So, now that we all know how great audio books are, let’s talk about my favorite place to get them: online. Now of course, you can get audio books on cd, and there is nothing wrong with that. Some people even prefer it as they have a physical product to show for their purchase. But what I like about getting audio books online is that it’s fast, you have a much bigger selection, and most services give you unlimited downloads of the product. So, for example, when your kids find your audio book cds lying around and decide to use them as frisbees, you are hooped. You’ll never have that problem with an audio book though. Dropped your iPod in the toilet? No problem! Download a new copy and put it on your new iPod! (unfortunately, you can’t download a new iPod. I tried, but couldn’t get it to work)
There are a lot of great online sources for audio books. My absolute favorite is Audible.com. They’ve been around for quite awhile and have an excellent library. They also have a good introductory offer for only $7.49 a month for 3 months, and $14.95 after that. That gets you the “gold” plan, which gives you 1 credit per month (1 credit equals 1 book, except in a few rare cases). You can also opt for the “platinum” plan which gets you 2 credits per month at $22.95 per month. The only downside to audible is that they use their own proprietary format rather than mp3s, so you’ll have to make sure your device is compatible (they’ve got most of them covered). However, the format is actually quite good, and the files are a fraction of a size of a similar length mp3.
Another great service is simplyaudiobooks.ca. They are a little unique in that they have 2 types of memberships: a rental membership where they send you physical cds that you rent from them, or a download membership that allows you to download mp3 or wma files. The rental plan is as low as $15 per month, and the download plan as low as $13 per month. They also offer a free trial of the rental plan, which is a great way to try them out. While they do not have as many titles as audible.com, they still have a very good selection and carry most of the books you are likely looking for. If you prefer mp3 format, they are a good alternative.
Both options are a great source of online audio books. You’ll find a lot of value from either one. Happy reading…er listening!
