIBERS:

AVAILABLE AWARDS AND LINKS TO INFORMATION

With a little help from narrator friends, here’s a curated list available to my subscribers. Hope it helps!

This is not an exhaustive list.  Things change all the time. Do your research and confirm, and always ask a production team for permission to submit the piece. They may have already submitted, or there can be limitations on the number of titles they can submit. (I’ll update the list if needed.)

AUDIE AWARDS – APA