Audiobooks discussion

It would be neat to have a group read given we each get one credit every month, those of us who make a choice each month could each list the books on our wish list and pick books for group (or simply partner) reads based on that. I've starred the books at the top of my list.

Here are mine:

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President
*Ready Player One
A Prayer of Owen Meany
Watership Down
*The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
Gone With The Wind
Einstein: His Life and Universe

Anyone else have one of these books on their list? If not, what's on your wish list?

Mine are

Meljean Brooks' Iron Duke books
Some of Anne Tyler's books
and Stacia Kane's Unholy Ghosts series

What is Audible Gold?

Their membership where you get one credit each month to use on an audiobook. I love it because it forces me to choose a new book each month and to complete one within that timeframe.

I'll download a new book from a series until it's finished and then I'll listen to them in a row. I did that with series. Really enjoyed it.

A couple on my list are:
Divergent
And the series that includes these books:
City of Bones
City of Glass
City of Ashes

I've wanted to listen to those too Kirsten.

Chris wrote: "Their membership where you get one credit each month to use on an audiobook. I love it because it forces me to choose a new book each month and to complete one within that timeframe."

I am a new Gold member, but I think you can roll the credits over. They need not be taken every month! Somebody, please correct me if I am wrong!

I thought they rolled over too, but I like the idea of adding incentive to get reading/listening more books by saying I have to read this in a month. This is especially useful since I already have far too many hardcopy books that are in my "to-read" pile that I don't need to start piling up a collection of "to-listen-to" books as well! lol

Kirsten, I understand completely. I have mountains of books "to-read"! Still, since I just joined Audible it is good to know the rules. Thank you for confirming the credit roll over possibility. Isn't there a limit to the number of credits you can save? What is that limit, if you know of it?

I like to roll them over and add to a series all at once. There is a limit.

Membership Plan Description:
AudibleListener® Platinum Membership - Monthly: $22.95 a month.
Receive 2 credits each month.
Save 30% on all audiobooks purchased without credits.
Roll over up to 12 credits.
Get a free audio subscription to The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal.
Enjoy complimentary titles and samples on our Free for Members page.

Shirloey, I only have one credit per month. The roll over limit must be less....

Chrissie wrote: "Shirloey, I only have one credit per month. The roll over limit must be less...."

Monthly plans allow up to 6 rollover credits, annual plans allow up to 12 rollover credits

I think I may have missed something... Is "audible" a website or something you join to purchase audio books? I'm guessing, within the site there are various tiers of membership at different price points.

I appreciate everyone's patience and feedback. I'm new to this Goodreads group and have not ever experienced online audio purchasing.

Audible.com is a site and they have tiers of membership. Credits once purchased reduce the price of audible selections.

Chrissie wrote: "Chris wrote: "Their membership where you get one credit each month to use on an audiobook. I love it because it forces me to choose a new book each month and to complete one within that timeframe."..."

Two credits per month plan, though you pay more, makes books considerably cheaper.

Thanks, Shirley! I'll check it out.

Shirley, I must have the monthly plan since I can quit any time - right?

John, I guess I should switch over to the two credit plan. I wish I could find a place where the different contracts are specified.

Working with Audible from Europe has not been easy. They also double charged me the first month. Neither can I send them emails on their question screen. No button to send with. They have not responded with an email that I can send questions to! I still am happy I am a member. Their selection is so large. And the costs are considerably lowered through their plans.

An annual plan, as I understand it, means you buy a batch of credits up front (12 or 24), giving you one year to use them, with any unused ones expiring at that time. So, if you bought 24 and used only 23, you would start over with 24 again, not 25, one year later.

In the States, the two credit monthly option lowers the cost from roughly $17 per book to $11 ($22/month billed). Be aware that there are a few books that cost two credits each, but that's fairly rare.

On the right hand side of the main page, click on the word HELP, which brings you to a screen with a box to enter keywords. Type PLAN in that box and you'll get to the available plan choices are the first option in a menu. I see customer service is now 24/7 for telephoning now if that's easier. Sending emails is a pain, as though they were trying to discourage doing so.

John, thank you for your clear information. I will go check it out.

The only reason I avoid calling is that I had a long distance phone call from Belgium to the US and it took them more than two hours to solve the problem. But it works now. :0)

Silly question... If you're using Audible, how do you listen to the books? Do you download them to your computer and only listen from there? Is there an option to transfer to an audio player (iPod, MP3, etc.) so you can listen away from your computer as well?

Krista wrote: "Silly question... If you're using Audible, how do you listen to the books? Do you download them to your computer and only listen from there? Is there an option to transfer to an audio player (iP..."

I listen to them on my computer but there are options to transfer to a portable device. I share them with my sister in Tennessee. Much cheaper than mailing books to her.

You install Audible manager software on your computer, which you use to transfer books to your device. It is also possible to transfer books via Windows Media Player as well, which I do if I prefer different cover art.

Thanks, Shirley and John. Depending on what Santa leaves under my tree this year, I may be requesting an Audible.com membership for my birthday! :o)

I definitely asked for an extension on my membership for Christmas! :P

I listen to all my Audiobooks on my Ipod as I can plug it straight into my car speakers and listen to them them I commute back and forth for school/work.

