Audiobooks

Last night, Jon Stewart & The Daily Show writers won the Best Spoken Word Album Grammy Award for Earth (The Book): A Visitor’s Guide to the Human Race. Julie Andrews and her daughter (Emma Walton Hamilton) won the Best Spoken Word Album for Children award for the poetry collection, Julie Andrews’ Collection Of Poems, Songs, And Lullabies.

In the video embedded above, Andrews reads a poem. Andrews also won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In her acceptance speech earlier this month, the actress talked about her work as a children’s author.

When Stewart read at a New York City Barnes & Noble, he explained the book’s premise: “This is the entirety of the human experience. How we got here, what we did while we were here, and obviously, how we’re leaving. We’ll tell you, it’s really quite funny.”

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A number of audiobooks have been nominated for spoken word Grammy Awards (logo via) in both the adult and children’s category. The awards ceremony is scheduled for February 13, 2011.

Here’s more about the spoken word category: “For albums containing at least 51% playing time of newly recorded non-musical recordings, poetry & storytelling performances and/or narrations with or without musical collaboration or accompaniment. ”

Best Spoken Word Album Nominees (Listed with performing artist)
1. American On Purpose by Craig Ferguson [HarperAudio]
2. The Bedwetter by Sarah Silverman [HarperAudio]
3. The Daily Show With Jon Stewart Presents Earth (The Audiobook) by Jon Stewart (With Samantha Bee, Wyatt Cenac, Jason Jones, John Oliver & Sigourney Weaver [Hachette Audio]
5. A Funny Thing Happened On the Way To The Future… by
Michael J. Fox [Hyperion Audio]
6. This Time Together: Laughter And Reflection by Carol Burnett [Random House Audio]
7. The Woody Allen Collection: Mere Anarchy, Side Effects, Without Feathers, Getting Even by Woody Allen [Audible Inc.]

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Johnny Depp reads in the audiobook version of Keith Richards‘ memoir, Life.

The audiobook will also feature readings by musician Joe Hurley and The Rolling Stones guitarist himself.  Both the memoir and the audiobook will be released tomorrow.

Hurley had this statement: “It was a privilege to help tell his story … When you read the book, you feel that Keith’s sitting in a favourite armchair, reflecting, and sharing his wild ride, his life, with just you. The same sense you get from a great singer, he is singing in your ear, no one else.”

Over at The Huffington Post, you can take a Google Maps trip through Richards’ memoir.

LibriVox founder Hugh McGuire launched a new audiobook company today. Iambik Audio unveiled 11 new literary fiction audiobooks from indie publishers in the U.S. and Canada, including audiobooks for Gordon Lish and Lydia Millet.

The complete list of new audiobooks follows below. Prices range between $5 and $10 for the individual titles. Iambik Audio titles can be purchased on the website or through distribution partners like Audible, Overdrive, and eMusic.

Here’s more from the release: “Iambik aims to change the way commercial audiobooks are made. For audiobook listeners, Iambik will offer hand-picked collections of audiobooks … with no digital rights management—meaning they can be played on any computer or mobile device. For publishers and authors, Iambik approaches everything as a partnership, by promoting print and ebooks, as well as selling audiobooks, and by giving healthy royalties on all sales.”

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Plenty of people would recognize actor James Marsters for his role as Spike on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer television series, but did you know he has also made a contribution to the publishing industry?

Marsters wrote a one-shot comic for Dark Horse Publications entitled Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Spike and Dru. Marsters also narrates Jim Butcher‘s fantasy-mystery series, The Dresden Files. The series’ short-story anthology, Side Jobs, will be published on October 26th with a Marsters audiobook to follow in November.

At an open conversation at New York Comic Con, Marsters entertained questions of any nature from the audience. One fan asked Marsters how he plays female characters while working on the audiobooks. Marstars replied that he was inspired by Shakespeare.

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The brilliant comedy troupe Improv Everywhere used a simple MP3 file to create a sprawling performance with 3,000 civilian participants.

Here’s more about the experiment: “For our latest mission, over 3,000 participants downloaded an MP3 file and pressed play simultaneously in retail stores in Midtown Manhattan. The masses converged on Bryant Park where a series of fun activities unfolded, culminating in a huge ‘mummy dance party.’ This was the 7th installment in our Mp3 Experiment series.”

Watching the beautiful video embedded above, we could only think of one thing–audiobooks! What if a brave author used an audiobook as a platform for a similar mass activity? Dedicated readers could take a literary tour or follow the protagonist through the book’s real life setting. What do you think?

Chronicle Books’ new title, The Sounds of Star Wars, celebrates unmistakable sound effects from the science fiction series.

In the video above, the Underwire blog explored some of the book’s 250 sounds and 300 photographs. The $60 book features a sound module that works with both headphones and an built-in speaker. What other subjects do you think deserve this unique book and audio treatment?

Here’s more from sound designer Ben Burtt, explaining how he created noises for the robot R2D2: “I would close my editing room door and curl up in a quiet corner with the tape recorder and mic and generate baby talk … I put myself into the mind of an infant and acted out a scene with a droid’s intentions. I’d whistle and coo, I would sigh and groan, and at the same time I’d move the oscillators of the synthesizer.

The 1,600-year-old Kama Sutra has found a new format. The British publisher Beautiful Books will release an audiobook version of the sex manual.

The Guardian interviewed Simon Petherick, the managing director of Beautiful Books. He explained: “Now there’s no need to feel embarrassed by reading a copy of this wonderful and important book in public — simply download it on to your mp3 player and liven up your commute to work … Some may also consider using the audio book as a step-by-step manual for improving bedroom techniques, without the need to stop and start with constant reference to a book. Just press play and follow [the] directions.’”

GalleyCat reported on The Most Pirated Digital Books in 2009. The Kama Sutra topped the list at #1 while Stephenie Meyer‘s Twilight Saga came in at #7.

A lot of attention has been given to Kindle bestselling authors like Joe Konrath and Karen McQuestion who have struck gold by landing publishing deals. However, there are other routes to success for independent publishers.

Jeremy Robinson, author of The Didymus Contingency, self-published the novel and quickly became Lulu.com’s #1 fiction bestseller and sold thousands of copies on BarnesandNoble.com. The hype landed him a literary agent at Trident Media Group. But his real success came after he decide to podcast episodes of his next novels, Beneath and Kronos. In today’s interview, we talk with Robinson about why he decided to create self-financed audio books, how that lead him to a major deal and why he would do it all over again.

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Today BBC Worldwide broke the news that it has sold 85 percent stake in BBC Audiobooks to AudioGo. AudioGo was founded by Michael Kuhn, and consists of a group of investors he assembled with his partners.

The sale includes the Rhode Island based BBC Audiobooks America. BBC Audiobooks America will now be traded as AudioGo, but the company will still publish content from the BBC in the BBC Audio imprint.

BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith had this statement: “I’m pleased to announce the successful conclusion of the sale process we initiated last year. BBC Worldwide will remain a shareholder in the business, and looks forward to participating in its future success. Sale proceeds will be reinvested in our international businesses, supporting future returns to the BBC.”