Do you now or have you ever subscribed to Audible? Your experience with it? Nt

[raccoon]

[AZSkiffyGeek]

1. I've used it and like the service

But I don't use audiobooks enough to justify it. But I like the credit system they use, and the no-excuse return policy. Essentially works like a lending library outside the monthly fee.

[hlthe2b]

2. Good for very long commutes. Otherwise, I tend to stick with podcasts.

Reading (rather than listening to) longer material holds my interest better. Podcasts are just short enough that if "good," they don't have me tuning out mentally.

[piddyprints]

3. I've had it for about 6 months and I love it.

My plan gives me a credit every month, but so far I’ve been happy reading the free books. There are tons of them. A word of advice, if you get it: save your credits for expensive books. Don’t use them up for $5 and $10 books.

[Ocelot II]

4. Love it.

I listen to audiobooks when I'm out walking - usually mysteries. I've listened to a lot of the old Inspector Morse and Wallander books, which are free with a subscription, and I get a new book every month. I buy paper or Kindle books if the material is more complicated (such that I might need to re-read parts) or if there are likely to be illustrations, but the audiobooks are great for walking, driving, or if you just want to sit for awhile.

[Big Blue Marble]

5. I have had a subscription since 2005.

Dropped my subscription last year as it is not as good as it
was a few years ago. Scribed is much better over all.

https://www.scribd.com A flat fee and all the audio books you want, no
credits, ebooks, too. Plus other bonuses. It is a great value, Netflix for books.

[xmas74]

6. I had it

I prefer linking my library card to my Libby app. Lots of variety and it's free.

[Mme. Defarge]

7. Best service ever!

[xmas74]

11. And you can link several cards to it

So I never run out of books,magazines and audio books.

[Mme. Defarge]

15. Sometimes I'm able

to get the book version of something I am listening to so that I can search for something I’ve missed or forgotten in the audio version. At no cost.

[xmas74]

27. Exactly

People forget what great resources our libraries have!

[Mme. Defarge]

30. One of our greatest strengths

as a society.

[Treefrog]

8. I love it.

I've had it for several years.

Their prices are reasonable, they often have 2 for 1 sales, and their free offerings are usually pretty good.

[FakeNoose]

9. I'm retired now and I no longer have a half-hour commute to work

However for many years I loved audiobooks and became rather attached to them.

Audible is a good service - but this was back when I had to download audiobooks on my computer and burn them onto CDs to play in my car. OK it wasn't that bad, but it made me realize that I could do the same thing with audiobooks from the public library. Once I realized that, the subscription to Audible seemed extravagant because the same books were available free from the library. Sometimes there's a waiting list for a certain book, but I could always find something good at the library. Long story short, I had no complaints with Audible but it became an extravagance.

These days people are probably downloading to their phones and porting directly to their car stereo, so they're bypassing the disk-burning step.

[PoliticAverse]

10. If you have a library card, see if your library subscribes to Overdrive or a similar service

that provides access to audio books for free.

https://overdrive.com

[BlackSkimmer]

12. I use hoopla, but it only allows three borrows a month.

I go through a lot of books, so audible has been a godsend.

[PoliticAverse]

13. That's why I prefer Overdrive to Hoopla, Overdrive limits the number of simultaneous

borrows (exact number depends on the deal with your library) but no fixed cap on number of borrows per month.

[BlackSkimmer]

14. Very good to know!

Thanks, I’m going to check it out.

[PoliticAverse]

17. Anybody in New York State can get a free library card and free audiobooks...

Through any of the following 3 libraries:
New York Public Library
Queens Public Library
Brooklyn Public Library

I just checked on the Brooklyn Public Library Overdrive and there are currently 44,473 audiobooks available for borrowing.
(non New York State residents can get a library card and borrow Audiobooks for a $50/year fee: https://disc.bklynlibrary.org/card/ )

You can borrow 20 audiobooks at the same time through Brooklyn Public Libraries Overdrive portal.

[BlackSkimmer]

24. Well, I'm not in NY, but I do belong to my county library here in NC.

That’s fantastic you can get up to 20!

[xmas74]

28. Libby is the phone app

It's the same as Overdrive.

[iemanja]

16. I like it

You get a credit for one book a week and, if you choose the right plan, access to a huge library of free audio books.

[Initech]

18. My mom swears by her Audible account!

[Ms. Toad]

19. I don't have an audible account,

but I have Kimdle Unlimited. Many books are free to listen (via audible) and read. I can have 20 out at any time, for as long as I want.

After not reading any books for years, I'm now "reading" 2-3 books a week.

The selection is limited - but I'm mostly looking for largely brainless mysteries/thrillers - and I haven't run out in now (nearly) 3 years.