Kirsten - That's genius! Now that I think of it, my vehicle has that capability as well. I could load the books to my iPod and then have them with me all the time. I can listen to them while in the car (which is usually when I listen) but could also use it as motivation to start taking loooooong walks. :o)

I tend to listen either on mass transit (helping to cut out the conversations around me in which I have no interest), or at night before falling asleep.

I used to try to listen at night before falling asleep but then I would fall asleep and it would keep going and I'd have to rewind to see wherever I last remember hearing it.. oops

Some players have sleep timers, but I've never really had that problem. In the old days with cassette players I would, but it was easy enough to rewind back to where I remembered the plot.

Yea, the iOS app is awesome, though it does glitch every once in a while. I use the sleep timer all the time, came in real handy when I listened to 11-22-63.

John, I took your advice and upped to Platinum when I realized that finishing Ready Player One in just a few days meant I needed at least another book to finish out the month. Because my previous book had been a 30 hr that was slow-going, I thought one book a month would be just about right.

In reality, most audible books are around 15 hrs, and I'm sure that, just as with a regular book, if they're engaging, then they're incredibly hard to turn off.

The one I'm listening to right now (The Snack Thief) is six hours; I find my average book to be 10 hours or so. One credit a month, at $17, makes the credit more expensive than many member-priced books, esp at sale times.

That's a rather economical way of looking at it, John. What I'm curious about is how they make money if you only pick long books (11-22-63, the company, a biography of cancer) that go for way, way more than $11.

I'm still trying to figure out the two credit deal. I think, and this is just supposition, that some books are so time sensitive (OMG, the New HP book came out, I MUST have it NOW) that people will pay two credits for them.

Other than that, it seems any books over 40 hrs (Cryptonomicon, for example) is two credits.

I think they make money on the folks who actually shell out cash for books, and the ones who use a credit for books that retail for less than they spent (for the credit).

I should mention that my current book is a library book - I wouldn't use a credit on a something under 8 hours or so.

I picked up some really great books in the first $4.95 sale that were over 30 hours.
I keep my audible book library listed on Goodreads as aa.
I never mind waiting for a price to go down because I have many others in the tbr shelves.

John wrote: "I think they make money on the folks who actually shell out cash for books, and the ones who use a credit for books that retail for less than they spent (for the credit).

I should mention that my I should mention that my current book is a library book - I wouldn't use a credit on a something under 8 hours or so. "

So it's a book on CD?

No, my library has a slew of downloadable books.

So, the three books on my top TBR list, does your library have any of these?
The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer
The Company: A Novel of the CIA
Destiny of the Republic

Destiny -- downloadable
Emperor -- on CD
Company -- print only

What library do you belong to? (Wants to join)

Seattle -- I believe we are restricted to in-state residents only.

John, did you purchase the Snack Thief (because it's less than the cost of a credit)?

The Company: A Novel of the CIA by Robert Littell Scott Brick (Performer)
was $4.95 in September's sale on Audible.

Chris wrote: "John, did you purchase the Snack Thief (because it's less than the cost of a credit)?"

It's a library book. The last book I "purchased" from Audible was Ghost Hero, using my $10 credit.

$10 credit?

Yes -- the Autumn offer of $10 for buying four books (of $14.95 minimum) with cash and/or credits.

Am I the only one who does the annual audible plan? I buy 24 credits up front for $230 - around $9.60 a book. The membership then lasts a year but you can "roll over" up to 12 credits to the next year. If you decide not to renew your annual membership the next year you can rollover your credits to any of their other types of plans. (Including, last time I checked - a $10 plan that comes with no credits but just lets you hang on to the credits you have on rollover for another year). Is there some upside that the monthly plans have over the annual ones that I've missed? (Apart from stopping me from spending half my credits by the time I'm three months into my "annual" plan?)

Since I have all of my credits banked, I try to use them in chunks during those "buy four and get $10" promotions that they have fairly regularly and then use the $10 credits to buy cheaper books (kids books for my daughter mostly) with the $10 credits.

Shirley - Question for you. How do you share your Audible downloads with your sister? If a friend and I both have Audible.com memberships and/or downloaded audible files, can we share them between the two of us? Would we be able to listen to them at the same time?

For instance, if we were going to do Game of Thrones as a book club read and she had the files, would she be able to share them with me? Would be both be able to listen to them on separate devices?

I have the audible app on my iThing as does my husband, we share the same audible account. As fas as I can tell there's no limit to how many devices log into the same account. He and I take it in turns to share credits. We take advantage of the $4.95 sales too, so I always have a backlog to read.

To answer your question Chris, yesterday I bought book 1 in the Regeneration trilogy by Pat Barker. It's pretty short - only 7 or so hours, but what I felt like listening to.

My wish list is:
Bereft by Chris Womersley (Aus book shortlisted for our big lit award last year)
The Children's Book (but at 30 hours I am not sure I can go there)
Death Comes to Pemberley (but everyone says it's crap)
The Lieutenant by Kate Grenville (but I have Sarah Thornhill to read in paper form and might finish that first).

Krista of the Many Sparkles and and Shimmies wrote: "Shirley - Question for you. How do you share your Audible downloads with your sister? If a friend and I both have Audible.com memberships and/or downloaded audible files, can we share them betwee..."

I trust my sister with my account information. Audible said this was ok to do. She downloads to her computer as I do.

Thank you, Shirley. I appreciate your response and the explanation. A friend and I just recently both signed up for Audible.com and were trying to figure out if sharing was possible. Again, thank you for sharing your story. :o)