Books: In Canada, An "Audible Boom"

-CBC

In a downtown Montreal recording studio, seasoned actor Tom McCamus, known for his work on stage and in films such as Room and The Sweet Hereafter, put on his headphones, stepped up to the microphone, and heaved a sigh.

He was gearing up to breathe new life into Michael Ondaatje's classic novel In the Skin of a Lion by turning it into an audiobook.

"It's the first time I've done it," an admittedly nervous McCamus said. "I called some friends who do [audiobooks] a lot and asked them and got some advice on what to do. I hope I do a good job for Michael."

The project is part of a boom in Canadian audiobook production led by Amazon-owned Audible. Eighty per cent of its newly commissioned audiobooks are being produced in Canada, and the company has pledged $12 million over three years to develop new content.

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In the Skin of a Lion is one of more than 50 audiobooks begun since Audible launched its Canadian website in mid-September to bolster its previous catalogue of around 100 Canadian titles.

The company has also partnered with Canada's richest literary award, the Scotiabank Giller prize, as a sponsor. This year, according to BookNet Canada, sales of five Giller-nominated novels went up 1,115 per cent after they made the Giller shortlist.

Audible's game plan is to use well-known Canadian actors to interpret classics of contemporary Canadian literature, hoping to capitalize on the popularity of audiobooks, particularly among young, university-educated women, and the nearly 20 per cent growth in sales over the past three years.

Add to that the estimated 35 titles being converted to audiobooks by Penguin Random House Canada's brand new in-house audiobooks production division, and you have plenty of new work for Canadian actors. 

Even the prime minister has signed up, reading the foreword of his 2014 memoir Common Ground, while the bulk of rest of the book will be narrated by actor Colm Feore. 

Learning new craft 

This fall's surge in acting work is welcome, but it's also opened up an awareness that the art of reading an audiobook is a skill that needs nurturing. 

That's where Braden Wright comes in.

The experienced voice actor first became interested in audiobooks while living in the United States two decades ago. He has been hosting training sessions for Toronto-based actors who want to learn the "acting acrobatics" that it takes to successfully read an audiobook. 

"It's a one-person show," Wright said, with the narrator in most cases changing pitch and accents to bring to life all of the book's characters — male and female.