Listen to a sample here:

Audio sample of The Exit Strategy by Lainey Cameron, winner of 2020 Readers' Favorite Award for women’s fiction. Performed by Susan Marlowe. “A provocative, edgy page-turner. With whip-sharp prose, the characters are ingeniously crafted.” (Wall Street Journal best-selling author Kerry Lonsdale) Tech executive Carly can’t wait to marry the man of her dreams. But her world is turned upside down when she discovers her fiancé is already wed to Ryn — her company’s top investor! Can the two women overcome heartbreak together? Silicon Valley investor Ryn Brennan is on the verge of achieving everything she dreamed. She’s succeeded in the sexist venture capital world, has a supportive husband, and is about to close the deal of her career. Everything is going exactly as planned, until she meets her husband’s mistress, across the negotiating table. Carly clawed her way back from being a teenage runaway to become an accomplished scientist, caring single mom, and co-founder of her startup. Once she marries her loving fiancé, she’ll secure the complete family she craves. But she’s blindsided to discover her not so perfect fiancé is already married. In an industry full of not-so-subtle sexism, can the two women rise above, and work together to overcome heartbreak, and ensure their success? Critic Reviews “Strong women faced with timely struggles. Friendship, forgiveness, and moments of heartfelt laughter. You won't forget these courageous characters.” Rochelle Weinstein, USA Today bestselling author “SO MUCH FUN. Incredibly fast paced and satisfying, with two believable protagonists and one guy so bad you'll be dying to see if he get what he deserves.” (K J Dell’Antonia, New York Times bestselling author) “5 Stars! Secrets, betrayals and vulture like venture capitalists will keep you on the edge of your seat.” (Miss W Book Reviews)

Interview with Lainey about The Process of Creating an Audiobook

Tell us about the process of turning your book into an audiobook?

This has been surprisingly fun! Susan Marlowe a superb narrator and performer. As an author, by the time your book arrives in the world you have read it hundreds of times.

But during all of that, you hear the words a certain way, with your intonation as a writer. When Susan read it end to end for the first time it was revelatory, because she approached it as a reader would. She didn’t say every sentence in the exact same way as I did in my author head — and honestly my reaction was pride—this is better than I realized!

Was a possible audiobook recording something you were conscious of while writing?

Truly, not so much. I had decided that only if the paperback and ebook did well would I invest in an audio version.

After the book hit that #1 bestseller slot on Amazon (for feminist books), and won its second award (it’s now in the running for its fourth), I realized there were enough people who prefer audio versions and I should make it happen!

How did you select your narrator?

From within a lot of choices! I put the project out for audition and received over 50 different narrators who recorded an audition tape.

Susan was among my top 3 choices after those short 5-10 minute auditions, so then I listened to samples of her audiobooks, which I enjoyed. The clincher was when a fellow writer (Leanne Treese, author of Their Last Chance) shared she had chosen Susan, and how easy she was to work with.

How closely did you work with your narrator before and during the recording process? Did you give them any pronunciation tips or special insight into the characters?

After deciding to work together, Susan recorded a fifteen-minute segment where she demonstrated the main voices in the book. On a couple of voices, we went back and forth until we both felt comfortable. I also created a voice memo for the place names that weren’t obvious. As some of these are real locations in Silicon Valley, it was important to me to avoid mis-pronouncing them.

Are you an audiobook listener? What about the audiobook format appeals to you?

I am an audiobook listener, but I’ll admit that until recently I listened to more memoir and nonfiction on audiobook and prefer ebooks or paper for fiction. I think I’m impatient and I read very fast. So, I will consume an ebook in a much shorter time than the audio (or I’d have to listen at like 4x speed!). But saying that, when a book has a great narrator, the audio can be an absolute delight!

Is there a particular part of this story that you feel is more resonating in the audiobook performance than in the book format?

In the ebook version, one of the things I worried about was when we spend time inside the main character’s heads, absorbed in what they are thinking. There’s a “writing rule” that says to avoid doing this too much. However, in the audio, to me it felt seamless and immersive. I appreciated how Susan, with just a slight change in intonation, made it clear we were hearing thoughts, not dialog. To me, it works really well!

What do you say to those who view listening to audiobooks as “cheating” or as inferior to “real reading”?

I have zero patience for literary snobbery like this. Or of any kind. (For example those who look down on romance or “chick lit” as genres). No matter what format, what genre, to me, reading is about escape, and finding empathy by feeling and experiencing a life different to one’s own.

Do you have any tips for authors going through the process of turning their books into audiobooks?

I’ll give the same advice a smart author friend gave me about my cover. You need to feel proud of the book’s cover (or audiobook) to feel good talking about it.

So choose a narrator who will be easy to work with (comes recommended by other authors) and you love their style. That way you will end up with an end product you are proud of- and therefore happy to promote!