We’re excited and honored to be included on the 2023 London Book Fair International Excellence Awards shortlist for Audiobook Publisher of the Year, one of four finalists for the award along with Macmillan Audio, Pushkin Industries, and Readyland LLC.
Princeton University Press launched our Princeton Audio imprint in 2018, becoming the first university press to do so. Working in close collaboration with the UK-based production company Sound Understanding, Princeton Audio has published more than 100 audiobooks—both new titles and classic books appearing in audio for the first time—over the past five years. In 2022, we introduced direct-to-consumer sales of audiobooks, an exciting advance made possible through a partnership with Glassboxx. Recent highlights and bestsellers from the audio list include 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed by Eric Cline, narrated by the author; The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honeybee in the Wild by Tom Seeley, narrated by William Hope; Narrative Economics: How Stories Go Viral and Drive Major Economic Events by Robert J. Shiller, narrated by Susan Osman; Translating Myself and Others by Jhumpa Lahiri, narrated by the author and Sneha Mathan; and Viral Justice: How to Grow the World We Want by Ruha Benjamin, narrated by the author and including an exclusive interview with Ibram X. Kendi. A full list of new and forthcoming Princeton University Press audiobooks can be found here.
Danielle D’Orlando, Curator of Audio notes, “We are delighted to be recognized for this endeavor in what, serendipitously, happens to be our fifth year of audiobook publishing. We strive for a meaningful listener experience and pride ourselves on prioritizing accessibility, diversity, and creativity. With important partnerships like the one we have with the Royal National Institute of Blind People and our commitment to casting narrators from diverse backgrounds, genders, and levels of experience, our mission aligns with the standards this award recognizes, and we are grateful to the LBF International Excellence Awards for seeing our efforts and including us on this short list.”
The London Book Fair’s International Excellence Awards, now in their tenth year, champion, “organisations and individuals from around the world demonstrating passion, creativity, and ingenuity.” Princeton University Press won the International Excellence Academic and Professional Publisher Award in 2020. This year’s winners will be celebrated during the 2023 London Book Fair.