Audiobooks discussion

Hello everyone, I'm currently conducting research into the influence of online communities on the selection and consumption of audiobooks. I'm interested in your personal experiences and how this community has shaped your audiobook selection and consumption. What factors in this community (discussions, recommendations, reviews, etc.) have influenced your decision to select and consume an audiobook?

I stopped listening to the radio as I drive about ten years ago, and switched to audiobooks instead. I found that I could consume a lot more than I would have thought possible even in ten minute chunks on small errands. Because of this, I am always looking for a good audiobook.

I'm in quite a few groups here on GR and so "listen" when people say an audiobook is especially enjoyable. I find that the reader is sometimes more important than the actual story, so I usually search for books read by certain narrators, as opposed to title/author.

A group on GR led me to ChirpBooks where I buy about one a week. I only purchase books on deep discount, and still use Overdrive, Libby and Hoopla to round out my listening.

I too belong to quite a few groups besides this one so while I like it here I don’t get most of my recommendations from here. I have multiple sources. When I decide on a book to read I acquire both the print book and the audiobook usually by borrowing them or through a subscription service. I start out doing an immersive read (listening and also following the text). Once the characters and plot are anchored in my mind I decide whether to continue in print or in audio. Lots of factors come into play….the complexity of the story, number of characters I need to follow, ethnicity and accents, the time I have to devote to just reading print. Sometimes I continue with both by going back and forth but most of the time I find that one format is better suited to the other for a particular story. I know this probably doesn’t answer your question so feel free to ask questions. I can go more into recommendation sources if you like.

This group is the main site I use for recommendations from other readers. I do get emails from Audible and other providers. But I am influenced when someone like our moderator John likes a book because we have enjoyed many of the same ones.

When I hear about new books in general, I will look them up on both Goodreads and Audible to see reviews by readers. On Audible, it's often the negative reviews that influence me, if they say the narrator was poor, I will read the book in print. Most audio providers let you listen to a sample and I use that. Sometimes I detest the tone or pace or style of the narrator in just a 5-minute sample.

Robin P. expressed my own experiences well.

This group has been important for me in being exposed to books I might not have even looked at without a group member's recommendation. Over time, I've discovered that if certain members like a book, I most likely will also, but a sufficient number of positive comments will at least make me check out a book--The Martian was the most notable among that type of book.

More and more I follow narrators as much as authors and get new books because of them as long as the content isn't too far out of my interest zone.

Ratings on Audible and GR definitely influence me and, like Robin, the lower reviews can provide the best information... not always the kind that scares me off reading but rather makes me decide in favor of the book.

I agree with Jeanie about the narrator making a difference.