Julia Whelan talks about the audiobook industry, audiobrary and her own writing

Chances are, you've heard Julia Whelan's voice. She's the award-winning narrator behind more than 600 audiobooks by a long list of bestselling authors including Taylor Jenkins Reid, Emily Henry, Michael Crichton, V.E. Schwab and Kristin Hannah. She's also narrated long-form articles for The New Yorker, The Atlantic and Vanity Fair. You may have read her own writing, too. Whelan's first novel, 2018's "My Oxford Year," has been adapted to a Netflix film, out recently, starring Sofia Carson. The story actually began as a screenplay by Allison Burnett and had been gestating in development for years. Whelan was brought in to help with the script because she had studied abroad at Oxford her junior year of college. Producers then asked if she thought it would make a good book.

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"I was like, 'Nothing has ever wanted to be a book more. Please let me do this," she recalls. It ended up an international bestseller. Her second novel, 2022's "Thank You For Listening," was critically praised. ("Thank You For Listening" is about a former actor-turned-audiobook narrator who falls in love with another audiobook narrator.)

You may have even seen Whelan on TV - she began her career as a child actor, with roles in "Fifteen and Pregnant" and on the series "Once and Again." Despite her various pursuits, though, she has no plans to leave narration behind.

"I feel like I was born to do it," she said. "It's everything that I love and that I'm good at and everything I want to be doing."

That's a good thing, because the audiobook industry is growing. Statista projects this year it will reach $9.84 billion because of smartphones, the increased popularity of audio content and people's desire to multitask. Despite the appetite for audiobooks, for narrators, "the financial aspect makes zero sense," says Whelan. She's founded her own publishing company, Audiobrary, to help narrators get paid more fairly. Whelan, who has narrated as many as 70 books in one year, spoke to The Associated Press about the audiobook industry, Audiobrary and her own writing.

Why did you start your own audiobook publishing company?