Audiobooks discussion

I saw we were all over the map in terms of how we get our audiobooks, where do you buy an Audiobook when you want to do that?

Personally I'm an Amazon.com guy and tend to buy most of my books/media etc. there.

Audible is having their "paperback" sale. 300 books for $5.95, $8.95, or $12.95.

I posted a short review of Haruki Murakami's "Kafka on the Shore" (audio) here in error, and have transferred it to the right group - apologies.

Lori wrote: "Audible is having their "paperback" sale. 300 books for $5.95, $8.95, or $12.95."

I'm having trouble locating info on this. Do you have a link?

Hi Bluedaizy - go to www.audible.com - there will be a banner at the top dealing with this sale. - Marius

If you go to www.librivox.org you can download audiobooks in the public domain for free. They are read by volunteers, so some of the readings are eh, but some are wonderful!

Lara wrote: "If you go to www.librivox.org you can download audiobooks in the public domain for free. They are read by volunteers, so some of the readings are eh, but some are wonderful!"

Lara - Are there any of these that you can recommend as being very well narrated?

The Picture of Dorian Grey (Gray?) was excellent, and I am currently listening to Jane Eyre, which, so far, sounds even better. These are both solo reads (some are collaborative, and some are solos).

Lara wrote: "The Picture of Dorian Grey (Gray?) was excellent, and I am currently listening to Jane Eyre, which, so far, sounds even better. These are both solo reads (some are collaborative, and some are solos)."

Thanks - will try. I saw a comment on one of the discussion forums on Librivox that "Dombey and Son" (Dickens) is very well narrated, so I'll try that as well.

Lara wrote: "If you go to www.librivox.org you can download audiobooks in the public domain for free. They are read by volunteers, so some of the readings are eh, but some are wonderful!"

Are the audio files compatible with ipods?

Katie wrote: "Lara wrote: "If you go to www.librivox.org you can download audiobooks in the public domain for free. They are read by volunteers, so some of the readings are eh, but some are wonderful!"

Are the ..."

Hi Katie - The answer is yes. Libravox offers various formats, and MP3 is always available. Download these, then import into ITunes - Marius

Are the audio files compatible with ipods?"

Hi Katie!!!

If you search for the book you want, you can choose to download an itunes version. It automatically opens in i-tunes and downloads the first chapter. Then you have to manually download the rest from itunes.

Also, keep in mind, these are all old books!! I would say classics, but they're not all classic.

Hey Lara!

Thanks for the info. The classics are actually what I've been having trouble finding at my library. They either have them only on tape or the CD versions are all scratched up.

Barnes & Noble has some classics on CD for cheap. I get most of mine through interlibrary loan, but also sometimes buy newer ones at Sams Club.

I don't buy audio books because they are way to expensive here in Canada. I get my from the library.

I consider Audible as "buying" a book though technically I suppose it's a lifetime rental. Otherwise, I agree that purchasing CD's can be quite pricey.

I have just joined Audbile and it is WONDERFUL! Highly recommended. I like how it keeps track of what you have already bought, so if/when your computer crashes, you don't have to re-buy them. I check it all the time to see if MAYBE my credits show up early. They never have :(

I don't understand why you have to join anything but a library?! Many now have mp3 chips which are easy to pop into a player that have that feature.(Not an iPod). The best part, it's all free.

Suchin wrote: "I don't understand why you have to join anything but a library?! Many now have mp3 chips which are easy to pop into a player that have that feature.(Not an iPod). The best part, it's all free. "

The library doesn't always have the book I want, or sometimes they only have the abridged version. They are frequently not available for download unless they are really popular. And, we recently had a lot of rain, and the basement of the library flooded. Well over 10,000 books were ruined, one of which was the ONLY COPY of the audiobook I wanted to read next, number 4 of a series. That's when I joined Audible.

If the library doesn't have the book I want, I'll then download onto my IPod from itunes.

Wendy - iTunes typically uses audible to provide it's audio books. If you download them from audible instead of iTunes it's generally a little cheaper - and if you actually JOIN audible, then you get alot of really great deals.

Just last month I got two excellent audiobooks for only $5 each.

