A question: do you use Audible, and if so what do you think of it?
As far as I understand it the basic membership fee entitles you to one book a month, regardless of cover price, and the book can be 'read' on any number of computers or devices, so does that mean that Mr. C. and I can share books, i.e. by signing into the account he could listen on his phone and I on mine? And what if one of us has read further than the other - would that cause a difficulty?
I am quite clueless about all this so any help you can give would be much appreciated.
I have been happy with my Audible subscription. I listen and switch between an iPad, a mini-iPad and a phone without any problem. I don’t know if you and Mr C could listen simultaneously but you could certainly listen to the same book at different times on different devices. If you are sharing the same book, it could get a little tricky, but I guess you could use the bookmark function — Mrs C listens to Chapter 1, bookmarks her place, Mr C goes to beginning and listens to half of Chapter 1, bookmarks his place, Mrs C goes to her bookmark and continues, etc. BTW, there is a small selection of books members can read without buying — so even when you start, you have access to more than one book. Hope this is helpful.
Posted by: Reader Lane | 19 December 2019 at 12:51 PM
Actually, it looks like that small selection of free books to listen to has been removed. Too bad. Now they give you two free “Audible originals” each month so maybe that’s why that nice feature was dropped.
Posted by: Reader Lane | 19 December 2019 at 12:57 PM
Very helpful indeed! Thank you so much.
Posted by: Cornflower | 19 December 2019 at 02:13 PM
I've been very happy with my subscription. Generally listen on my phone but also iPad. Great to listen while I knit and I can listen in the car with Apple Play (?) or on my Bluetooth speaker while mousing around the house. I am also gifting a book to one of my bosses and it's very easy. I give it a thumbs up all round.
Posted by: Heather Bond | 19 December 2019 at 07:11 PM
Super! Many thanks, Heather.
Posted by: Cornflower | 19 December 2019 at 07:37 PM
I love it. I often pick very long books so you really get good value, and it’s a great way of catching up on classics you might have missed. Once the book is in you library you can listen again or Mr C could listen so you wouldn’t have to share the same book.
Some of the readers are brilliant. I don’t think I could read Trollope now, Timothy West is so fab. It is great for knitting, it’s a real treat for me to sit down to knit and listen. I listen in the car mostly, or on a bus or train.
I’d really recommend it, I’ve used it for about seven years and haven’t had any problems with the service. I am sure you would enjoy it.
Helen
Posted by: Helen | 19 December 2019 at 11:01 PM
I have had a subscription for a really long time and have never regretted it. Another great feature is that if you do not like a book you have chosen ( after you start listening or complete the book) you go on the app and you can return the book and be refunded your credit. I also like the long books and with some of the classics one can choose between different readings.
Posted by: diana mcdougall | 20 December 2019 at 06:17 AM
I have had a subscription for a few years and no problems. I'm not at all techy and can't help with your query re sharing. I listen on my phone whilst travelling, walking and on my lap top in the kitchen doing all those mundane tasks - chopping vegetables etc.
Vast choice of books and new publications appear very quickly with great readers. Just checked my account and I see that in the last year I've enjoyed A Passage to India, Coventry by Rachel Cusk, Salt on Your Tongue by Charlotte Runcie, lots of Jane Gardham, Educated by Tara Westover and Michelle Obama. At the moment it's Olive Again and A Single Thread by Tracy Chevalier.
Hope that helps, I think you could sign up and cancel very easily if it doesn't suit you.
Posted by: Claire | 20 December 2019 at 08:30 AM
Before starting with Audible, have you tried your public library for access to both ebooks and audiobooks? Your library does offer these services (I just checked) and I would start there before dealing with monthly subscriptions, signing-in issues, etc. The library is a glorious resource, why not use it?
Posted by: Naomi | 20 December 2019 at 02:15 PM
Auto-correct obscured my point! There are eeeeeaudio books available online via your public library.
Posted by: Naomi | 20 December 2019 at 02:54 PM
Trollope and Timothy West sounds like a perfect pairing! Thank you, Helen.
Posted by: Cornflower | 20 December 2019 at 06:42 PM
Good tips there; thank you, Diana.
Posted by: Cornflower | 20 December 2019 at 06:43 PM
That's a great selection of books, Claire!
I think you can sign up for a month's free trial, so your point about seeing how it suits is a good one. Many thanks.
Posted by: Cornflower | 20 December 2019 at 06:45 PM
Thanks, Naomi - I did look at the library a few days ago and two things stopped me pursuing their audiobook system: there seemed to be several platforms/apps through which the books are available and it was hard to tell how they differed or which would suit best. Secondly, some books were listed as unavailable - just as if a physical book were out on loan but a reader could request it and join a waiting list - and that surprised me as I had thought that if a book was in the catalogue it would be universally available. Clearly that's not how the system works!
Posted by: Cornflower | 20 December 2019 at 07:05 PM
Single user licencing. One of the many different e-book subscription models and probably the least expensive for the library. Much of the library content available at UK universities, particularly "recommended" books for students, is now electronic. Shelf space saved is dedicated to study space which is at a huge premium these days. See for example https://nag.org.uk/development/ebooks/ for a summary of a variety of models in use.
Posted by: Dark Puss | 20 December 2019 at 09:54 PM
You can download all the apps, it takes a second, and then you can search via the library catalog or through the individual apps which is not at all problematic. Yes, at first it seems counterintuitive that there aren’t unlimited copies but upon reflection it becomes obvious that the ebook or eaudiobook is a commodity like a hard copy. Of course Audible will not have availability issues but I think it’s well worth exploring the library options as well.
Posted by: Naomi | 20 December 2019 at 11:28 PM
I use a company called scribd.com that, for the same price, gives you unlimited audiobooks plus print books online too. It's wonderful and I've used it for years. I'm definitely trying to not us use Amazon, as it doesn't pay tax. And Audible is Amazon.
Posted by: E Oswald | 21 December 2019 at 07:48 AM
That makes sense. Thanks, DP.
Posted by: Cornflower | 21 December 2019 at 12:34 PM
Yes indeed - the commodity point is obvious when one thinks about it.
Posted by: Cornflower | 21 December 2019 at 12:36 PM
Many thanks for that - I hadn't come across Scribd before.
Posted by: Cornflower | 21 December 2019 at 12:38 PM
I don’t know about Scotland but I borrow through our county library’s on line BorrowBox. It is true sometimes you have to wait in a queue for ebooks but I have found audio books, e.g. Trollope, readily available and very soothing to listen to at night. You can set a timer too.
Some readers are brilliant. Currently on The Last Chronicle of Barset, read by David Shaw-Parker. Great stuff and very long!
Posted by: Susie Vereker | 05 January 2020 at 06:06 PM
This was incredibly helpful. Thanks to all.
Posted by: Freda | 16 January 2020 at 12:26 AM