Audible. Does anyone subscribe to it?

Molly that sounds a laugh a minute!

Just had a real treat. I remember reading Betty McDonald’s The Plague and I, about life in a sanatorium with TB and discovered it’s on Audible. Nostalgia rules.

Boz

FannyCornforth

I know that I’m going to sound a snob here, but I don’t want my book read by Alexa.
I want Juliet Stephenson or Roger Allam.
You get what you pay for.

Oh yes. One of the joys of audible is the reading by actors. The horror of Just William being read by Alexis.

It is funny but I find her voice friendly and really I quite like the continuity of her reading to me .

Been a member for many years, love it. Awarded if with The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo trilogy.

Thanks Boz!

FannyCornforth

I know that I’m going to sound a snob here, but I don’t want my book read by Alexa.
I want Juliet Stephenson or Roger Allam.
You get what you pay for.

Oh yes. One of the joys of audible is the reading by actors. The horror of Just William being read by Alexis.

I know that I’m going to sound a snob here, but I don’t want my book read by Alexa.
I want Juliet Stephenson or Roger Allam.
You get what you pay for.

Naninka

I don't understand credits and books. £7.99 is a hell of a lot to pay for a book. I buy them for my Kindle for 99p.

And Alex will read the kindle books for free . I have over 500 on my kindle mostly costing a pound each many free .

You can download from Borrowbox to
phone, tablet, laptop. No need for a special player but I do use a bluetooth speaker sometimes. I have the app on both my phone and tablet.

I find the narration good. All the books I have borrowed have been unabridged with some being read by the author. For reference Borrowbox also has a sleep timer and reservation option.

My library doesn’t use Borrowbox, but I can download free audio books from them using ULibrary or Libby. They offer different titles, so we get a pretty good selection.

The library downloads are exactly the same as the Audible ones (same narrator etc), and are digital, so can be played on phones, tablets or computers.

FannyCornforth

Re Borrowbox
What is the narration like please?

Also, is it direct download to your pc and phone or a hard copy for which you need a player (like a cd)?

Re Borrowbox
What is the narration like please?

Have you heard of Boorowbox? It's a free service available via local libraries. It has a very good range of e books and audiobooks which you take out on loan for 3 weeks, the loan period can be extended if needed. Additionally the library offers Libby which is a free service for borrowing magazines. I use both services and have no complaints.

I’ve never tried Audible, because of the cost. I use the free BorrowBox library service. As someone mentioned, we’re all paying towards the local libraries anyway. I used to buy CD audiobooks from charity shops, then donate them back again.
I’m not an avid reader; I find ample choice on BorrowBox, but I dare say that if you want the latest releases you’ll need to use a subscription service.

Saggi re narrators. You can listen to a sample of all books on the website. It lasts about five minutes, so you can really hear whether you will get in with the narrator.
I definitely have my favourites, and much prefer women, but then I prefer books by women.

Another thing that hasn’t been mentioned. Every day there is a Daily Deal , a specific book for £1.99 or £2.99
I have rarely bought these, they are usually fiction I find, and, in particular, thrillers or sci-fi.
In fact, there are lots of both these genres on Audible.

I had a free trial, but didn’t carry on with it. Some of the £6 to £7.99 titles on offer, and most of the catalogue, are available free from my library anyway. Occasionally I’ve to wait for one, but usually only for a few days. I akways have an audiobook on the go, as well as listening to excellent free podcasts, and one of the many free ebooks from the library on my kindle, as well as occasionally buying one for a couple of pounds. And I have an ever-growing pile of “to read” proper books from a local charity shop, where I can get even the latest releases 3 for a pound.

Should have typed - By January 2022, Borrowbox ...

Answering a couple of points made earlier.

The number of Audible credits you can hold over depends on the kind of membership you have. You can freeze your membership more than once a year but can only do it yourself online one a year. If you want to freeze more than once you have to do it through customer services by phone or webchat. Generally, they expect you to buy at least one credit betwen freeze periods.

As for Audible v “free” library audio books, which we pay for through our taxes, it really depends on what you like to listen to. For example, when the 2021 Booker shortlist was announced in September 2021, Audible already had all six titles. Borrowbox had none. By January 2021, Borrowbox still only has two of the six and neither is the book that won. The same often goes for other major prizes. Libraries are constrained by their budgets and whoever is making the buying decisions for paper and audio books. If you want to read or listen to a book as soon as it is published, the library isn’t the best option.

If you buy an annual subscription, that works out at less than £6 a book, less than you will pay for a new book especially one that isn’t yet out in paperback.

I have a habit of equating the cost of things to cups of café coffee. A flat white in the high street chains is now over £3 and is gone in ten minutes. By comparision, listening to 30 hours of a big novel for less than £6 represents excellent value for money.

It really does depend on reading and listening tastes and habits. I like paper books and audio books. I was gifted a Kindle and gave it a good workout but didn’t enjoy using it. Not all books on Kindle are inexpensive. Take Damon Galgut’s 2021 Booker Prize winning The Promise as a example. It isn’t out in paperback yet. The hardcover book costs £16.99 in Waterstones and Hatchards or £8.00 on Amazon. A standard monthly Audible credit is £7.99. The Kindle version is £9.99. My county library doesn’t have it in book form either yet.

I don't understand credits and books. £7.99 is a hell of a lot to pay for a book. I buy them for my Kindle for 99p.

As others have said BorrowBox is a brilliant free service and many county council libraries are members. All you need is your library card. I also listen to BBC sounds where the selection is vast from books to plays to podcasts. Audible isn’t free which puts me off.

Caro57

Sign up for free 30days and make a note in your diary when the time is up so you can cancel if you don’t want to continue that way you can give it a fair trial

What happens if I don’t cancel? Will I have to give them my bank details for the trial?

For anyone with a disability that means they have trouble reading or holding a book have a look at Listening Books. I think its £20 for a year's membership and you can listen to as many books as you want.

I adore Audible and must have hundreds of books. I do the 24 credits per annum and then also make use of the three credits for eleven pounds you get as a member who pays an annual fee. I often buy in the 2-1 sales too as it’s an opportunity to try new authors. I don’t spend money on myself very much so this is my (essential) treat. I have it on to go to sleep, driving, doing housework, walking etc etc. I just love Audible.

Audible is brilliant…. I was an avid reader …but after my cataract op went wrong 4 years ago all the reading stopped! I signed up to Audible and I have not looked back. I must have 70 books downloaded …. I’m a Amazon prime customer so the £7,99 per month covers it all…. I get one ‘free credit’ a month.
1 credit = 1 book
Any other book I wish to purchase you either pay for OR like me buy 3 credits for £18 . You do the Maths….. get any book for £6.00. I love this service. But…. read the reviews first…. some of the narration is not up to scratch. So make sure you ‘know’ the actor doing the narration. I recently ‘bought ‘ a Edith Wharton book and the narration was/is atrocious ….. I cannot finish listening to it. Awful… so be careful.