The other day I was listening to my audiobook while making food for myself. I realized that our ancestors would have never imagined that one can also listen to a book! And above all, that it can be so easy to adapt this technology in daily life.
I think half of the credit for this transformation in the reading habits should go to Amazon. It feels like Amazon is on the long march of making world careen towards the books. Be it eBooks or audiobooks; Amazon knows what exactly a reader might need with a certain way of reading.
So, in this post, I will be discussing the largest seller and producer of the audiobooks. Yeah, you guessed it right! We will be talking (more of acknowledging its existence) about Amazon Audible and know the titbits of its working and the features.
Contents
How Does Audible Work?
Actually, Audible works on the monthly paid subscription but there’s a 30-day free trial, and I started with that only (because why not!).
All you have to do is signup as an Audible member and opt for the free trial. As soon as you do that, you will be offered with two free audiobooks and a credit in your audible account which you can use to buy any audiobook.
But, if you want to continue, you need to opt for a suitable membership plan once your trial period is over.
The membership plans of Audible are a bit confusing, but, thanks to this website which helped me choose one.
I will explain about these membership plans later in this post. Let me first tell you what privileges you can enjoy as an Audible member.
Source: lifewire
Perks of Having an Audible Membership
• Being the member of the Amazon Audible, you will get 30% off on the audiobooks.
• Secondly, you can exchange the book in return for any other book or either credit/money in whichever form you have paid for it.
• You can listen to the Audible Originals which are exclusively available only on audible.
• Also, you will be granted credits as per your monthly/yearly plan.
• You can get access to premium podcasts with the audible membership.
• Last but not the least; you can have rolled over credits according to your selected audible plan.
I know reading these benefits are intriguing, and you seem more excited to know the Audible membership plans.
Available Plans on Amazon Audible
This is the tricky part! So read carefully if you want to save some bucks.
So there are two types of membership plans – Gold and Platinum. And you can buy them either on a monthly basis or yearly basis as per the costs mentioned above.
Before you choose, I want you to understand the difference between these plans clearly.
- Gold membership of Audible gives you one credit per month with five rolls over credits while Platinum membership gives you two times these credits as well as rollover credits.
- If you opt to buy annually, Gold membership offers 12 credits while Platinum membership holders get 24 credits per year.
There are two more membership plans; first is the secret Silver Membership (‘secret’ because it is not advertised anywhere and is less known) and Audible Student Membership (only for the students). I personally find these membership plans more cost-effective than the other two.
Apart from the membership, there are few more things that you need to know about Audible and its audiobooks.
Source: techcrunch
Audible App Does It All!
Audible has its own app which helps you to listen to audiobooks anywhere and anytime. Using the app is really very easy with the simple UI and amazing features that will make your experience much better.
The Audible app is available on Android as well as iOS so you can enjoy audiobooks no matter which smartphone you are using.
Before I move to my final verdict, here are the things that I liked and disliked about the Audible.
What I liked about the Audible
- There’s umpteen collection of audiobooks from almost all the genres.
- You can manage your library full of audiobooks by just one click.
- The audible app allows you to download audiobooks which you can access both online and offline.
- You can control the speed of the narration and many other powerful in-app options.
- Even after canceling your membership, you can keep your audiobooks with you forever.
What I didn’t like about the Audible
- It is not possible to purchase additional Audible credits.
- Audiobook reviews on Audible should also talk about the narration style rather than just the book plot.
Source: slickdeals
The Final Opinion
After using Audible for over three months now, I have enjoyed listening to 7 audiobooks and currently listening to Robin Sharma’s latest book, 5 AM Club.
In my opinion, Audible is a good option if you are a frequent traveler or love to listen to something good before sleep (that’s what I do). It is a more convenient way of getting into a book without having to sit for hours to read.
If you’re a booklover and want to try Audible for a change, you won’t be disappointed at all. Still, reading a real book in something I always prefer.
