Audible and Other Audio Book Clubs
If you’re an audiobook buff, the quality is good, and the selection is fantastic. To find out if you like the service, sign up for the 30-day trial (your first book is free) and then pay after that. The pricing is similar for other audiobook clubs, but Audible has the largest selection.
Buy Individually
Other bookstores, such as Barnes & Noble, offer direct sales of audiobooks. If you want to read popular titles, you’re probably better off going with the book club pricing. However, you can shop around and find books cheaper than the monthly fee you’d pay at Audible. Most of these audiobooks are sold as MP3 files. MP3 is a standard audio file format that plays in any MP3-playing app. Other independent book publishers and stores have started selling audiobooks in MP3 format.
Use the Library
Many libraries around the country use a system such as Overdrive or Hoopla to loan books to cardholders (for free!). There’s an easy-to-use companion app called Libby that searches for audiobooks (and e-books, too) at your local library.
Get Them for Free
Legitimate and free audiobooks are available for public domain works. These books are old, but it’s a great chance to review the classics. There are many legitimate sources for free audiobooks. Volunteers read these books to make the books accessible to everyone, including those with visual impairments. There are many players for audiobooks, and a favorite is the LibriVox Audio Book Player. The ability to browse for and download titles is integrated into the app. You don’t have to download MP3 files from another source and then sideload them to your device.
