Ep 49: Behind the Scenes of Audiobooks and Storytelling with Julia Whelan

In this conversation, actor, audiobook narrator and author Julia Whelan shares her journey from child acting to becoming a celebrated voice in the audiobook industry. She discusses her creative process, the challenges of selecting projects, and the intricacies of character voices. Julia also delves into her writing career, the impact of adaptations, and her new venture, Audiobrary, aimed at improving compensation for narrators and authors. The discussion highlights the importance of understanding the audiobook industry and the art behind narration, while also touching on her upcoming tours and the future of audiobooks.Youtube video version: https://youtu.be/Q4u9j5UdYtoDubbed “The Meryl Streep of Audiobooks” by bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid, “The Adele of Audiobooks” by The New Yorker, and yes, even “The Michael Jordan of Audio” by General David H. Petraeus, Julia Whelan is an author, screenwriter, lifelong actor, and acclaimed audiobook narrator of over 700 titles. She is, most recently, the recipient of Spotify’s Narrator of the Year Award (the most listened-to narrator globally), the first-ever Gracie Award for Best Fiction Narrator (presented by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation), the SOVAS (Society of Voice Arts and Sciences) Lifetime Achievement Award, and winner of the Audie Award for Best Fiction Narrator of 2025. She also captured both the winner and runner-up slots in the inaugural audiobook category of the Goodreads Choice Awards. Her performance of her own debut novel, the international bestseller My Oxford Year, garnered a SOVAS award and was released in August, 2025 as a Netflix film. Her 2022 novel, Thank You For Listening, was a Best-of-the-Year pick at Amazon, Audible, and NPR as well as a Goodreads Choice Award nominee and winner of the Golden Poppy. Her latest books—the Audie nominated duet romance, Casanova LLC (coming in print, Spring 2027), and the annotated Victorian poetry anthology The Poetry Of My Oxford Year—debuted exclusively on Audiobrary.Connect with Julia:www.audiobrary.com <---- where you can find all her audiobookswww.jmwhelan.comIG:@JustJuliaWhelanCheck out her amazing books in print:My Oxford Year: https://amzn.to/3ZuQwB5Thank You For Listening: https://amzn.to/4rFayVqCasanova LLC: https://amzn.to/4d6ER3B----------------------------------------------------------------------Some of my fav books and items in general:https://www.amazon.com/shop/amynesbitt✅ FOLLOW and join my mama reading club!▸ Connect with me in all the book placeshttps://www.linktree.com/amynsreads▸ YouTube Subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1a0vXA2_ZCrHcMWTidjMdg?sub_confirmation=1 Disclaimer:As an affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases using the links above at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!