And Suchin - unfortunately the library and myself are often not on the same page on what qualifies as excellent listening material. I pay for my library card because they do provide ALOT of good stuff (though frequently the stupid CDs are scratched and you miss parts) but many of the things I REALLY REALLY want are not popular enough for the library to get any audio version of - CD, MP3, or download. So, Audible is my friend. I pay them alot of money, I realize, but it is one of the few services I've ever had, of ANY type (cell phone, TV, New Paper, Dating Service, you name it) that I actually feel is worth the money I pay them. They provide a good product at a reasonable prices with convenience and decent customer service.

Thanks Dacia, I check out audible. To buy an audio book at Chapters, the lowest price I seen was $25.00 + taxes. I don't buy hardcover books as well because they are about the same in price. Too pricey for me.

The audible scheme is a little difficult to really break down, but their books are all priced differently depending on the book. The "regular price" on books can range anywhere from about $10 for short or abridged works to $50 and up. Then, if you're an audible member you get a pretty significant price break on anything you buy with cash. I think it's like 20% on average.

The thing is, buying a membership is like a subscription. You are basically paying $15.00 every month, and for that you get your membership and 1 credit. 1 credit will buy almost any audio book in their collection (though a few really long books require 2 credits). So basically, you can get an audio book that normally would be $30 or $35 for 15 - if you agree to buy 1 every month.

I actually have the "upgraded" plan, where I pay $25 a month (but I have to pay it in a lump sum for the year all at once) I get 2 credits per month, so it works out to basically $12.95 per audio book.

Also, once you have a membership, they run all kinds of great sales and specials. They regularly have $4.99 or $5.99 specials. They'll also have specials where if you buy 3 books within a few days, they give you a $10 or $20 gift certificate. Since I get all my credits up front, and I generally have a good idea of what books I'd like to purchase, I often will wait for the sales or specials in order to "cash in" on all the freebees.

So - while audibe is certainly not "cheap", I do find that it's a very good deal. I don't subscribe to cable in my home, so even with audible I'm actually spending less money than many people do on entertainment - and while my son loves TV, he loves audiobooks too! I've gotten at least 5 free children's audio books while I've been a member of audible, and several others for as low as 99cents.

I buy mine from booksonboard.com, they have a great selection and great prices.

I used to use Audible, but had to cut them out due to finances. So now I just schlep on over to the library and get the Cds, and put them on my ipod.

Liz wrote: "... now I just schlep on over to the library and get the Cds, and put them on my ipod."

I do the same, Liz, but I always feel like I'm committing some kind of copyright infringement. :-\

As long as I listen to a book once, and promptly delete the file, I don't feel guilty at all.

Hello. I've been in this group awhile but haven't posted. I'm a fanatic audible book reader. No-an addicted audible book reader. I haven't really found anything cheaper than audible.com. Th largest subscription they have is for 24 books a year, broken down to a little more than $9.00 a ook. But it's a little like people who play the lottery. I probably buy three subscriptions of 24 books a year from audible. People who win the lottery probably haveput mre into it than they're willing to admit to win. The thing about using audible is that I can download a book instantly. "I want my candy now"! YOu see what I mean.
athleen

Check it www.audiobook4u.com They have good selection and great prices.

Thanks for the tip. I'll look there and see what I find.
KathleenRichard wrote: "Check it www.audiobook4u.com They have good selection and great prices. "

Julie wrote:

I do the same, Liz, but I always feel like I'm committing some kind of copyright infringement. :..."

Nah, it's OK. It is not like you copy it on another CD and sell it. And I delete them anyway when I'm done. :)

I admit I haven't read all the replies, but I've found great prices on amazon.com selling used books. A lot of sellers are libraries trying to clear out their selections and I like that I can still support a library, even if mine doesn't carry the book I want to listen to. Good luck!

I bought a dvd from the amazon market place area and the lady never sent it to me : P and i didnt get my money back either! so if you go to amazon, i would try to buy from amazon and not from the random users/people selling their used ones on there.

booksonboard is nice because there are no membership fees, plans you have to subscribe to, etc. you just pay for what you want, when you want without a monthly charge which is nice.

Amy wrote: "I admit I haven't read all the replies, but I've found great prices on amazon.com selling used books. A lot of sellers are libraries trying to clear out their selections and I like that I can stil..."

I tend to go through and read reviews- I don't purchase from anyone with less than 98% positive or with very few reviews. I would definitely contact Amazon & file an appeal. I've purchased at least 20 times from established sellers without any problems.

