A Word in your Ear

The growth in the audio sector of fiction publishing has been gathering momentum for many years. Initially it was considered purely peripheral when contrasted against print be it paper or digital, but now it has become important to the industry as well as authors, literary agents as well as readers. This is in part due to the time constraints in our lives, but it can also be rationalised by the quality and innovative nature of products now available for the reader (and listener).

The importance of the narrator’s performance is critical, such as Scott Brick among others such as Stephen Fry.

The market leader in Audio Publishing, is the Amazon subsidiary Audible who not only provide a platform for audiobooks, but also generate their own productions, using actors, vocal artists as well as soundscapes so the reader can become part of an immersive experience.

As reported within the publishing industry –

Even though the availability of audiobooks in digital format is relatively new, their origins date back as far as the 1930s when they were sold as analog cassette tapes and vinyl records and used as an educational medium in schools and libraries. Since the shift to digital, the audiobook market has grown exponentially with new entrants jostling for market position.

The undoubted leader is Amazon-owned Audible, the world’s largest producer of downloadable audiobooks. Since its 1995 launch, Audible’s library includes more than 200,000 audio programs covering all genres – subscribers downloaded 725 million hours of audio last year, almost double that of 2011.

But the market has opened up. Philip Jones, editor of The Bookseller argued back in 2014 that audiobooks are “following almost the exact pattern and trajectory as e-books in that we are seeing a massive explosion in response to a switch to digital. But it’s also more exciting because you can do so much more with audio – it’s not just a facsimile of the print book.”

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Audible’s 2019 “Thriller of the Year” is an extraordinary production entitled ‘Winter Dark’, written by the mysterious Alex Callister. We learned that Callister is a pseudonym of an industry expert on media, telecoms and internet stocks.

She studied history at Oxford and the British School at Rome and was set for a career in academia until the beginning of the tech boom woke a lifelong interest in internet shares. Alex has spent her career visiting high security web hosting sites and speculating on what might go wrong. Winter Dark is her debut novel and the first in the Winter series.

The narrator who brings this glossy production to life is Ell Potter of the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA). She has appeared in the school’s productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, playing Helena, and New England, playing Alice Berry. She is also a writer and comedian, and in 2018 took her two-woman show HOTTER to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where it enjoyed a sell-out run and was named an Evening Standard Best New Writing of 2018. It has since secured a transfer to the prestigious Soho Theatre. She has been entered for the 2019 Carleton Hobbs BBC radio drama competition. Ell has devoured audiobooks for as long as she can remember, growing up on Harry Potter and His Dark Materials during long car journeys. Winter Dark is her first audio Narration.

Winter Dark is the first in an exclusive series, and was named the 2019 Audible Thriller of the Year. An accolade that commenced in 2017 with Silent Child by Sarah A. Denzil and narrated by Joanne Froggatt. Their Lost Daughters by Joy Ellis and narrated by Richard Armitage was named Thriller of the Year 2018.

Audible’s commitment to Crime and Thriller has to be commended, as this link indicates HERE

So what’s in store for listeners with Alex Callister's debut Winter Dark?

GCHQ agent Winter Dark who has just 12 days to bring down the website of a formidable criminal organisation before a child is tortured to death in front of an online audience of millions.

“Going deep under cover disguised as the paid assassin Snow White, Winter must infiltrate the inner-circle of the extraordinarily powerful man at the heart of the dark web,” said Audible. “This a gripping, fast-paced ride through a disturbingly plausible technological future in which Callister’s protagonist must battle to bring down the terrifying crimes tearing through society.”

Callister said: “Winter Dark is a modern thriller about organised crime and the dark web featuring Winter, an anarchic 21st century heroine. I am so excited to hear her brought to life by the talented Ell Potter.  I love the rhythm and flow of words. Good stories were made to be read aloud.”

Like Lisabeth Salander, Callister’s protagonist is a Master hacker, highly intelligent, combat trained: Winter is a very modern spy. Worlds apart from the straitlaced characters created in the minds of Ian Fleming and John le Carré, Alex Callister's lead protagonist wouldn't dream of playing the part of the impeccable agent. However, despite her intimidating skill-set, Winter is delightfully human and often prone to prioritizing her libido over her employer. Undeniably sexy and exceptionally accomplished, Winter is a true 21st-century heroine.

I downloaded Winter Dark as part of my £7.99 / Month Subscription, which entitles members to one audio-book or audio-production per month. As an Audible subscriber, there are daily deals, special offers as well as free content.

To become a member CLICK HERE, and download Winter Dark as the first in your collection.

