Audiobooks which let you multitask, are a great way to listen to books while driving long distances, walking the dog, or laying on the beach. And certainly, a wonderful way for blind people to easily enjoy books.
Audiobooks can be listened to on an iPod or iPhone/SmartPhone or MP3 player, even on most e-readers such as Kindle and Nook or your laptop. If you’ve never tried an audiobook, give it a go. You may be pleasantly surprised! Or maybe get addicted. Here is where you can find audiobooks:
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Libraries
Let’s start with free audiobooks at your local library. Having a library card allows you to borrow an audiobook for free, but also via the Overdrive and Hoopla apps (both are library suppliers). These digital files are on loan from the library, and you eventually have to return them, so someone else can check them out.
To get started, borrow an audiobook that's available in the OverDrive Listen format or Hoopla Digital from your library. Due to the distribution rights of publishers, libraries have a finite number of digital audiobook files they can lend to their users at any one time.
https://help.overdrive.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1529341
https://www.hoopladigital.com/
This is one of the downsides of using a free library service – if one of the titles you want to listen to is currently being used by another patron, you end up on the waiting list. You have to order them again or you may want to invest in a paid subscription.
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Kobo Audiobooks
$9.99 USD/month, £6.99 or CAD12.99 after a 30 day trial period - including a FREE audiobook. You can cancel anytime. Get one credit per month after trial, good for an audiobook of your choice regardless of price - choose from well over 100,000 titles. Keep all your audiobooks forever, even if you cancel
Currently, audiobooks in English and French are available to Kobo customers living in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Audiobooks from Kobo are in MP3 or MP4 format.
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/audiobooks
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Apple Books
They have a large selection, especially of popular audiobooks. Apple Books has about as many titles and popular books as Audible. However, you do have to purchase them. There isn't a membership program. Everything you need is in the Apple Books app. You can search for, download, and sync audiobooks. Be aware that their online pricing might change from day to day.
To browse audiobooks, open the Apple Books app and tap the Audiobooks, tab at the bottom of the screen. Explore new, featured, and trending audiobooks, or tap the Browse button at the top of the screen to see all genres and book store sections.
https://support.apple.com/en-ca/HT208929
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NOOK Audiobooks
Everyone can listen with the free NOOK Audiobooks app. One of the most popular apps, it’s free to install and use on most phones and tablets. Get it for your iPhone, iPad, or Android phone or tablet. And don’t miss the "Daily Find".
https://www.nookaudiobooks.com/
Hibooks
A library of more than 100.000 Audiobooks. Listen to over 5,000 titles - unlimited. Use coins to unlock additional titles. Try for free for three days.
https://www.hibooks.com/
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Chapters-Indigo Canada
Find bestselling audiobooks from such authors as John Grisham, Michelle Obama, David Baldacci, Stuart Mclean, Bob Woodward, or James Patterson at their website or in one of their many stores all over Canada.
https://www.chapters.indigo.ca/en-ca/books/audiobooks/
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Audiobooks
More than 125,000 incredible audiobooks will take you anywhere you want to go. Get your first audiobook for free! Once you've finished your free trial, you'll enjoy one audiobook every month for $14.95 (USD). If one book just isn't enough, you can buy additional credits at any time. Download or stream audiobooks on your smartphone or tablet with their free apps for iOS and Android.
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Audio Books Now
Choose one bestseller premium audiobook for free with activation of the Club Pricing Plan 30 day free trial. Club Pricing is a great way to save money on all your audiobook purchases. With their monthly Club Plan, you'll get the first audiobook you purchase each month at 50% off, then you will receive the normal Club Price (35-40% off). And, if you do not use your 50% discount, it automatically rolls over to the next month. You can cancel your monthly Club Plan at any time.
https://www.audiobooksnow.com/
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Scribd
You get more media options for less money (only $8.99) than with Audible – the membership also includes access to eBooks, magazines, sheet music, and documents. Read free for 30 days.
After you spend your credits for the month, you can’t make additional purchases on the site. It’s a good option for listeners who don’t get through more than one audiobook a month.
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Playster
Playster’s monthly membership includes unlimited streaming and digital downloads, making it the best option if you listen to more than one book each month. Similar to the Netflix model, you get access to a library of eBooks, games, music, movies, and audiobooks, and you can use everything as much as you want, but you also lose access to it all when you cancel your membership.
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Audiobookstore
Add your first audiobook to the cart by choosing the $7.95 FlexPass Price. .This covers the cost of your first audiobook AND your first month of FlexPass™ membership. Once enrolled, enjoy instant FlexPass™ savings on every audiobook you purchase (90% are priced at or below $12.95). Buy as many audiobooks as you desire, as often as you like. Head to the Apple App Store or Google Play and download our app, or listen on your computer.
