Hubbard Selections Chosen from Record Field of 1,000 Audio Entries Representing $200+ Million Industry
HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Feb. 11 /PRNewswire/ -- In what amounts to another publishing milestone for Hollywood-based Galaxy Press, two of its Stories from the Golden Age audiobooks (www.goldenagestories.com) have received nominations for the highly-coveted 2009 Audies Award by the Audio Publishers Association (APA), it was announced (http://www.audiopub.org/press-releases.asp).
Audio versions of L. Ron Hubbard's classic pulp fiction stories, Branded Outlaw and Under the Black Ensign, were selected out of a record field of 1,000 entries from audio publishers to compete for the prizes given out in late May, the only award program in the United States devoted entirely to honoring spoken word entertainment. The Association of American Publishers reports that the audiobook industry tops $200 million in the U.S. alone.
Branded Outlaw (L. Ron Hubbard, Galaxy Audio) --a story that Audiofile Magazine says, "has it all for fans of the pulp Western" --was nominated in the category of Audiobook Adaptation. It was performed by R.F. Daley, David O'Donnell, Bob Caso, Jim Meskimen and Tamra Meskimen.
Under the Black Ensign (L. Ron Hubbard, Galaxy Audio) --called "a gem in American pulp fiction" by Audiofile Magazine--was nominated in the category of Package Design and was performed by a full cast featuring R.F. Daley, Marisol Nichols, Jim Meskimen, Phil Proctor, Thomas Silcott and Michael Yurchak.
"We've only just started rolling out these stories to the public," said Meskimen, who also serves as senior director of the entire 80-book line of Golden Age Stories audiobooks. "We're excited that people can share in the adventure."
Two of the Golden Age audiobooks--Spy Killer (mystery) and The Great Secret (science fiction)--were already acknowledged by Publishers Weekly as the best of 2008, while The Iron Duke (general fiction) was awarded Audiofile Magazine's Earphone Award.
"All this attention has come from only our first six audiobooks in the 80-book line," added John Goodwin, Galaxy Press president. "I think that our focus on detail in the audiobook series and the sheer genius of Mr. Hubbard's writing and characters have a lot to do with our success."
Go to www.goldenagestories.com/html/podcasts.php#6 for a video presentation on how the Golden Age Stories audiobooks were created. For more information about the Golden Age line of audiobooks, go to www.goldenagestories.com.