Photos © 2019 A Karim and Audible.co.uk  

The Anonymity of Bayswater: British Book Awards 2018

I was delighted to be asked by The Bookseller to sit on their 2018 judging panel, to help evaluate the best in Crime and Thriller for the 2018 ‘Nibbies’ [aka The British Book Awards]. As an advocate for the biggest selling fiction genre in the UK, how could I refuse?

The British Book Awards are organised by The Bookseller and after our reading, the judges met up at London’s Groucho Club, where the debating continued until the various judges agreed to the winners.

And soon, I found myself dusting down my tuxedo and heading into London, for the awards, hosted at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel opposite Hyde Park, in Park Lane. I often attend events and meetings in this part of London; and when I do, I have found the services of a rather fine hotel that is reasonably priced (for this area of London), and is anonymous - but is a 30 minute walk along the Bayswater Road from The Grosvenor.

This was my first time as a ‘nibbie’ judge, and the first time I found myself at the British Book Awards, and what a splendid event, for there is comfort to be in the company of fellow bibliophiles, many of whom I’ve known for more years than I would admit to without my lawyer present.

The main themes of the evening (talking points) were, Axel Scheffler when receiving Illustrator of the Year Award, gave a most passionate and personal speech about his horror of the so-called Brexit. Pan Macmillan have kindly uploaded the speech HERE

Later Philip Pullman mirrored Axel’s thoughts with his acceptance speech for Author of the Year, and received a standing ovation as Lee Child presented him with his award, which we recorded here –

Though the Oliphant in the Room, was debut novelist Gail Honeyman, with her novel ELEANOR OLIPHANT IS PEFECTLY FINE, winning several awards, and here she is on the podium –

The Full Results are available from the Bookseller HERE who have shared photos of the evening.

Though the moment when legendary publisher Tim Hely-Hutchinson was honoured at the end of the evening was poignant, and we captured some video >

So after thanking my hosts from The Bookseller, it was time to head off to my hotel.

I walked back purposefully, working off the dinner and the excesses of my Gin consumption from tonight’s British Book Awards. As I traversed the Bayswater Road, I felt like a swarthy version of Ian Fleming’s aristocratic Secret Agent, complete with Tuxedo and a purposeful gait, in my stride.

I reflected upon a most enjoyable evening bumping into people I’ve known for many years. Though I’m principally known for my obsessive interest in Crime & Thriller, the Nibbies (British Book Awards) however cast a much wider net, taking in all sectors of British Publishing.

As I walked along the Bayswater Road, I thought about espionage fiction, and the judging for Ian Fleming Publications and the Crime Writer’s Association, with the Steel Dagger. As I walked in the early hours back to my Hotel, I smiled thinking of John Le Carre’s The Spy Who Came in From the Cold, which the CWA awarded “The Dagger of Daggers” in 2005 – see here

Though dressed more as James Bond; Bayswater reminded me of George Smiley and of course Alec Leamas, as John Le Carre once described the semi-Soviet anonymity of Bayswater: “They walked to her flat through the rain and they might have been anywhere — Berlin, London, any town where paving stones turn to lakes of light in the evening rain, and the traffic shuffles despondently through wet streets.”

Read More Here about the anonymous spies in London, and where they reside.

When I arrived at my anonymous hotel, just off the Bayswater Road, but before Notting Hill, I looked in the mirror recalling one question that made me ponder.

Over dinner I got talking, and was asked “……so why do you enjoy Crime & Thriller Fiction so much, it can’t be healthy for the mind, the volumes you read?’

I smiled like Tom Ripley “....because it relaxes me, it calms me and makes me think. I find the more disturbing, the better, and therefore the more calming...” I replied laughing.

Sometimes we need distraction, at other times Crime and Thriller Fiction makes us think, and realise how fortunate we are, compared to the very worst that this reality has to offer. Pick up a newspaper if you wish to challenge my thinking.

Later, my assertion was reinforced by writer Matt Haig who was one of the award presenters, for he thanked those in publishing for the help they give, because reading is good for our mental well-being.

I winked at my colleague who had enquired at my obsession with Crime & Thriller Fiction, gesturing at Matt Haig

“Besides, we get to see Philip Pullman sitting on the table next to us.” I continued gesturing to the table next to ours.

It might sound a bit weird, but reading does help us manage reality, for as Stephen King once said ‘life is not a support system for the arts, it’s the other way around’

And a tip of the hat to Crime Writer Cathi Unsworth, for spotting the reason why I stay just “off the Bayswater Road”

Photos and Text (c) 2018 A Karim