I love to read. But these days it’s hard to find the free time to sit down and curl up with a good book. Raising a family, holding a full time job, and life in general keeps me on the go. It wasn’t until I discovered Audible audiobooks that I’ve been able to once again feed my thirst for a good book.
I’ve been subscribed to Audible for several months now and hardly a day goes by that I’m not listening to a book on my ipod. This is particularly true as I have a 40 minute commute to work, so I listen to a good novel on the way there.
One of the beauties of Audible audiobooks is that they are read so well that they are virtually acted. I find that Audible does an excellent job of finding good voice actors to read their books. This way, their audiobooks really come alive with the story. This is way better than hearing the dull monotone drone of those books on tape guys from times past.
If you love a good book, whether it be fiction, non-fiction, science fiction, self help, etc… you’ll probably love Audible. They have an excellent selection of over 100,000 books. I’ve discovered many good reads over at Audible. Here are some posts about some of the books that I’ve read:
- The Steve Jobs Biography
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
- Tina Fey’s Bossy Pants
- The Game of Thrones
- Stephen King’s The Stand
- Hounded: The Iron Druid Chronicles
If you love books, but find yourself in my position, where you are constantly on the go, then Audible may be a good option for you.
Currently, they are offering a 30 day free trial of their subscription service. Their subscription service allows you to download an audiobook. If you decide to cancel the service before the end of the free trial, the book is yours to keep. So, it’s worth giving their service a try. (They do require a valid credit card to sign up, but they don’t charge your credit card unless you stay past the trial period)
However, you may love their service as I do and stay on. I personally signed on to the Audible Listener Gold membership which gives me one book a month for $14.95, but I love their books so much that I’m planning to upgrade to the Platinum 2 book a month membership.
Price wise, I would say that they have average prices for their books. I would say that their audiobooks cost roughly the amount of a hardcover version of the same book. Being used to paperback pricing, when I first started my trial, I wasn’t particularly impressed by the prices. (I figured the digital versions should be cheaper)
However, I’ve found that the quality of the readings really does justify the prices. I really think that Audible goes out of their way to find good quality voice actors. In many cases, their books have an ensemble cast to do their readings making the experience almost like watching a movie.
The monthly membership also includes other benefits that really add to the value:
- Members save 30% on additional purchases
- Free previews, chapters and excerpts
- Free digital subscription to the New York Times or Wall Street Journal
- Member-only special sales and promotions
- Now Over 100,000 titles to choose from
- Compatible with iPod, iPhone, BlackBerry and over 500 mp3 devices
In addition to my monthly audiobook, I also get a free subscription to the Wall Street Journal as well as special pricing on other books.
Overall, I love Audible. After giving them a try, I found that their membership is well worth it. Like I said, I’m even planning to upgrade my membership to get more books per month.
Personally, I would recommend Audible to anyone who loves books. At the very least, give their free trial a spin. After 30 days, you may love their service so much that you just can’t let go.
Try Audible Free for 30 days.
Richard is a full time professional, husband, father and blogger juggling all the responsibilities of life and running a blog. Richard enjoys writing about life and online money matters.
After reading your information about audible books Richard, it makes me want to look at using them again. Long time ago I would pop in a tape or CD and listen to books in that format. But now with iPods’, etc. this is a good idea to get back to reading in this format.
Thank you for sharing and inspiring me to start listening/reading again!
@learnit2earnit Thank you. I used to pop in the books on tape years ago, but I found that the voice quality turned me off. When I discovered Audible, I was pleasantly surprised and am really happy to be able to get in some reading on my commute to work. I’m glad I inspired you to read/listen again. I love books and being able to read/listen again is like rediscovering an old friend…
That’s interesting Richard although I’ve never listen to books on audio. I much prefer the written word.
Now when I walk everyday I listen to my iPod but I have motivational speeches and teaching loaded up. Right now I’m going through a 13 part session on the law of attraction and today I’ll listen to part 10. It’s really great too.
That’s pretty neat though and am sure that you’ve gotten a lot of use from this service.
Thanks for sharing.
~Adrienne
@AdrienneSmith I love the written word because my imagination fills in the details. However, I’ve grown to love listening books as well because I can listen/read a book on the go. Plus, a really good narrator just adds to the richness of the book.
It’s not just for fiction either, there are really good non-fiction books as well, such as the Law of Attraction in audiobook format. :)
Hi Richard,Great article! I’m a big fan of Audible. I’ve been using them for years and enjoy them more than printed books. As you said, a good narrator can bring books alive for the listener.
I have to respectfully disagree with you about the prices, however. I think Audible books are a bargain. The CD versions of books can run $25 or more. An audiobook on Audible with a Platinum membership costs a little over $9. Audible also runs sales often, such as buy three books, get one free or 50% off sales. Plus with a Platinum membership you don’t need to wait until the next month to use your credit.
Thanks for providing your list of favorite Audible books. I’m always on the lookout for good Audible books!
@wonderoftech Thanks for the input, overall I do think that the service is well worth it, or I wouldn’t have bought it myself. I think the platinum membership adds up to just a bit over $11 per book. I plan on upgrading my gold membership to platinum because I do think that’s a better bargain.
I would say at $11 a book, it’s in between the price of a paperback and a hardback version of the same book. The great voice acting totally justifies the price and the additional included Wall Street Journal or NY Times subscription really solidifies the deal.
I’m loving all the books I’ve read so far, and I think you will too.
@richescorner Lol, I guess I haven’t priced the books lately. I signed up years ago for the Platinum package and it’s up for renewal soon. I was comparing the Audible prices to the CD prices, which are much more expensive.
I’m glad you’re loving all of the books. I’ve read mostly books I’ve rated 4 or 5 stars. I also like how Audible helps you to discover new books. I listened to The Help and The Hunger Games before anyone else had ever discovered them.
Thanks again for your great review!
@wonderoftech Discovering new books is the best part. I love being able to preview and hear how the narrator reads the books.