BLUE HEAVEN Audio Nominated for Award

The audio edition of Blue Heaven read by John Bedford Lloyd is a finalist in the 2009 Audie Awards competition in the Thriller/Suspense category.

The Audio Publishers Association (APA) has announced nominations for the 2009 Audies competition. Winners will be announced at The Audies gala on May 29, 2009 at the New-York Historical Society in New York City.

The only awards program in the United States devoted entirely to honoring spoken word entertainment drew in a record 1,000 entries from audio publishers this year, reflecting the health of the audio industry. New this year, the category Distinguished Achievement in Production joins Audiobook of the Year as one of the most prestigious audiobook honors. Nominations for these two juried categories will be announced this spring. The Distinguished Achievement in Production Award goes to an audiobook that demonstrates excellence in all areas of production, while the Audiobook of the Year recognizes the audiobook that, through quality, innovation, marketing and sales, has had the most significant impact on the industry.

"Not only did we receive a record number of submissions this year, our judges commented that the quality of the entries was better than it's ever been," said APA President, Anthony Goff. "Our industry has worked hard to raise the bar and we look forward to recognizing everyone for their accomplishments."

The Audies gala brings together narrators, authors, producers, publishers and media to celebrate the best audiobooks published in 2008. Categories for judges' consideration included Fiction, Non-Fiction, Inspirational/Faith-Based Fiction, Multi-Voiced Performance, Romance, Science Fiction, Spanish Language, a special Judges Award in the Politics category and many more.

Winners in all 31 categories including Distinguished Achievement in Production and Audiobook of the Year will be announced at the New-York Historical Society, located in the heart of Manhattan, overlooking Central Park. All gala attendees will have the unique opportunity to tour the Society's docent-staffed archives.

Finalists in this year's competition include the following titles:

THRILLER/SUSPENSE

Blue Heaven, by C.J. Box, Narrated by John Bedford Lloyd, Macmillan Audio

Child 44, by Tom Rob Smith, Narrated by Dennis Boutsikaris, Hachette Audio

Executive Privilege, by Phillip Margolin, Narrated by Jonathan Davis, HarperAudio

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman, Narrated by Neil Gaiman, HarperAudio

Sweetheart, by Chelsea Cain, Narrated by Carolyn McCormick, Macmillan Audio

For more information about the event, contact Kaitlin Friedmann at (609) 799-6000 ext. 21, or kfriedmann@audiopub.org. To purchase tickets, visit www.audiopub.org or contact Diane Galante at (609) 799-6327.