Audiobooks are they worth it?

After listening to endless audio podcasts while I am at work I end to always hear a promotion for Audible and I was wondering if I should get a subscription (a UK one).

Does anyone have any comments on audio books and are they worth the subscription fee?

I like audio comedies which I have seen on Audible which I think I would get but are there any good documentaries and fiction stories on Audible?

If it helps I like non-fiction books on technology, the Internet, sports and biographies. I have not read a fiction book since I was forced to read them when I was at school.

Audible has a lot of books - you can go search through their lists.
If you would like to find out if listening to audiobooks is for you or not - check out Librivox. I think they have a few thousand books available now. These are all books in the public domain so you will probably not find anything related to tech, internet or sports. Am sure you can find something that would fit your taste just to be able to try out listening to books.

As to whether it is worth it - really a personal matter. Audiobooks are, to me, a very expensive form of entertainment. However, having said that, as one that is in the habit of purchasing books - the audible subscription for 24 books at basically $10 a piece is not too bad.

Right now am experimenting with Simplyaudio's rental program where they mail you the CD's of the book (like a Netflix subscription). Thought maybe it would get me down into the $5 per book range. However, I signed up for it 9 days ago and have yet to receive the first book. It took them 4 days after I signed up to e-mail me to say that my first 12 selections were all out and I should make some more selections. That was done 5 days ago and still have not received one. So they may be canceled before I even get a single book from them. In which case, Audible will be getting my money.

Here's a thread I did a while back - the last post has a few more links you may enjoy on the free side of audiobooks.

My wife is an avid (rabid? ) fan of audio books. She feels, and I agree, that it is an excellent way to lend value to that long commute to and from work. She is better "read" than most people I know - she goes through multiple books in audio format per month. So, my observation is that it a pretty good idea.

It is, however, a pretty expensive idea. Unlike a CD, you typically won't listen to an audio book over and over... they are essentially an expensive, one time play purchase.

We need an online audiobook exchange - rather like a traditional old library, but for audiobooks. Borrow them, listen to them, return them. I bet someone is doing this already and I just don't realize it.

Or perhaps a Netflix type model for audiobooks. Now there is a business proposition...

Have you tried the library? I know at the branch here we have audiobooks in the A/V department. Might be worth a look.

Andrew West said:

Have you tried the library? I know at the branch here we have audiobooks in the A/V department. Might be worth a look.

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The librarians of the world thank you. Please visit your local library. They have so much more than books. Audio books, music CD's, and DVD's just to name a few.

Here is also a place you can search to see if there is a library in your area that loans their audio books out online.

I come across http://www.hear-now-audio-books.com where there is no need to pay monthly subscription.I hope this will help you.

Have already canceled my simplyaudiobooks rental plan - 17 book selections made, 11 days after signing up and not a single one has even been sent.

Instead signed up on audible last night - on the 14 day - 2 free books trial. Downloaded my first selection, it's on my ipod and get to start a new book today on the way to work. I think with the yearly 24 credit subscription - the cost per book drops to just under $10 per book - you're now in the realm of the price of buying paper. Their selection seems to be larger than iTunes - at least for the books I'm looking for. And the titles I've looked at up to a $60 price on iTunes are still but a single $10 credit at audible. Pretty good value.

Andrew West said:

Have you tried the library? I know at the branch here we have audiobooks in the A/V department. Might be worth a look.

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I want to put something on my iPod to listen to while I am at work (or going to and from work). My local library does books on CD (and there are a lot of old ones on tape).

I also want a very simple solution similar to the way I use iTunes.

Thanks to everyone for their help and advice.

If you guys want to listen to audio stories, you can visit my forum which is www.radioplaycontests.com

It contains original stories and stories based on popular shows such as Star Trek, Batman, and Superman. They're all free too and the producers do these productions just for fun.

go to www.limewire.com, this a free file sharing program they have a section specifically for audio books and any other media you could possible want, all it takes is the time to download them then you can write them to disk. Limewire is a standalone application much like bear-share.
good luck

mac_forums said:

go to www.limewire.com, this a free file sharing program they have a section specifically for audio books and any other media you could possible want, all it takes is the time to download them then you can write them to disk. Limewire is a standalone application much like bear-share.
good luck

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I'd rather stick to LibriVox. There you know that everything available is in the public domain (no copyright issues), and they have multiple download options (BitTorrent, podcast etc).

As for audiobooks in general; I prefer them to hard copies, but they're usually more expensive than buying a paperback, and you have to watch out for abridged versions. If the extra is worth the convenience of not actually having to carry or read the book to you then go for it, or a subscription service might be a good idea.

Just thought I'd post back for any that might be interested.
A month into giving Audible a try and in the middle of my 3rd book now.

Gotta say, I like it. Downloads take just a few minutes.
Had to go outta town over one weekend and downloaded a book just the right length for us listening to during the trip. For the price, at least the first couple of books I've gotten so far (have been in the 40 hr each range), is well worth the price of admission. Almost wish my drive to work was a little longer every day.

Well I'm going to be biased in my opinion because I record audiobooks for a living.

Although I love audiobooks I do also like reading the printed text too so I don't think one will ever replace the other. For me it is often the case that a professional actor reading the book brings the text to life in a way that I couldn't really do myself and actually makes the book more enjoyable for it. I'm a big fan of the author Bill Bryson and have many of his books in print. The other day though the company I work for had bought in the audio version of Bill Bryson's "Made In America" read by William Roberts for us to convert to a different format for our library (our books are only made available to visually impaired members using an accessible format called DAISY). Now I have had the pleasure of working with Bill Roberts many, many times and know how good he so I knew that this was going to be a good reading and I was right. His reading, obviously 'helped' by Bill Bryson's words , was outstanding and I was totally hooked from the first paragraph so much so that I immediately rushed out and bought the book......on CD.

As for where to get audiobooks, IMHO Audible is by far the best source for such material anywhere in the world.

I agree with amardilo for the most part; however, I think there are a few instances where a campaign or nonprofit could and should take a chance.

The most important lesson about communicating effectively is to know your audience and then communicate widely through the medium which your audience most likely uses. According to a study released in mid-2006 and reported then by CNET News, audio and video podcasts are still primarily being used by early adopters, the Mac-enthusiasts and Trekkie fans.
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Audio Books is the web page where you can download movies, music, books wherever whenever..............

Sheryl22 said:

I agree with amardilo for the most part; however, I think there are a few instances where a campaign or nonprofit could and should take a chance.

The most important lesson about communicating effectively is to know your audience and then communicate widely through the medium which your audience most likely uses. According to a study released in mid-2006 and reported then by CNET News, audio and video podcasts are still primarily being used by early adopters, the Mac-enthusiasts and Trekkie fans.
________________________________
Audio Books is the web page where you can download movies, music, books wherever whenever..............

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Spam if I've ever seen any.... While it looks like a legitimate audiobook site, they do not have anywhere near the selection of Audible, and almost half the books I saw on the front page at $13-$20 are available for free in the public domain from Librivox.