Julia Whelan, Audiobook Narrator, Author Interview

If you’ve listened to an audiobook in the last 15 or so years, more than likely you’re familiar with Julia Whelan. Or, at the very least, her voice.

After all, best-selling novels from Gillian Flynn, Emily Henry, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Kristen Hannah, Freida McFadden and many more are among the roughly 700 books she’s narrated so far. And nearly two decades later, the former child actor has her routine down to a science.

“When I get an offer for an audiobook, I don’t have time to read the book ahead of time to make the decision, and the publisher doesn’t have time to wait for me, so I have to just kind of go on vibes,” Julia explained to E! News in an exclusive interview. “Is it an author that I either know or I’ve always wanted to work for? Does the synopsis sound interesting?”

She continued, “My decision-making process really boils down to the fact that I am a book nerd who, if I read a flap, and I would pay $27 for that book, that’s enough of an indication for me that I want to do it.”