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Libro.fm
Why Choose Libro.fm? It is the first audiobook company to make it possible for you to buy audiobooks directly through your local bookstore. Over 100,000 audiobooks to choose from. The first month is free!
$14.99 (USD) monthly fee (one audiobook per month)
30% off additional audiobooks and gifted audiobooks.
Get a free iOS and Android App. Your membership credits never expire.
Every purchase supports independent bookstores
Their audiobooks are DRM-Free (listen on multiple devices) Get recommendations from independent booksellers. Libro pays a fair rate to publishers and authors
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Audible
Audible is a good choice if you listen to your favorite audiobooks over and over. This popular audiobook membership (with more than 300,000 titles) costs $14.95 per month. The first book is free. It’s the best subscription service for its price, as long as you don’t listen to more than one or two audiobooks a month. Audible also has a plan that comes with two credits a month for only $11.48 per credit. While other audiobook subscription sites only allow you to borrow books, the ones you download on Audible are yours to keep. Even if you cancel your membership, you can still access your books on the app. And if you don’t like a book - just swap it for free!
Audible Silver Plan
While you can buy audiobooks from Audible outright, the service also offers a subscription that costs $15/month. With it, you get one credit for a free book each month. If you listen to a lot of audiobooks, that might be a good deal. However, if you can stretch a single audiobook out over more than a month, then you can save a bit of money. Audible has a hidden Silver plan that costs $15 every two months, instead of every month. You still only get one free credit every time your subscription renews, but if six books a year is enough for you, then it’s a no-brainer.
The catch is, Audible doesn’t advertise the Silver plan. You can’t even sign up for it without asking for it. If you want Audible Silver, head to this support link. In the first section, select My Account. In the second section choose “Change or cancel my membership” for the first drop-down, then “Upgrade/downgrade my membership” from the second drop-down. This will help make sure you reach the right person. You can then contact Audible by chat, phone, or email there..\
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Conclusion:
Audiobook services with memberships, such as Audible, Kobo, and Playster are valuable for avid audiobook readers, but Barnes & Noble’s Nook audiobooks might be the cheapest retail alternative for infrequent listeners. Last but not least: make sure that whatever platform you choose is compatible with your computer, smartphone, or tablet’s operating system.
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How to Find Free Audio Books
Audible Free Trial Details
Get an audiobook of your choice, free with a 30-day trial. After the trial, your paid membership will begin at $14.95 per month. With your membership, you will receive one credit every month, good for any audiobook on Audible. Choose from more than 150,000 titles and exchange any book you don’t like - no questions asked.
Cancel anytime, effective the next monthly billing cycle. Cancel before your trial ends and you will not be charged. Check out the full terms and policies that apply to Audible membership. Even if you opt-out of the trial, you still get to keep the Audible free audiobook. Or keep going, it’s all up to you. To get started click here:
http://www.audible.com/
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OpenCulture Free Audiobooks
Download hundreds of free audiobooks, mostly classics, to your MP3 player or computer. Below, you'll find great works of fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, by such authors as Twain, Tolstoy, Hemingway, Orwell, Vonnegut, Nietzsche, Austen, Shakespeare, Asimov, HG Wells & more.
http://www.openculture.com/freeaudiobooks
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LibriVox
Do you like to listen to audiobooks while driving or jogging? LibriVox offers thousands of free public-domain audiobooks, even classics or out-of-print books.
https://librivox.org/
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Internet Archive
If you need access to historical and academic books, the Internet Archive, a non-profit digital library is a great source. 17,737 audiobooks are available in different languages and formats.
https://archive.org/details/audio
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Loyal Books
Loyal Books shares free audiobooks from titles in the public domain. Enjoy these free audiobooks and use the share button on LoyalBooks.com to tell your friends about all these great public domain audiobooks.
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Open Culture
At Open Culture you will not only find the open domain classics, but also stories by James Baldwin, Ray Bradbury, and Virginia Woolf. Or poetry by Maya Angelou and Charles Bukowski.
What’s more? Get 1,300 free online courses from the world's leading universities -- Stanford, Yale, MIT, Harvard, Berkeley, Oxford, and more. You can download these audio & video courses (often from iTunes, YouTube, or university websites) straight to your computer or mp3 player.
http://www.openculture.com/freeaudiobooks
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Audiobook Rentals
First car rentals, then movie rentals, now digital audiobook rentals!
- Save up to 70% off retail pricing
- Get 30-60 days to complete an audiobook
- Free up space on your device
- Choose from thousands of titles and listen on your mobile device.
https://www.downpour.com/rentals/
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I hope this extensive list of audiobook suppliers - free, rented, or as a subscription model - gives you lots of incentives to listen to audiobooks. Enjoy!
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