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Mariska Hargitay, Amy Schumer, William Shatner, Bryan Cranston and Will Patton are just some of the celebrity voices that lent their talents to audiobooks this year–an ever increasing form of entertainment with an estimated $1.77 billion in sales in 2015. And multicast performances are taking on a whole new level with sound effects, music and a movie of the mind experience.
With over 35,000 audiobooks published per year, it is no small accomplishment when a title is included on AudioFile’s Best of the Year list with it’s nine categories including: Fiction, Nonfiction & Culture, Memoir, Biography & History, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Children & Family, Young Adult and Romance.
William Shatner, who is not new to audiobooks, narrated one of the year’s best audiobooks in the memoir category by Macmillan Audio, “Leonard: My Fifty-Year Friendship with a Remarkable Man”, which is a heartfelt tribute to the late Leonard Nimoy.
Galaxy Press’ “Battlefield Earth” by L. Ron Hubbard, named best in science fiction, employed 67 actors reading 98 parts with over 150,000 sound effects, resulting in a vivid movie-of-the-mind. Galaxy Press was one of the first in the multicast trend starting back in 2004, having released over 85 fully dramatized audiobooks since and their audiobooks have been named Best of the Year numerous times.
L.A. Theatre Works is another one making the list with “American Buffalo” in the fiction category, which was read by a multicast (Josh Stamberg, Maurice Williams and Rich Hutchman). They are conveniently located in Los Angeles to bring on big names for their productions.
To view the full list of winners in all categories, go to AudioFile or for more information about the Battlefield Earth audiobook go to Battlefield Earth. The list can also be found in AudioFile Magazine December 2016/Jaunary 2017 issue available on stands now.
Release ID: 152205