Audiobooks discussion

Geoff wrote: "Apologies for that CatBookMom - I deleted the post.

Geoff"

Thanks. People who are new to the group may not find the specific threads that are appropriate for certain posts.

I was reading The Way of Kings via whispersync on kindle but there seems to be a bug in that book. The narrative is a chapter behind the text so the words being highlighted are not those being read. It behaved itself up to chapter 27 but now is refusing to cooperate. Does anyone else use whispersync? Have you had this problem? I have re-downloaded both book and audio and it hasn't made a difference.

I just picked up the brand new Rhys Bowen In Farleigh Field: A Novel of World War II it just came out the 1st of March and I was able to pick it up for $4.99 for ebook and $3.49 to add the audible narration.

Margo wrote: "I was reading The Way of Kings via whispersync on kindle but there seems to be a bug in that book. The narrative is a chapter behind the text so the words being highlighted are not t..."

Hmmm...I read TWOK via Whispersync in summer of 2015, and I didn't have any problems. Weird.

Kristie wrote: "Margo wrote: "I was reading The Way of Kings via whispersync on kindle but there seems to be a bug in that book. The narrative is a chapter behind the text so the words being highlig..."

I read the first 26 chapters and then it all went haywire.

Recently I've started adding Kindle books to my Amazon wish list. I like that Amazon tells me when the price drops. Yesterday several books from my list ,which have whispersync versions, had price drops. I like that they are sending me notices, so I'll probably add almost anything that somewhat interests me to my wish list.

I bought The Girl Who Fought Napoleon: A Novel of the Russian Empire because I'm interested in all things Russian at the moment. The book was $1.50 and the audio $1.99.

Kathleen wrote: "...I bought The Girl Who Fought Napoleon: A Novel of the Russian Empire because I'm interested in all things Russian at the moment. The book was $1.50 and the audio $1.99...."

The price-drop feature is very helpful. You might want to check out Robert Massie's Nicholas and Alexandra. I don't know anything about whether it's in audio form or not, but it's a very good book. I read it years ago and learned a great deal about that part of Russian history. Massie began the research when his own son was diagnosed with hemophilia, so the book covers how that affected Alexandra's life as well as the Tsarevitch's.

Thanks CatBookMom. N and A is on my reread list. I am so old that I read it when it first came out. I've also read his Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman which is available in audio. N and A is only available at Audible as 1 hour abridgment.

I finally started checking Whispersync for books on my Audible Wishlist. Several that I had put in my sale cart turned out to be even cheaper on whispersync. It seems a bit wasteful as I don't plan to read the books, just listen, but of course it's not like it takes up space.

Kathleen wrote: "Thanks CatBookMom. N and A is on my reread list. I am so old that I read it when it first came out. I've also read his Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman which is available in audio. N and A is only available at Audible as 1 hour abridgment."

Yikes. One hour of N&A? I am boggled. That's worthless.

I think I may have read N&A when it came out, too.

Robin wrote: "I finally started checking Whispersync for books on my Audible Wishlist. Several that I had put in my sale cart turned out to be even cheaper on whispersync. It seems a bit wasteful as I don't plan..."

It does seem a bit silly, but when the combo ends up saving you $10 over the price of just the audio, it's totally worth it.

I picked up Patricia Cornwell's Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert narrated by Mary Stuart Masterson for $2.49 for the eBook and $1.99 for audio narration so total of $4.48 sounded like a pretty good price for this one.

MissSusie wrote: "I picked up Patricia Cornwell's Ripper: The Secret Life of Walter Sickert narrated by Mary Stuart Masterson for $2.49 for the eBook and $1.99 for audio narration so total of $4.48 s..."

Thanks for sharing this deal. It's great to see this book is in KU also.

Question for the experts--if I cancel my audible membership, will I still be able to buy whispersync titles? I have quite the audio backlog...

Denise wrote: "Question for the experts--if I cancel my audible membership, will I still be able to buy whispersync titles? I have quite the audio backlog..."

Yes, you can always buy W/S titles. Also, if you have any credits left, you need to ask for an Audible light membership, It's only about ten dollars a year and you get to keep your credits. Otherwise, they'll start to expire and just disappear. Plus with the light membership, you still get to participate in some of the sales.

Kathy wrote: "Denise wrote: "Question for the experts--if I cancel my audible membership, will I still be able to buy whispersync titles? I have quite the audio backlog..."

Yes, you can always buy W/S titles. A..."

Interesting. I think I have Silver right now, but it's about $15 every other month. There's a membership that's lighter than silver??

Thanks for the assistance with the w/s.

