Are there awards for people who do the narration for audio books?

The Audies

Like the Oscars, these are awarded to the “books” themselves as well as to the various talents involved in their production.

Yes. I listen to audio books all the time; they enable me to fall asleep. I plug myself into a Sony Walkman, turn out the lines and turn on “Jane Eyre” or “Ulysses.” Better than pills.

The audio actors are astounding. They give each character, even the minor ones, different accents, ranges and personalities.

I have just finished listening to a Discworld novel (Terry Pratchett). The actor does witches,vampires, werewolves, dwarfs, trolls, golems, DEATH, small dogs, large horses, and humans. He chooses various accents from the UK for that. The wee men (6 inches high with blue skin and red hair) speak a form of Scots-Gaelic weirdo that makes me laugh. There is also the simian Librarian whose entire vocabulary consists of “Oook,” said in a range of dramatic interpretation.

This very large group of actors are a gifted lot since they cannot rely on visual cues or costumes. The awards carry a lot of prestige (See @thorninmud‘s link.)

@gailcalled How are the Discworld books? I just had a friend suggest them to me because I was listening to The Hitch Hikers Guide books. (Douglas Adams and then Stephen Fry do an amazing job narrorating them as well)

Surprisingly, I have become an addict. I picked up two by chance at a paperback book swap and thought initially, “not for me.”

Then I read a few chapters. I have probably finished at least 14 of them.

You can read them out of order but it helps to meet the characters as Pratchett introduces them.

The satire is sophisticated and sometimes broad and sometimes very subtle.

The Grammys give out the Best Spoken Word Album (which includes Audio Books).
Barack Obama won 2. One in 2005, another in 2007. Last year, Betty White won.

Yes there are more than one actually. Grammy gives it for one.