I've had 8 of my romance novels produced as audiobooks. (See Joan Reeves on Audible. You'll see my audiobook list at the end of this post.) In the process, I've learned something about how to get the most bang for your bucks when buying audiobooks.
In one word, the best buy comes from Audible because they offer a great membership plan.
Note: Leave a comment with your email on this post and be entered in the April Swag Bag Giveaway which includes an audiobook.
To Get Most for Your Dollar, Join Audible
Audible offers several introductory offers for membership. Click here to Try Audible Now and Get A FREE Audiobook!
. When the Audible membership fee goes to regular price, that's only $14.95 a month. Each month on the basic plan, you get 1 credit per month. If you don't spend the credit, it rolls over. For 1 credit, you can buy any audiobook, regardless of retail price. Now that's a deal!Plus, there are special sales for members throughout the year--sales like BOGO or $4.99 or less sale prices. I stock up during the sales.
There are alternatives to paying high retail prices for audiobooks. I'm sure there are other audiobook sites with membership fees, but I'm most familiar with Audible which also offers another benefit to readers.
WhisperSync
Another benefit to Audible membership is WhisperSync. You can get the Kindle ebook edition of the audiobook you purchased for a reduced rate and switch back and forth between reading the Kindle book edition and listening to the Audible audiobook. It will sync to the farthest read point automatically.
You can check the ebooks in your Kindle library to see if they're WhisperSync enabled. Although all of mine are available through WhisperSync, not all Kindle books are. Learn more about WhisperSync here.
With Audible, you can download a book in just about any format so you can play it on your iPod or MP3 player, your Smartphone, computer, or even burn a CD and play it in your car or home if you're still listening to CDs.
Audiobooks Embraced
The popularity of audiobooks is growing by leaps and bounds. If you read my post last year about library circulation statistics for audiobooks and ebooks, you saw the staggering increase in audiobooks. In retail sales, there was a 20% increase from 2011 to 2012 even as all book sales declined during that same period.
Once audiobooks were enjoyed mostly by the blind. In today's world, audiobooks have risen in popularity because they make books accessible to anyone--people who love to read and people who are marginal readers. Plus, you can "read" an audiobook while traveling, commuting, working out at the gym, cleaning house, or weeding a flower bed.
Save Time & Still Be Literate
Time is at such a premium in today's world that readers often don't have the time to devote to their passion. Being able to listen to an audiobook allows readers to indulge their love of books. Audio books can take away the tedium of commuting, traveling, mundane chores and tasks, and entertain you all at the same time. When chitchat at a social gathering turns to the bestsellers, audiobook listeners can hold their own.
Takeaway Truth
About 5 years ago, a little more than 4,600 audiobooks were released. Fast forward a couple of years, and the audiobook releases increased to more than 13,000. It's only going to keep growing which is very good news for authors--and readers too.
Remember: Leave a comment with your email on this post and be entered in the April Swag Bag Giveaway which includes an audiobook.
Joan's Audiobooks
Jane (I'm Still Single) Jones
Just One Look
Nobody's Cinderella
Old Enough to Know Better
Romeo and Judy Anne
Scents and Sensuality
Still The One
The Trouble With Love
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