I have been an Audible subscriber for almost a decade and I really like the audio book format. You can listen while driving or flying on long trips and, even better, while doing boring jobs like mowing the lawn. I almost never use my Kindle.
Nearly all new books are put out in audio at time of publication (or not long after) and an increasing number of older publications are getting the audio treatment.
The only negatives are:
- An occasional narrator that an individual listener may not like; and
- Cost – Audio books purchased on an individual basis can be 2 to 3 or more times the cost of a paperback.
However, cost can be less of a problem as there are now many options and, with a bit of planning and a monthly subscription for 1 book a month, you can get audio books for not much more than the cost of a paperback.
For example, Dan Brown’s “Origin” costs:
BIG W PAPERBACK – AUD$12
AUDIO BOOKS:
AUDIBLE.COM.AU (Australian site – the U.S. site is no longer available to new customers from Australia.)
Subscription Member – 1 Credit AUD$16.45 (monthly subscription but you can cancel on line at any time)
Non-Members AUD$40.15 – ( members get a 30% discount if you don’t use a credit).
iTUNES
AUD$33.99
GOOGLE AUDIO BOOKS
USD$14.95 (AUD$21) (There is now an App for iPhone and iPad / IOS).
Prices vary so it is always a good idea to check.
LOCAL LIBRARY – FREE (Well nothing is “free”, it is paid for by the rate payers of local councils and you usually have to provide proof of a local address to join. Renters are not excluded as part of their rent no doubt pays the rates for the owners.)
There are other options, but I have just covered a few popular sites to give an idea on the cost. See https://www.techradar.com/au/best/the-best-audio-book-sites
https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2015/03/five-best-audiobook-services/
GEO BLOCKING
I agree with the reader comments on the Lifehacker article (see link above) that blocking sales based on the country of the purchaser is a problem. Australians are faced with restrictions resulting from arrangements between publishers and local distributors.
Most audio book companies boast large numbers of audio books but, unless you are in the U.S. or U.K., Geo Blocking is the big problem with these services. As a result, titles available to Australians are usually far fewer. It may not be illegal to use a VPN to get around geo blocking but you can bet that it is a breach of “Terms and Conditions”.
Even with Geo Blocking, there is still plenty of choice from Audible and it is only occasionally that I have not been able to get a particular title. When I first joined Audible, there was no Australian site and sign up was to the main U.S. site but restricted titles were clearly marked as not available. When the Australian site was set up, all new customers were directed to the local site. Existing Australian customers were (and still are) encouraged to migrate to the local site but you could choose to stay with the main U.S. site. That is what I did even though with exchange rate differences, it would be cheaper on the Australian site. The reason I remained with Audible.com was concern that availability on the Australian site would be more restricted. As luck would have it, for a glorious period after the establishment of the .au site, there appeared to be no restrictions on those who remained, and I was able to get a couple of books that had previously been blocked.
Unfortunately, this has now ended and while there is no warning under the title, if you attempt to buy a geo blocked item, you are stopped at the check-out. This seems to have started again about the same time that Amazon (Audible’s owner) was having a “disagreement” with the Australian government about payment of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) (but this is just speculation).
As a result, there is no longer any point in staying with the U.S. site and I will migrate to the Australian site. I have been a little hesitant as, once you migrate, you can’t go back. Although I will have time to think about it as the transfer site has this note: This feature will be temporarily unavailable from June 8th until later in 2018. Please check back here for updates.
Before deciding to migrate to the Audible Australian site, I checked to make sure that “The Great Courses” series is available. It is.
One of the good things about an Audible subscription is that you can cancel (and re-join) on line at any time and you don’t lose titles you have bought (and downloaded.) So, if migrating does not work out, I can cancel and try one of the alternatives like Google.
I have also joined my local Library. Just like paper books, there are limitations on the number of copies of an audiobook title that are available to be borrowed as well as the usual catalogue size limits that all libraries have.
The total size of the audiobook catalogue for my local government council libraries is relatively small with about 8000 audiobooks, and there are about 19000 eBooks for downloading to an E Reader like Kobo, Nook or Sony as well as iPad, iPhone and other similar devices. Amazon Kindle is not yet on this list, but instructions are available on how to sideload on certain Kindles.
In comparison, Audible.com.au says that it has 200000 titles and Audible.com 425000.
The library Apps allow reservations and extensions and the number of audiobooks that you can borrow at one time is more than generous. The time allowed varies from 7 days to 21 days with extensions available.
The library has 3 Apps –
1. Bolinda / Borrow Box
2. Overdrive / Libby
3. RBDigital
All three Apps are needed to access the full range.
The easiest way is to first set up a library account on line with a password and then, with the temporary membership number provided, visit the local library branch with photo ID to get your permanent library card / number. After you get your card, install the Apps on your phone / device.
With “Bolinda / Borrow Box” and “Overdrive / Libby” you sign into the App with your library sign in name (card number) and PW. However, With RBDigital you set up a separate account with RBDigital. During the set up you input the library card number but then sign into the app with the RBDigital account name and PW.
My only concern is that all three Apps seem to drain the battery on the iPhone even after I turned off all of the notification functions. I will just have to remember to close out the Apps after each use. I have just updated to IOS12 and battery problems with Apps are not uncommon after updates. Hopefully this might get fixed.
I have used the Bolinda/Borrow Box App to get an Audiobook and it was easy. When you finish, you just tap the “return” button and it is deleted from your device. (I borrowed “Wake in Fright” by Kenneth Cook. It is an excellent book.)
I used the Overdrive/Libby App for my next one and then will try the RBDigital App. I note that RBDigital has some of the “Richard Sharpe” series by Bernard Cornwell. I will try to remember where I was up to and get one from this excellent series.
Unlike when I first discovered audiobooks, we are now spoiled for choice.
