Both audiobook narrators and an audiobook’s production play a crucial role in bringing stories—including many bestselling audiobooks—to life for listeners. Read on for tips to help you discover your next audiobook and why these narrators will make you love reading on audio!
How narrators impact the audiobook experience
There are countless reasons avid audiobook readers choose to listen: accessibility, immersion, the chance to read while running errands, crossing tasks off their to-do lists, or simply going for a walk. But one undeniable perk is a narrator’s ability to bring the story to life. Audiobook readers benefit from the unique narration skills that come from years of training. These are storytelling masters who can work directly with authors to better understand the characters and their motivation, and then tap into all of the emotional depth that might be easy to miss. They’re able to create distinct voices for different characters and highlight subtle dialogue dynamics; they can heighten the intensity of the story.
In other words, there’s a reason many readers will finish a physical book and then immediately reread it in audiobook format: The right narrator can make a good book even better.
Finding your next favorite audiobook and narrator
Whether you’re an audiobook superfan or a reader curious to see what all the hype is about, the sheer volume of titles is overwhelming—so we’ve put together some tips to help you decide.
Follow awards in audiobook narration
Selected by esteemed juries, lists of winners and nominees for Audie and Earphone awards make great sources of recommendations. The Audie Awards by Audio Publishers Association honor the best audiobooks and best audiobook narrators. AudioFile Magazine’s annual Golden Voice Award is a lifetime achievement honor for narrators who have made significant contributions to audiobook publishing, while the monthly Earphone Awards recognize audiobooks that stand out for their exceptional narrative voice and style, character portrayals, suitability for audio, and enhancement of the text.
Consider special effects that enhance narration
Special effects and techniques can help increase listening experiences, including voiceover, background music, sound effects, and/or the use of full-cast productions. For example, Bono’s memoir Surrender won the Audie Awards’ Audiobook of the Year in 2024, which features more than 40 tracks of unreleased music in the audiobook.
Look for diversity in narration
Like much of publishing, the audiobook narration world has been slow to diversify. However, a huge push in recent years has led to more audiobook narrators from systematically excluded backgrounds finally receiving the recognition they deserve. These experiences (and even accents, such as British, Nigerian, Southern, Spanish, Irish, etc.), only enrich voice performances and enhance the authenticity and relatableness of the audiobook’s characters.
Read everything by your favorite narrators
Find a narrator you love, and then see what else they’ve narrated!
Standout narrators with hundreds—sometimes thousands—of books under their belts
Don’t have a favorite audiobook narrator yet? Here’s a list of bestselling and award-winning narrators across genres, each celebrated for their unique styles.
Davina Porter
Golden Voice narrator Davina Porter has narrated the entire Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon, as well as other epic fantasy classics, including many of Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Avalon audiobooks and Erika Johansen’s acclaimed The Invasion of the Tearling.
Simon Vance
Simon Vance started his narration career while working as a BBC Radio presenter and newsreader in London. Since then, he’s narrated over 1000 audiobooks and won 72 AudioFile Earphone Awards and 16 Audie Awards.
Dion Graham
Narrating everything from riveting historical fiction to narrative nonfiction, Dion is often nominated for multiple Audie Awards a year. He’s won four Audie Awards, as well as numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards. Among other accolades, AudioFile inducted him into their Golden Voice list and Booklist‘s named him a “Voice of Choice.”
Julia Whelan
With over 600 audiobooks narrated, Julia Whelan is widely regarded as one of the top narrators in the industry. She consistently appears on AudioFile Magazine‘s annual Best-Of Lists; she’s also a go-to for bestselling authors like Emily Henry and Kristin Hannah. Additionally, she is a Grammy-nominated audiobook director and the author of her own rom-com, Thank You for Listening.
Bahni Turpin
Bahni Turpin—also a stage and screen actor—has narrated some of the most popular and critically acclaimed audiobooks, including The Hate U Give. She’s won nine Audies, 14 Earphone awards, and has been named one of AudioFile’s Golden Voice Narrators.
Dominic Hoffman
Dominic Hoffman’s background in acting and degree in English literature make him a perfect candidate for audiobook narration, especially in experimental and offbeat literary fiction from writers like James McBride and Percival Everett. He’s also a multiple-time winner of the Earphones Awards and inducted as a Golden Voice by AudioFile.
Adjoa Andoh
Given that British actor Adjoa Andoh has experience on stage, screen, and radio, she’s especially skilled as an audiobook narrator. She was inducted as AudioFile‘s Golden Voice in 2022 and has won multiple Earphone Awards across different genres, and she’s narrated classics from groundbreaking Black authors like James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, and Zora Neale Hurston.
Robin Miles
Robin Miles has a past in Broadway, voiceover work, and television, so it’s no surprise that narration has served her well. She’s the go-to for science fiction classics and heavy hitters from writers like Octavia Butler, Kim Stanley Robinson, and Nnedi Okarafor. She also won the coveted Best Female Narrator Audie Award in 2021 for her narration of N. K. Jemisin’s The City We Became.
Soneela Nankani
Soneela Nankani is an award-winning narrator with over 400 titles of Indian and West African heritage, including bestselling and beloved fantasy from S. A. Chakraborty and Shveta Thakrar. Her audiobooks have been featured in Best Audiobooks lists by New York Times, AudioFile, Washington Post. She was also inducted as a Golden Voice, AudioFile’s Lifetime Achievement Honor.
January LaVoy
January Lavoy is an actor, voice artist, and director, who has starred on Broadway. She’s especially prolific in mystery and thriller, giving voice to mega hits from James Patterson and Mary Higgins Clark. Publishers Weekly has named her Audiobook Narrator of the Year, and AudioFile added her to their Golden Voice list in 2014.
