HarperAudio, the audio imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, will produce a series of vinyl and digital audio titles in 2018, responding to the success of previous vinyl publications Yes Please by Amy Poehler and Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. The vinyl series will be distributed by Wax, an independent record label that specializes in unusual vinyl releases.
The series launches April 18 with the publication of Wild Horses Vinyl Edition + MP3 by Joe Hill, performed by Nate Corddry. Other vinyl editions scheduled for this year include A Series of Unfortunate Events #1: The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket, Love Poems by Nikki Giovanni, and The Monarch of the Glenn and Black Dog (American Gods sequel novellas) by Neil Gaiman.
"Audio is the fastest-growing format in publishing, and vinyl album sales are surging," said Ana Maria Allessi, v-p and publisher of HarperAudio. "Now fans of spoken word and vinyl have more to celebrate--their favorite authors and their favorite books on long-playing records."
Wax co-founder Jeffrey Bowers commented: "This well curated, thoughtful series of spoken-word releases is a response to the tremendous growth in audiobooks and vinyl, part of a new moment in what has become a listening revolution."