I did have an audible account briefly (a free promo). It didn't open up enough additional books for me to be worth the monthly spend.

[xmas74]

29. I tell everyone to download Libby on their phone

Or Overdrive on the laptop.

You link your library cards and can listen to audio books for free.

[Ms. Toad]

32. I've done that in the past,

but I wasn't thrilled with it. It's been a while, but my recollection is that the selection was pretty limited and harder to search.

[xmas74]

33. It goes by your library

You can have several linked if you belong to a few. I belong to a local university library, our local library, Mid Continent and the Kansas City library. My local is part of an entire MO state borrowing system.

More libraries equal more options.

[Ms. Toad]

34. I've done that - glad it's working well for you.

The three I had linked to didn't work nearly as well for me as kindle unlimited.

[xmas74]

38. That stinks.

I do know that it's grown leaps and bounds since I first started using it a few years ago.

I hope it gets better down the road.

[Ms. Toad]

40. I haven't tried it in a while.

One of the three had a very limited supply. The second had a good selection but required that I continue to live and/or work in the community - with repeated verification (and I no longer live or work there). I don't remember what the issues were with the third.

A former student of mine gave me a big enough gift card a few years back that I could buy a Fire tablet which came with a free Kindle unlimited subscription. That quickly got me addicted (it was around the time of Trump's election - and I needed to listen to something other than the radio during my drive time - ironically, the student is definitely Republican - and it wouldn't surprise me if she supported Trump). It was so much easier than (at the time) Overdrive - now Libby - with a much wider seletion of what I wanted. I used birthday and Christmas gifts from my parents for the next couple of years to feed my addiction, and two years ago asked my spouse for a 2-year subscription for Christmas.

In April, when I retire and have less income coming in, my current subscription ends. Maybe I'll explore the library app/supply again.

[tavernier]

20. I love that you get to keep the books.

I’ve read many of my favorites (The Martian, The Far Arena, Outlander series) several times while I’m waiting for a new one. I’ve been with them for six or seven years and I have an extensive library collection. Presently I’m reading Cartier, a fascinating historical autobiography of the jewelry family, written and read by a granddaughter of one the brothers who made the family famous.

[Corgigal]

21. Thought about it.

However subscription services annoy me. I just purchase whatever books I want and play it on apple media.

Take a look, they have almost every book I looked for.

[Hamlette]

23. I use the subscription differently

you buy either 12 or 24 book credits a year. You can use them anytime you want. I buy 24 and when I get close to running out they offer to allow me to buy 3 more at a time. It works out to be $9.56 per book. If you listen to lots of books, it might be a better deal than buying from apple.

[Ms. Toad]

35. Kindle Unlimited is way cheaper

Last edited Fri Feb 25, 2022, 04:02 AM - Edit history (1)

At least if you "read" as many as I do.

I'm "reading" at a rate of 1 book every 4 days. It works out to $.80/book.

(Edited to correct a calculation error)

[Corgigal]

37. Thanks,

Will look into it. I just normally preview a book, then want. Some months I can buy 3 books, then nothing for months. Just depends.

I just listened to Last Call by Elon Green, if anyone is looking for a book.

[Hamlette]

39. oooo, I love true crime. Thanks for the recommendation.

I went to law school with Ted Bundy and was a public defender for years. I think that's where I got the "fever".

[Hamlette]

22. I've been a member since 2005 and love it

They are great about allowing you to return a book although I've not done it a lot.

What I like best is it keeps my "library" for me. I can go back and read a book I skipped (I really should read Rise and Fall of the Third Reich and have started it twice. Maybe some day) or reread something at no extra charge.

[AngryOldDem]

26. My son has "Rise and Fall".

Unclear how, since he canceled his membership, must be a free download.

He said it was well done.

[AngryOldDem]

25. My son loved it.

Unfortunately, the subscription got too pricey.

[Sympthsical]

31. Didn't quite feel worth the money

$14.95 just felt pricey for one book a month (I didn't really care much for their "free" content).

Now that I work from home, I just find things on the internet and go with whatever strikes at the moment.

[Ms. Toad]

42. Kindle Unlimited is only $6/month

if you can swing a 24-month subscription.

At a book every 3-4 days, that's less than $1/book.

[Ms. Toad]

44. That deal is available now -

and its the same deal that was available in December a little over 2 years ago when I asked for it as a gift. I've been looking for a better one, but haven't found one yet.

(I'm debating whether to buy a couple of months at full price, or wait for Prime Day to see if there's a better deal.)

[artemisia1]

41. I have it and I love it. Also try the free Libravox.org for Free Public Domain audiobooks. Some

don't have the best readers, but they are all volunteers so MASSIVE RESPECT to them.