Denise wrote: "Kathy wrote: "Denise wrote: "Question for the experts--if I cancel my audible membership, will I still be able to buy whispersync titles? I have quite the audio backlog..."

Yes, you can always buy..."

Yes, just call Audible and tell them you want it; that's the quickest way.

Children of the Fog is 99 cents and the audio is $1.99. This one's in KU. The sale price is on a countdown.

I think Amazon / Audible have jumped the price of whispersync titles up SIGNIFICANTLY, making them not really worth it. I had quite a few in my wishlist that were 1.99 for tha Audio, and they have all jumped to 7.49 now. So add the kindle price, and we are talking a credit cost now.

It is probably good news honestly. Stop mew buying so many books

I just noticed the price jump as well. It makes no sense to do whispersync on half my wish list anymore because it would cost as much as a credit now. Does anyone know or guess why they have made these changes? It's going to make me buy less books that's for sure.

I have no idea why they have decided to up the price on these books and it's not like they pushed the price up by a dollar or two they went from $1.99 to $7.49. That is insane and I am really unhappy about it. I have already dumped a bunch of books off my wish list and I won't be buying anymore of these cheaper books. It's sad because I did find some pretty good books for cheap but if Amazon is going to go and start charging a ton for audiobooks I will just stick with books I know I will enjoy. I feel bad for these independent authors that are trying to get their books read. Amazon just made it a lot harder to sell their books, I mean why would you spend $10.00 on a book you are just going to take a chance on when you could use a credit for a book that you know you will enjoy.
I read over a hundred books a year and if they are going to be jacking the price up on everything I will go back to buying the dead tree version from the local library sales or a local bookstore. I like to listen to books but come on. Maybe they are just trying to see what they can get away with.
If you are reading this Amazon or Audible, give us a break! You will make a lot more money selling these books for $1.99 then you will for $7.49. Why would that be? I have added a bunch of whispersync books for $1.99 but never listened to them, I will not be spending $7.49 for the audio. I will just read the kindle version. It's not worth it and I for one will not spend the money. I might take a chance for a couple buck but if I want to spend $10 I will buy a credit and spend it on a bestseller.

Sterling wrote: "I have no idea why they have decided to up the price on these books and it's not like they pushed the price up by a dollar or two they went from $1.99 to $7.49. That is insane and I am really unhap..."

I agree with you. For $1.99, even on occasion $2.99, I'd take a chance, but not more.

It seems like they're still raising rates, I checked my whispersunc titles yesterday and found that only one whispersync match I really wanted had raised its price, today that number is 4.

I completely agree. I took a LOT of chances on books when I could get the w/s for 1.99 or even 3.47, but I won't be doing that for 7.49. That isn't worth the risk for me. I will stick to my credits and now hold on to them even closer to use on books I know I will listen to over and over. This totally sucks! I am so incredibly disappointed about this.

For years, the authors themselves have complained vehemently about the W/S prices. The deals are great for listeners, but if you're the author and you pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to have a book recorded and that book only sells for $2, you'll probably never see a ROI--though some authors have managed it.

Granted, I probably won't be paying the new prices either, but the authors are finally getting what they've been asking for. I wonder if they'll be surprised to find they're selling a lot less books at the higher price.

I have quite a few books in my Audible WishList with Whispersync prices at $12.99! Authors like Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs series), Jane Harper The Dry, Deborah Crombie (Kincaid/James series).

Maybe for someone who pays $14.95 for a credit, these might be interesting (but only $2, really!), but as a Platinum Annual member, with credits costing $9.56, these are not deals.

With so many new books coming out with prices at $12.99 or $14.99 for the ebook, spending another $13 for the audiobook makes no sense whatsoever.

CatBookMom wrote: "I have quite a few books in my Audible WishList with Whispersync prices at $12.99! Authors like Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs series), Jane Harper The Dry, Deborah Crombie (Kinc..."

Yes, I've noticed the rise in the cost of e-books also. I guess publishers realize readers are hooked on certain authors and will gladly pay the increased prices.

Kathy wrote: "CatBookMom wrote: "I have quite a few books in my Audible WishList with Whispersync prices at $12.99! Authors like Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs series), Jane Harper The Dry, De..."

Given my own personal opinion and this discussion, I think they're wrong.

