Penguin Random House Audio is giving listeners more original stories to love. The company is growing its audiobook-exclusive and audio-first publishing program—introducing audiences to inventive new works by some of the best creators around, including Ali Hazelwood, Erik Larson, Fiona Davis & Greg Wands, J. Michael Straczynski, Kim Harrison, Najwa Zebian, and Nick Offerman.
A trailblazer in the audiobook production space, PRH Audio produces 2,000 audiobooks a year in the US and has a catalogue of more than 20,000 titles, with imprints that include Random House Audio, Penguin Audio, Listening Library, and Books on Tape. By publishing works exclusively on audio, PRH Audio gives authors a unique opportunity to bring new content to their fans in creative ways—and gives audiences access to stories and series they wouldn’t find anywhere else, like the NYT bestselling MeatEater’s Campfire Stories series, by outdoorsman Steven Rinella, host of Netflix’s MeatEater, which feature true tales of grit and survival.
This June, listeners will be treated to the audiobook Soundtrack, a fresh storytelling experience from #1 bestselling author Jason Reynolds, to be released by Listening Library. Soundtrack has a full cast of more than 20 voices, original music by Grammy-winning composer Justin Ellington, and a full cityscape of sound effects, including subway cars, a tap dancer, and food vendors—and features unique sounds for every neighborhood mentioned in the book, down to the knocks on the apartment doors.
Other recent audiobook original releases of note are MeatEater’s American History: The Mountain Men (1806-1840), by MeatEater creator Rinella, which takes listeners into the wild world of nineteenth-century outdoorsmen The Mountain Men, and Everybody is a Liar by NYT bestselling author Liv Constantine—a thrilling new mystery with a full cast of narrators that’s just right for any armchair sleuth.
Additional audiobook projects from Rinella and Constantine are in the works for 2025, along with a recently announced original thriller from author Anna Snoekstra, The End of the Ski Season.
PRH Audio aims to keep bringing original stories to listeners, and introducing new voices to the scene. “Our editorial team is excited to evaluate audiobook original submissions from authors published by Penguin Random House and beyond,” says Lance Fitzgerald, SVP, Editorial and Business Development. “We’re always looking for new interesting ideas that would translate well to audio that we can match with our award-winning production team.”