Increasing demand for science fiction audio leads Penguin Random House partnership with Rebellion
Penguin Random House has partnered with leading comics, fiction, and video game publisher Rebellion. The partnership will see Penguin Random House produce and distribute audio versions of their latest fiction titles alongside classic graphic novels from the #1 bestselling 2000 AD imprint.
New research from Harris Interactive indicates that science fiction is one of the leading audiobook genres, with 30% of those surveyed listening to science fiction in the last 12 months.* However, the latest research from Bookstat, revealed at the recent Futurebook conference, has indicated that traditional publishers are only capturing half of the overall demand, which supported Penguin Random House’s decision to invest in this area.
Richard Lennon, Audio Publisher at Penguin Random House, said:
“This is a really exciting new partnership which helps us reach even more listeners in this hugely popular and ever-growing section of the audiobook market. We’re looking forward to helping tell some of Rebellion’s incredible stories and to creating some truly groundbreaking recordings, particularly as we explore turning some of British comic book history’s true greats – Judge Dredd, Slaine and Rogue Trooper, to name but a few – into audiobooks for the first time.”
Ben Smith, Rebellion’s Head of Film, TV & Publishing, said:
“Rebellion is the UK’s leading comic book publisher and home to Hugo and Nebula award-winning fiction from our Solaris and Abaddon imprints, and as such we’re delighted to partner with Penguin’s forward-looking audio team. Their appetite to bring both our fiction and our landmark graphic novels to the audiobook market is tremendously exciting. We can’t wait for the public to listen to the incredible stories in the works.”
Penguin Random House will produce and distribute audio versions of around 30 titles a year from the Rebellion frontlist, which covers genres including science fiction, fantasy and horror, and will include works from authors such as Chuck Wendig, Katherine Addison, Derek Künsken and Adrian Tchaikovsky. The audiobooks, published from March 2020, will draw on Penguin Random House’s roster of top narrator talent. They regularly top the bestseller charts with titles such as The Handmaid’s Tale narrated by Elisabeth Moss, The Secret Commonwealth narrated by Michael Sheen, and Becoming narrated by Michelle Obama.
The partnership also sees Penguin Random House record and produce adaptations of 5 new graphic novels in the 2000 AD series, which will feature multi-voice narration, sound design and original music to bring the stories to life. This is not the first time Penguin Random House has embarked on ambitious recordings of science fiction audiobooks: last year it brought together a groundbreaking ensemble of 50 different voices for a completely immersive full-cast recording of Sylvain Neuvel’s Only Human, which was nominated for several awards including the New York Festival Radio Awards.
Available from today, the first title to be published will be Chuck Wendig’s apocalyptic epic, Wanderers, read by Dominic Hoffman and Xe Sands.
Penguin Random House: Penguin Random House is the UK’s leading publisher of audiobooks. We bring together our amazing authors and the world’s very best acting talent to create exceptional listening experiences, from the finest stories and ideas for adults to entertainment and education for children and families. Penguin Random House have won awards including the British Book Awards Audiobook of the Year in 2019 and 2018 for Becoming, written and narrated by Michelle Obama, and The Book of Dust by Phillip Pullman, narrated by Michael Sheen.
Rebellion is an internationally renowned video games publisher and leading publisher of comics and fiction, based in Oxford, UK. Founded in 1992 by Chris and Jason Kingsley, Rebellion’s titles include the bestselling Sniper Elite series and the wildly popular Nazi Zombie Trilogy. The company is home to legendary UK comic 2000 AD and is the proud custodian of Judge Dredd. Rebellion recently acquired an extensive archive of comics covering over a century of British comic books and fiction, a deal that included titles such as Roy of the Rovers, Sexton Blake and many more beloved creations. The publishing division is also home to award-winning science fiction imprints Solaris and Abaddon, and is proud to publish some of the finest talents in genre fiction.
* https://www2.harris-interactive.com/Audiobook-Market
