APA HONORS THE YEAR’S BEST AUDIOBOOKS AT
14th ANNUAL AUDIES GALA IN NEW YORK CITY

The Graveyard Book Is Named Audiobook of the Year and Curse of the Blue Tattoo
Receives the Newly-Created Distinguished Achievement in Production Award

New York, NY – May 29, 2009 – The Audio Publishers Association (APA) announced the winners of the 2009 Audies® at a formal Gala at the New-York Historical Society on May 29th in New York City. The Audies are the only awards program in the United States honoring spoken word entertainment.

Recognizing audio’s most engaging and innovative audiobooks of the 2008 publishing year, APA kicked off the celebration with Broadway and television star Tony Roberts, who played host to this year’s Audies gala. APA recognized the year’s best titles across a variety of genres.

Newbery Medal winner, The Graveyard Book, written and read by Neil Gaiman, beat its contenders, Brisingr by Christopher Paolini and A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs, for the coveted Audiobook of the Year award. The title earned this recognition for its combination of original musical composition, superb production and effective social media marketing. Curse of the Blue Tattoo: Being an Account of the Misadventures of Jacky Faber, Midshipman and Fine Lady, written by L.A. Meyer and read by Katherine Kellgren, received the newly-created Distinguished Achievement in Production award for its excellent production quality. This new award recognizes a production that represents the best the format has to offer in listening excellence.

“Despite current economic conditions, our industry continues to band together to provide some of the best audiobooks ever,” said Anthony Goff, President of APA. “We thank the entrants for their continued support of the Audies and for their ground-breaking contributions and dedication to the industry.”