The fact is I'd never have purchased many of the authors and series if I couldn't get a WS price. Never. If I'm paying full credit, I stick to authors I know or very well recommended books. My wishlist has enough best sellers from fav authors to use my 24 credits a year, by far. Sure they "may" pay thousands for recording, but I look at the say 400 books I bought WS that I would definitely not have purchased full price or for a credit, that is 400 sales they never gotten. So if they thin that without WS they may only lose 10% of their sales they are mistaken. They are more looking at a drastic drop off of probably even on a generous side, 97%. So 100 sales at $2, or 3 sales at $10... Not to mention, I'd never have bought the kindle editions either. I never read them.

As I said in my post above, it is probably a good thing as I can stop getting so many books.

$1.99 to $7.49 is an insane jump though.

SS wrote: "Given my own personal opinion and this discussion, I think they're wrong. ."

Oh, Yes. They are very wrong.

There are only a few authors for whom I will pay $12.99-14.99 for the ebook. Nora Roberts' J. D. Robb pseudonym's Eve Dallas books are nearly the only ones of which I will buy both ebook and audiobook now. Ms. Roberts' standalone books I now only buy *after* I've read them, if I think I'd want to read them again (some, very much yes).

I'd rather read Deborah Crombie's books than take a chance on the audiobook's narrator; they've changed round and I don't care as much.

But then, I'm an Audible subscriber for 10+ years; there aren't a lot of authors for whom I'm filling in the backlist, as I did with Agatha Christie, Lois McMaster Bujold, and a couple of other authors.

I currently still have 19 credits left to use by October. I find it harder and harder to use up those last credits.

I think J.R. Ward's newest book cost $14.99--quite a jump from her highest previous price of $7.99. The W/S deal includes the audio for $12.99. But her fans don't seem to mind the price increase for the e-book, which has over a thousand reviews, and many buyers don't even leave a review.

Personally, I think about $12.99 is high enough for an e-book by bestselling authors who aren't popping out a book every month or so. If they put out a book semiannually or annually, I could see a $14.99 price. But when new books are released every couple of months and they cost over $3.99 or so with an audio at $7.49 and higher, it can get really expensive if you read books or listen to audiobooks with any kind of regularity.

As a generalization, ebook prices usually drop if the book isn't a best seller or after the rush to buy it is over. I own so many books already that I have enough to keep me busy until the price is right for me. Plus my library often has what I want. The only time I will pay over $10 for an eBook is for a book group book.

I don't know if this will do any good but I was so flustered I had to something. Here is an email sent to several authors that I was considering buying their books until now:

I recently added (book X) to my Audible wish list. I want you to know that I won't be buying it any time soon and the reason why. Amazon raised the whispersync prices on your books so that it is no longer less than a cost of an audible credit. Unfortunately the credits I have are usually spent on authors I am more familiar with so I won't be taking a chance on your books unless Amazon changes their mind or your books go on sale.

I guess I don't see where it is the author's job to save me money. The author is usually at the mercy of the publisher. While I'm sorry for myself that many of the ws deals are disappearing, it's not the author's fault. For me it just means that I probably won't be getting the kindle version of the book. But if the audio isn't available at my library and I want to read the book I will still buy it. My "per credit" price is not too much to risk on a new author, especially if I've read reviews and listened to a sample, etc.

I'm married to a wannabe author so maybe I just have a different attitude about this, I dunno.

I am still seeing deals though, so they haven't all gone away.

And I'm also one who will drop $20 on a kindle +ws book that I either want to share with a family member or just "live with" a bit. I just did that with The End of Your Life Book Club. I started listening on Overdrive and liked it so much that I knew I had to own it.

Joy wrote: "I guess I don't see where it is the author's job to save me money. The author is usually at the mercy of the publisher. While I'm sorry for myself that many of the ws deals are disappearing, it's n..."

True but it is the author who suffers if they don't sell. They might have the right motivation to put pressure on the publishers and in turn Amazon.

I think the right thing to have done was to let people know about the price increase in advance. That way, we could have made the authors lots of money by buying up our favorites before the increase. One or two of mine are still available, and I bought them.

Kathy wrote: "I think the right thing to have done was to let people know about the price increase in advance. That way, we could have made the authors lots of money by buying up our favorites before the increas..."

Amazon never does that. Prices there can change in the middle of a transaction. I've had it happen more than once. I'll check the price, click buy, and I get a message that there's a problem with my country of origin. The first few times, that really threw me, but I eventually figured out that the price changed between the time I opened the window and the few seconds it took me to click and buy.

The price increase roll-out seems to be gradual. I didn't get the price increases on my wish list titles until tonight. If you haven't checked your Audible wish list yet and you see "special prices" on whispersync Audible companions you planned to buy that have not shot up to $7.49 you might consider buying them now. I am deleting wish list entries that are no longer being considered at the new higher price structure.