From Amazon's help page:
When can a customer submit an A-to-z Guarantee claim?
When customers have a problem with a transaction made through Marketplace Payments by Amazon, we ask them to first contact the seller to give them a chance to address the issue at hand. The customer can file a guarantee claim if the seller does not respond or if the issue is not addressed to the customer's satisfaction. The guarantee claim eligibility window opens at 3 calendar days after the maximum estimated delivery date for the order, or 30 days from the order date, whichever is earlier. Customers may file a guarantee claim up to 90 days from the order date.

How do I know when a claim has been submitted?
When a customer files an A-to-z Guarantee claim, Amazon.com will contact the seller via e-mail. Sellers can also track their A-to-z Guarantee claims online via the "A-to-z Guarantee Claims" link in their Seller Account. We encourage sellers to regularly check their Seller Accounts to be sure they are aware of all A-to-z Guarantee claims filed against them, even if they miss an e-mail message sent to them regarding a claim.

What happens after the customer submits an A-to-z Guarantee claim?
After receiving notification a claim has been filed, sellers have a prescribed number of days to respond to Amazon.com, but the sooner the better. It is very important for sellers to respond immediately and explain what happened with the order as part of this process involves assessing whether the seller is accountable for the problem.

Sellers can also go to the "A-to-z Guarantee Claims" link in their Seller Account to respond to claims. Amazon.com encourages sellers to check their Seller Accounts regularly to track and respond to A-to-z Guarantee claims.

In some cases Amazon.com may initiate a reimbursement to the customer while still working through the claim investigation with the seller. Sellers will know when this is the case because the claim status in the A-to-z Guarantee Claims page will be displayed as "granted" but the claim details will indicate that it is still under investigation. Even in these cases it is still important for the seller to respond to the guarantee claim e-mail, as Amazon.com reserves the right to recover reimbursed claim funds from sellers that are deemed responsible for the claims.

Yeah I wrote them a complaint and they gave me a coupon but not the full price back. It was a few years ago though so maybe they have changed and made their policy better.

FYI, Audible is have their semi-annual half price sale.

Most of my audiobooks come from the library as I really don't plan on listening to the book more than once. Plus, the price (free) is really nice! :D I do have an Audible membership to buy the books I do want to keep or to get a book that the library doesn't have.

I only listen to audio books from the library. They are very expensive here in Canada. I won't buy hardcover books because they are also very expensive and audio books cost more hardcover books, so I get both from the library. I must so though it is frustrating when you can't get the audio book you want sometimes.

I also download audio books from iTunes. They average from $25 to $10 depending on the book.

Wendy - at first I read that as "$25 to $100" and nearly fainted! (usually the lower number comes first)

John wrote: "Wendy - at first I read that as "$25 to $100" and nearly fainted! (usually the lower number comes first)"

Sorry! didn't mean to have you almost faint. LOL

i download them from the library only. I would not know where to buy them i am new to the group and looking forward to seeing where you all get them from.

I LOVE Audible.com and purchase several books a month from there. It is the best... great prices and an enormous selection.

Wanted to let everyone know that Audible has their "First in a Series" sale for $4.95 each. Unfortunately I've already listened to the ones that I was interested in.

My library has two places I can download audiobooks. One is listed on their website and I found the other site on a brochure by the library front desk. Between them both and the actual library, I have been lucky to find almost everything I want. Also I have never requested my library purchase anything before, but I just emailed my library Friday requesting they purchase The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and the sequel and they called me yesterday and told me they ordered both! Libraries are great!

I love audible's sales. I was able to pick up a book I'd been wanting for under $5. Since the library only caries alot of the books I want on cassetts (or not at all), I am still addicted to audible.

Also, there were a couple of awesome titles on the "First of" sale that I'd already read. I recomend "The Colour of Magic" by Terry Pratchett, and "The Memory of Earth" by Orson Scott Card. The Pratchett book is funny (though far from the best in the series) and the Card book is some of his best character development ever.

I'm hoping this is a cause for celebration. My library just posted a notice that they are switching to Ingram myilibrary audio in a few weeks. When I checked Ingram's website, it says:
Featuring a user-friendly interface that is both PC and Mac compatible, 100% of our titles are downloadable and playable via iPod and iPhone—in addition to hundreds of MP3 devices.

I'm hoping this will work with my Zune and, if not, definitely with my old iPod. Do any of the rest of you have this service with your library?

I am a goldmember on Audible so that's from where i get most of my audiobooks.

I get my audiobooks from the library via download for two weeks. They seem to have most everything that I am looking for although occasionally I may need to put a hold on something.