Earlier this year, I felt compelled to highlight and celebrate the fantastic professional audiobook narrators who make listening to audiobooks a compulsive pleasure. Although celebrity narrators can be fun and engaging when they sporadically narrate, it is the narrator who devotes his/her time and energy honing the craft who is the true all-stars for the listener. I proposed creating a Listener’s List of outstanding narrators and the response was incredible. I developed a list based on listener’s recommendations and in May, we voted for the first five male and female narrators to be officially highlighted in the Listener’s List.
Although I’ve created the shell of a blog and the beginnings of the Listener’s List Pinterest boards, this project hasn’t moved as far ahead as I would have liked due to my own personal limitations. I love the idea of what I have set out to do, but I’ve set a goal much larger than I can achieve on my own. Still, I don’t want this to die after just a fun couple of voting polls. I truly want to create a space where audiobook lovers can share with others the narrators who have made their lives richer through audiobooks. In order to do that, the Listener’s List needs a team.
I would like to get the project back up and running again by mid September. If you’re a blogger and audiobook lover and would be interested in joining me on this labor of love, please either leave a comment here or send me an email at literatehousewife at gmail[dot]com. I will compile a mailing list and provide further details for those who are interested. I am looking forward to working with my fellow audiobook fans on this declaration of love to the narrators who rock our world.
Oh how awesome. I can’t this year, not enough time with my 8 mo. old baby and I’m still rather new to audios, but next year I would LOVE to help.
I completely understand! I’m sure that when you’re able to help out that there will be a team ready for you to join!
You know how much I love my audios, but if I add one more thing to my life right now I’ll have an anxiety attack and collapse. I’m so overwhelmed it isn’t funny. But I will gladly support you from over here, clapping and cheering!
LOL! I completely understand. I appreciate all of your clapping and cheering. It’s good motivation.
I’m not sure I get what is involved, but I may be interested.
Thank you, Sarah. There’s no commitment. I’ll add you to my email list. If it seems like too much, it’s perfectly okay with me if it doesn’t work out for you and your schedule.
Hey, cool, why not? I love a project. I mean, if we’re not all overscheduled with deadlines, how do we know we’re alive?
Melanie, thank you! I’ll include you in the emails. I really appreciate your interest. I think this will be a fun project.
Great! I’m wondering: there may be a way to team up with the great people at http://www.audiobookjukebox.com/.
If you’d rather not, I may be able to help, depending how much time would be involved.
Emma, that’s an interesting idea. I’ll have to give that some thought. The goal behind this site is to highlight stellar narrators. Audiobook Jukebox is awesome, but I am concerned about negative reviews for this project. I don’t expect every listener to love every one of the highlighted narrators or their books, but I see the focus of the website to be to highlight what we love. Does that make sense? This may very well be one of the first decisions of the team.
I’ll definitely add you to the email list. If you have the time to help, that would be wonderful!
It may be that it would have been easier to help when I was still at with instead of home with three little ones, but let me know what you’re thinking and I’ll do my best to pitch in.
Thanks, Jen! I will add you to the list knowing that. Just your feedback would be excellent. I really appreciate that you’re even considering helping out.
Like being co-chairs of a fan club? I could help, if it doesn’t involve too much gushing. I don’t like to embarrass myself by making narrator crushes public.
Laurie, yeah, it kind of will be like chairing a fan club, except no gushing will ever be required. I promise!
This is more of a fan club of the profession as a whole as opposed to one or a few specific narrators. I definitely have my favorites, but I’ve listened to very few of the top ten narrators. If you ever feel uncomfortable (and I sincerely hope there is nothing we’ll be doing that will ever make anyone feel that way), you can opt out. No problem.
I was really just kidding! I like to listen to other people gush about their favorite narrators, and I definitely have my favorites.
Right now I’m only listening to about two audiobooks a month but I’d love to help out where I can because I personally would find it very valuable to have a database or a place to go for narrators. I think my email is attached to the comment but if not–trishsreadingnook at gmail
You are so awesome Jennifer. I am going to do my best to get the word out on this!
I’d love to help but I know I’d be biased. I can’t wait to see more of this project, though! And I’ll definitely spread the word.
I’m guessing that I’m already on your list, but if I’m not. Count me in!
I just found this post via Goodreads. Someone in the “audiobook” group posted a link to your page, and here I am! I would be interested in helping out when I can. The majority of books I “read” are audio because I do so much driving. I have never done a book review however, so it would be a winging it type of thing! lol
Count us in Jennifer! We love them! Becoming more and more addicted to them too! All 3 of us!
[...] as hosting the Shaken, Not Stirred Audio Book Challenge. Her most recent endeavor is creating a Listener’s List Team and she’s looking for [...]