I will go back to dead tree used books and library audio books whenever available for those titles I wish to immersion read if they continue with the new price structure. I'm disappointed that I didn't buy all the whispersync titles in my list as soon as I read about the change, as my Audibles had not gone up in price yet at that time.

Well, I just dumped several WishList books into my Cart and checked out. I also deleted a few books from the WL. I spent 3 credits and $11 on 6 books, the most notable being:

84, Charing Cross Road
Cosmos (the new multi-voice edition)
The Salmon of Doubt


Another notable W-S price hike is on the **Iron Druid** series from Kevin Hearne; these were often below $10 and are now mostly $12.99

The Whispersync price hikes that affect me are on the public domain classics; books that were either free or sold for a trivial sum for Kindle and had a Whispersync price of $1.99 or $2.99 at Audible. Obviously, there is no author involvement here.

I deeply regret not having loaded up my wishlist titles in time; that said, I'm only rarely if ever going to pay $7.49 for them. Either I can get them through OverDrive or I'll listen to something else. I have no idea of what the price elasticity on these books are, but I suspect the classics will languish at least for the time being.

I would have lived with a price jump (and indeed, probably stocked up), but more than doubling the price is a no-go.

This will drastically reduce both my Kindle and Audible purchases. Very disappointing. Looks like I will be listening to more classics on Librivox, too.

I really wish they would have honored the WS price for the kindle versions we've already purchased. That kind of irks me, actually.

There were several kindle books I purchased only because I wanted the inexpensive WS for them. I would buy several kindle books at once and then take my time purchasing the WS for them. And now that option is gone. If I'm going to eye-read a book, my local libraries usually have either the hardcopy or the e-versions.

Add me to the list of people who will definitely be buying a lot fewer books, both Kindle and WS versions. A lot fewer as in: almost none.

I suspect that Audible decided that WS was cutting into their profits too much and want this as a way to force people to keep their subscriptions. Well it's not going to work in my case, because there are almost no audiobooks I "need" to own. Books like the Harry Potter series, or the Discworld ones...ones that hard hard to find on Overdrive, or those that are so popular that you have to wait on hold for ages...ones that I know I will listen to multiple times? *Those* I will happily buy, but in the grand scheme of things there are just not that many of those kind of book, and an enormous amount of books out there on Overdrive that I can listen to instead.

The bulk of my Audible library came from the 'good old days' when you could borrow a kindle version from the library and then purchase the WS version (if we could still do *that*, I wouldn't mind the $7.99 WS price!), and inexpensive kindle versions with inexpensive WS prices that I took a chance on.

I'm lucky that my local public library has a huge Overdrive collection. But even if it didn't, a paid out-of-state membership to the Brooklyn Public or Free Library of Philadelphia can get you access to huge Overdrive collections.

Maybe audiobook aficionados could start banding together and donating money to local libraries rather than spending it at Amazon. :)

Nancy wrote: "The Whispersync price hikes that affect me are on the public domain classics; books that were either free or sold for a trivial sum for Kindle and had a Whispersync price of $1.99 or $2.99 at Audib..."

For classic ebooks in print, I use an app called Megareader. It cost a few dollars originally but it contains all of Project Gutenberg and several other databases. You can download just about any classic you've ever heard of for free, including many in other languages. For free audio, there's Librivox but of course the quality varies. But possibly you could replicate the WhisperSync experience if you wanted to listen and read at the same time.

Audible hasn't updated its "monthly" free Whispersync deal for at least 6 weeks. I wonder whether they are phasing out these deals. Along with the increase in Whispersync prices they seem to be killing the program.

Faith wrote: "Audible hasn't updated its "monthly" free Whispersync deal for at least 6 weeks. I wonder whether they are phasing out these deals. Along with the increase in Whispersync prices they seem to be kil..."

It's not even in the menu on the left anymore on Amazon's whispersync page, which is where I've found it in the past.

I just picked up Silent Child for .99 Kindle/1.99 audible whispersync. Maybe they just aren't announcing them any more as deals.

Janice wrote: "I just picked up Silent Child for .99 Kindle/1.99 audible whispersync. Maybe they just aren't announcing them any more as deals."

But they used to have one free classic each month for both the ebook and the audiobook. I did notice that they have a few free ebooks of classics like Woman in White, Dracula and Emma with a $.99 audiobook.

Ah! Sorry, I was off in la la land apparently.

Janice wrote: "I just picked up Silent Child for .99 Kindle/1.99 audible whispersync. Maybe they just aren't announcing them any more as deals."

Let me know what you think of this story. It's got quite a mix of reviews.