Book of the Year - Audiobook Fiction

From literary icons to genre titans and debut voices, the audio fiction shortlist champions the audiobook as a vital part of a story’s longevity. Well-known voices such as Nicola Walker and Samuel West feature alongside series narrators Robert Glenister and Lauryn Allman.

Winner

None of This is True

Lisa Jewell, narrated by Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey

Penguin Random House Audio

Lisa Jewell triumphs again in a watershed year for the author, clinching both Audio Fiction and Crime & Thriller Book of the Year for the ingenious None of This is True, brought to life in audio by actors Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey. Our judges were "blown away by this audiobook", proclaiming it a "groundbreaking" production.
Penguin Random House Audio produced an "innovative" marketing campaign that championed a creative and commercial vision for the novel. The idea to create a true crime podcast using audiobook content and additional material penned by the author was hailed as a "resourceful and thoughtful". "This is Jewell's moment", our panel agreed.

The Shortlist

Impossible Creatures

Katherine Rundell, narrated by Samuel West

Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Actor Samuel West lends his voice to Katherine Rundell’s fantastical tale of a magical archipelago inhabited by the creatures of myth and legend. Bloomsbury Children’s Books ran a slew of digital advertising to promote the audio edition of Impossible Creatures, reaching more than one million people, and reinvigorated the Audible children’s bestseller list, normally dominated by backlist titles.

None of This is True

Lisa Jewell, narrated by Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey

Penguin Random House Audio

Lisa Jewell’s crime hit None of This Is True, follows podcaster Alix who becomes immersed in her birthday twin’s life after a chance encounter. With 12 narrators, including actors Nicola Walker and Louise Brealey in the titular roles, Penguin Random House Audio produced an immersive listening experience, incorporating the podcast and true-crime documentary elements of the novel into the audiobook.

Poor Things

Alasdair Gray, narrated by Russ Bain and Kathryn Drysdale

W. F. Howes

In an example of savvy publishing, W F Howes released Alasdair Gray’s Poor Things with a striking film tie-in audiobook cover. Gray’s story of a reanimated woman named Bella, and her growing sense of autonomy and curiosity, is the first of his novels to be adapted for audio. The publisher worked with Gray’s Estate to cast Scottish actor Russ Bain alongside Kathyrn Drysdale in this considered production.

The Housemaid's Secret

Freida McFadden, narrated by Lauryn Allman

Bookouture

Narrator Lauryn Allman returned as the voice of Millie in Freida McFadden’s The Housemaid’s Secret, following a maid who must protect her own secrets while helping the wife of her employer. Bookouture made this its second bestselling audiobook of all time by building on the book’s theme of secrecy, offering exclusive listening codes to select readers and bloggers and restricting the launch to Audible and Apple Books.

The List

Yomi Adegoke, narrated by Sheila Atim and Arinzé Kene

4th Estate

Ola and Michael are happily engaged, but when Michael’s name appears on a roster of abusive men, everything is put at risk. This is the premise of Yomi Adegoke’s conversation-starting debut novel The List, voiced by actors Shelia Atim and Arinzé Kene. 4th Estate put authenticity at the heart of its campaign; The List was selected as the Guardian’s audiobook of the week and was championed as part of Spotify’s audiobook launch.

The Running Grave

Robert Galbraith, narrated by Robert Glenister

Little, Brown Audio

The Running Grave, the seventh in Robert Galbraith’s Cormoran Strike series, sees the detective take on a seemingly peaceful organisation. It took the crown as Hachette’s biggest-selling audiobook of 2023. Established narrator and actor Robert Glenister reprised his role as the voice of the series. Little, Brown Audio built hype among existing audiences with a teaser cover-reveal video, a three-pronged social advertising strategy and a Galbraith discussion evening on Facebook.