A new award will be introduced at the 9th annual Audie Awards ceremony. The gala event will be held on June 4 in the Winter Garden Room at the Harold Washington Public Library Center in Chicago. For the first time, the Audio Publishers Association (APA) will recognize one title as the Audiobook of the Year. The Audie award is considered �the Oscar� of the audio publishing industry. Finalists in the 26 traditional categories considered each year are chosen based on content, production quality, packaging, and narration.

In introducing this new award, APA is recognizing not just the criteria for the traditional awards but also excellence in the marketing campaign, sales, and overall impact on the audio publishing field. These five extraordinary titles selected as finalists for this new award represent the depth and breadth of audio publishing.

�We are pleased to announce the five finalists in this new high-profile category. The titles encompass the unique qualities that make audio publishing distinctive,� said Robin Whitten, Chair of the Audie Judges and Founder and Editor of AudioFile. �The judges considered marketing, narration, packaging and production quality, and these five titles achieve the highest standards and make significant contributions to the field.�

The five finalists, chosen from a group of 16 entries, include The John Cheever Collection, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare, A Patriot�s Handbook, and David Sedaris Live at Carnegie Hall.

The blue-ribbon panel of judges� comment on the Audiobook of the Year finalists:

� The John Cheever Collection, by John Cheever, read by John Cheever, Blythe Danner, Peter Gallagher, Edward Herrmann, George Plimpton and Meryl Streep, Caedmon-Harper Audio �This is an audiobook to recommend knowing you�re doing any listener a favor. These wonderful stories bring renewed attention to the much-awarded work of John Cheever. They are snapshots of a time in America when �everybody wore a hat.� The casting is brilliant: these actors could populate that world. John Cheever also reads, contributing an important authenticity to the program. This is simply an audiobook that shines.�

The John Cheever Audio Collection, by John Cheever, read by John Cheever, Blythe Danner, Peter Gallagher, Edward Herrmann, George Plimpton and Meryl Streep Executive Producer: Rick Harris Producer/Director: Rick Harris, John Runnette and Sharon Mattlin Sound Editing: Richard Romaniello and Drew Anderson Jacket Design: Laura Blost (Caedmon � Harper Audio)

� Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J. K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale, Listening Library �Jim Dale�s tour-de-force performance, which incorporates 134 different character voices, makes the adventures of Harry Potter and his fellow wizards-in-training sound fresh and lively, even in this fifth title in J.K. Rowling�s series. A seamless, audio-specific marketing effort�from a sneak-preview online sound clip to Dale�s midnight reading in Times Square�dovetailed with the book�s much-anticipated launch to bring the audiobook a deserved fanfare all its own.�

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, by J. K. Rowling, read by Jim Dale Executive Producer: Orli Moscowitz Producer: David Rapkin Director: Kathleen Hale Jacket Design: Original Cover Artwork by Mary GranPr�d; Original Package Design by Mary GranPr�d and David Saylor Package Design: Susan Daulton (Listening Library)

� The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare, by William Shakespeare, read by a cast of nearly 400 top Shakespearean actors, including Eileen Atkins, Joseph Fiennes, Sir John Gielgud, Ciaran Hinds, Alan Howard, Jan Lapotaire, Amanda Root, David Tennant, and Timothy West, The Audio Partners Publishing Corp.

�The works of William Shakespeare were intended for performance, and The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare does justice to the bard in all his grandeur, wit and emotion. Top Shakespearean actors of the day have committed their timeless performances to the project, citing a legacy that will be savored and studied for years to come.�

The Complete Arkangel Shakespeare, by William Shakespeare, read by a cast of nearly 400 top Shakespearean actors, including Eileen Atkins, Joseph Fiennes, Sir John Gielgud, Ciaran Hinds, Alan Howard, Jan Lapotaire, Amanda Root, David Tennant, and Timothy West Executive Producer: Tom Treadwell and Bill Shepherd Producer/Director: Clive Brill Sound Editing: Wilfredo Acosta, Sound House, London Jacket Design: James Traill, Carlson Group, and Dena Ratner, The Audio Partners Publishing Corp. (The Audio Partners Publishing Corp.)

� David Sedaris Live at Carnegie Hall, live performance by David Sedaris, Time Warner AudioBooks �With his skillfully delivered blend of memoir, wit and humor, David Sedaris demonstrates how storytelling can mesmerize and entertain. As a result he invites new listeners to embrace the spoken-word audio format and brings his devoted public radio audience along for the ride. This live performance is a thoroughly enjoyable and surprisingly intimate experience to be savored.�

David Sedaris Live at Carnegie Hall, live performance by David Sedaris Executive Producer: Maja Thomas Producer/Director: Maja Thomas Package Design: Karen Cera (Time Warner AudioBooks)

� A Patriot�s Handbook, Poems, Stories, and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love, Introduced and Selected by Caroline Kennedy, Featuring archival recordings by Neil Armstrong, Robert Frost, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ronald Reagan, John McCain, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, with selections also read by various readers including James Earl Jones, Vanessa Williams, Edward M. Kennedy, and Martha Plimpton, Hyperion Audiobooks

�Caroline Kennedy introduces A Patriot�s Handbook by citing �the power of words to change the world.� This program presents the audio medium at its best, combining outstanding performances with historic archival recordings. Innovative packaging actually creates a handbook look. This audiobook educates, inspires conversation, and is designed in every way to be shared.�

A Patriot's Handbook, Poems, Stories, and Speeches Celebrating the Land We Love, Introduced and Selected by Caroline Kennedy, Featuring archival recordings by Neil Armstrong, Robert Frost, John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ronald Reagan, John McCain, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, with selections also read by various readers including James Earl Jones, Vanessa Williams, Edward M. Kennedy, and Martha Plimpton Executive Producer: Maja Thomas Producer/Director: Kevin Tomsen Original Music Composed by: Stan Harrison Package Design: Karen Cera (Hyperion Audiobooks)

�We have an impressive group of finalists for the inaugural year of this award,� said Mary Beth Roche, President of the Audio Publishers Association. �Each of these audiobooks has made a valuable contribution to audio publishing and we applaud all the individuals involved in their creation.�

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Media Contact: Shawn Zelman +1 703-556-7172 szelman@audiopub.org