# Celebrity Audiobook Memoirs > Stars like Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli create 50-hour audiobooks that redefine storytelling. - Title: Celebrity Audiobook Memoirs · Vanity Fair | Shortify - Summary: Stars like Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli create 50-hour audiobooks that redefine storytelling. Celebrity audiobooks, including Barbra Streisand's… - Keywords: barbra streisand, liza minnelli, lena dunham, audiobook, my name is barbra, famesick, sonny boy, tina knowles, matriarch, penguin random house audio, audie awards, audiobook production - Source: Vanity Fair — https://vanityfair.com/story/celebrity-audiobook-memoir-whisperers - Author: Brian Raftery - Published: 2026-10-06T19:35:25.859+00:00 - Read time: 2 min - Topics: barbra streisand, liza minnelli, lena dunham, audiobook, my name is barbra, famesick, sonny boy, tina knowles, matriarch, penguin random house audio, audie awards, audiobook production ## Audiobook Memoir Challenge Tony winner Marc Shaiman hung a motivational sign in his Manhattan studio that read 'Slow the fuck down.' > Slow the fuck down ## Shaiman's Audiobook Process Shaiman spent almost two months recording his memoir Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner. > Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner ## Celebrity Audiobook Boom In 2026, Lena Dunham, Christina Applegate, Brandy, Liza Minnelli, and Hayden Panettiere all landed on the New York Times Audio Nonfiction bestseller list. > New York Times Audio Nonfiction bestseller list ## Audiobook Industry Growth The U.S. audiobook industry is worth nearly $2.5 billion, with celebrity memoirs becoming a reliable subcategory. > $2.5 billion ## Early Audiobook Challenges In the mid-1970s, audiobooks were aimed at bored commuters and existed in a backwater of the book-publishing industry. > backwater of the book-publishing industry ## Long-Form Memoirs Barbra Streisand's 2023 memoir My Name Is Barbra delivers nearly 50 hours of pure, uncut content. > My Name Is Barbra ## Audiobook Producer Insights Audiobook producer Joan Sergay says people are hungry for access and audio memoirs lend a sense of humanity. > people are hungry for access ## Recording Process Strain It’s rare for someone to finish recording a memoir and say it’s their favorite thing they’ve ever done. > It’s rare somebody finishes recording a memoir and says, oh that’s my favorite thing i’ve ever done ## Penguin Random House Audio Penguin Random House Audio’s Los Angeles headquarters opened in 2025 with recording booths and Audie Awards shelf. > 2025 ## Creative Director Kelly Gildea Kelly Gildea, creative director of Penguin Random House Audio Production, has produced memoirs for Diane Keaton and Prince Harry. > Diane Keaton ## Lena Dunham's Famesick Lena Dunham recorded her eleven-hour audiobook Famesick over six nights at a Manhattan studio. > Famesick ## Dunham's Narration Style Dunham’s narration on Famesick is propulsive, to the point, and sneakily funny or devastating. > propulsive, to the point, and sneakily funny ## Al Pacino's Sonny Boy Al Pacino recorded his twelve-hour memoir Sonny Boy: A Memoir over a period of time. > Sonny Boy: A Memoir ## Pacino's Emotional Journey Pacino’s narration for Sonny Boy: A Memoir includes moments of heartache and euphoria. > heartache and euphoria ## Robert Evans' Legacy Robert Evans recorded his 1994 autobiography The Kid Stays in the Picture, which became a sensation. > The Kid Stays in the Picture ## Audiobook Technology Shift Amazon paid $300 million for Audible in 2008, leading to increased audiobook accessibility. > $300 million ## Key takeaway Celebrity audiobooks, including Barbra Streisand's 50-hour memoir, are becoming crucial for artists to share intimate stories with fans.