You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

I know some people use Audible, so can someone explain it to me?

I can't work out if it's a fee PLUS books, or if the fee entitles you to so many book credits or quite how it works. What's the pricing like - similar to paper books? And i assume the files don't expire with time of after listening? Trying to decide if it's a good deal or not.

I can get CDs from the library at £1.50 a pop, but obviously the choice isn't unlimited. And I would have to work out 1) where the MP3 player is and 2) how to connect it to the car, but those are minor issues compared to making a decision...

I think you get one or two free books when you sign up with Audible as a promo.

There are several options. I buy the annual gold membership for around $149.50 (USD) a year. That gives me 12 credits to use towards books which works out to about $12.50 per book. I can use them whenever I want through the year. A member gets 30% discount on all audiobooks. Periodically, Audible offers sales. Right now they are offering 100 selected books at 7.95 each. Their sales go as low as 5.95 a book.

There are other plans as well. You can buy a credit a month ( a little more expensive), or you can buy 24 credits a year (the cheapest plan).

It's addictive!!

Oh thank goodness someone posted this! I've been wondering for ages.

I love my audible membership. That said - not cheap. Usually when I get my tax return, if there is one, I buy, either 12 or 24 books at once. Then the books are either 9.46 or 12.46 (marketing people are so funny with their random numbers aren't they.) Another option is 2 books a month for 11.48 or 1 for 14.95.

Additionally, they offer some free short stories. Sales. Use 4 credits get $10 sales (you have a limited time to use your $10) and other random sales that are a good value.

If you are a big fan of audiobooks, and you can afford it and can't get all the content you want from your library, I say do it. Their customer service is always very good. You can return stuff you hate. And while not cheap, I think they are an excellent value.

I do not own stock or work for them, more the pity.

I just started using audible I downloaded the free app formy droid phone and put the books on it since I work alot but my phone is always with me this works great

Audible isn't cheap, but then again audiobooks aren't cheap (understandable with production costs etc.).

I have a monthly membership, and usually wait 2-3 months for it to build up so I can go on a spree ;)

I use my credits for new releases or the really long books (and therefore more expensive), and then purchase shorter/cheaper/older ones - you can choose which books you use credits for which is one of the reasons I have membership.

In terms of device usage, I find Audible incredibly easy to use - and even more user friendly than Kindle across multiple devices. The iPod/iPhone app is really well-laid out so I can easily find what I'm looking for (unlike Kindle, gah!), and has regular updates that add in features rather than killing them :|

Travis, welcome to Audio Addicts Annonymous ;-)

Judy wrote: "I sense a new book addict in the making, Travis.

Ladies, should we petition Travis to join our 12-step group for book addicts?"

Is this a 12 step program to become an addict

Travis of NNY wrote: "Is this a 12 step program to become an addict"

Dammit! We've been found out!

Thanks for the explanations. I think I may well resist the blandishments of Audible for now. The library selection of CDs, while not extensive, has barely been explored so far - and I know I can work a CD player - the MP3 in the car combination requires leads!

Living on the world famous tug hill plateau I think audible will be getting frequent usejust through snow removal of my half mile worth of driveways we have on our property. World famous only for our annual annual snowfall which averages 10 feet a year but has given us 3 ft in the last 5 days. God bless it lol.

I don't think that Audible is expensive. My annual membership means that 1 credit is equal to $12.50. That's a great deal! The regular price for Gone Girl in audiobook is $33.60. Because I'm a member, I get a discount if I wish to purchase it instead of using a credit. The discount price is $23.52, so with using my $12.50 credit, I have saved a lot of money.

In comparison, Gone Girl is $13.99 on Kindle, and $12.37 in trade paperback through Amazon.

But then, maybe prices are different in each country. The prices above are all in Canadian funds.

It's the same structure for me using it from NL, Janice. I don't think Audible itself is expensive, in fact I think that being a member makes it a very good deal - but buying audiobooks without being a member is very pricey!

I agree with that, Kat. If I didn't have my audible membership I don't know that I'd be listening to them. I suppose I could get them from the libary for free.

Just discovered that I can listen to the Bob Edwards show (formerly NPR, formerly Sirius/XM) through

I Lu! Welcome to our group.

Well, I suppose I could finish that comment. I discovered I could listen to the Bob Edwards show through Audible. 1 credit for a month's worth of shows. That was all I needed to push me over the edge and sign up for the Annual Gold plan, which, by the way, you cannot do on the website. You have to talk with a rep. It also comes with a free subscription to NY Times Audio Digest. Also happy to see Audible is an Amazon.com company, which I use constantly. So many thanks to all the comments on this board.

I started out with Audible Gold (12 credits up front). I have since switched to Platinum which gives me 24 credits up front.

Considered Platinum but thought I'd start with Gold. I am sure I will upgrade next year!

Janice, I'm thinking about switching to the platinum plan and paying upfront too. Right now, I'm doing the gold monthly, but I buy the extra 3 credits all the time. I love Audible though. I listen on my commute to/from work all the time. It's definitely worth it for me.

I kept buying the 3 extra credits too and decided that it was costing me a lot more than if I just went platinum. I'm probably going to renew early. I only have 3 credits left and my membership doesn't renew until August.

lol, Janice. You need a double platinum membership. :)

I think you're right. I was just looking at the new releases on Audible. (They upload them every Tuesday.) There were quite a few went into my wishlist.

My husband has amazon prime and I want to use his account to get audible and listen to books. Does anyone know if I can do this or do I have to have my own account.

Sherry wrote: "My husband has amazon prime and I want to use his account to get audible and listen to books. Does anyone know if I can do this or do I have to have my own account."

Hi Sherry. Welcome to the group.

I'm not sure how Amazon Prime works. I have my Amazon account and Audible account linked, but I still had to buy a membership at Audible. I don't think Amazon Prime automatically gives you a membership at Audible.

You should ask that question at the Audibooks Group - https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/596. Someone there is bound to have the answer.