W.F. Howes Ltd, the UK’s leading independent audiobook publisher, is delighted Grown Ups by Marian Keyes has been nominated for British Audiobook of the Year. The prestigious prize has shortlisted the self-narrated novel, with the winner to be announced on the 13
th of May.
Shooting to the number one spot as an Audible bestseller in the week of release and an official Bookseller No. 1 bestseller from 1st -29th February, Grown Ups, both written and narrated by the irrepressible Marian Keyes is the ultimate audiobook success story. Grown Ups hit number one spots on Amazon and Apple and after reaching the top spot in the Audible top 20 bestseller chart in February, and it lost little momentum staying in the top ten throughout March and April.
Enlisting an author to also be a narrator isn’t always a safe bet, with most audio fiction narrated by an experienced actor. Although a trend towards self-narration of non-fiction has been seen from the likes of Michelle Obama and Brill Bryson, there remain relatively few self-narrated novels.
However, when Marian Keyes put herself forward, the W.F. Howes team could envisage how her voice would bring an exciting new dimension for listeners. Having already fallen in-love with her distinct and vivacious tone from her podcast and narration of her non-fiction title Under the Duvet, the commissioning team were extremely eager to break with tradition and hear how Keyes would bring her writing alive in a brand-new way.