The estimated reading time for this post is 5 minutes
Whether you want to read more books but don’t have enough time, or you’re already a fan of audiobooks, check out Audible audiobooks. With Audible you can listen to books when you’re doing other things, such as exercising, brushing your teeth, driving, or gazing at the beach on a sunny summer day.
Since I wrote Audible: My Favorite Way to Read a Book, much has changed with Audible. It has made substantial improvements to its app and introduced Whispersync for Voice that make Audible easier to use and buying audiobooks less expensive.
One thing that hasn’t changed is that Audible is still my favorite way to read a book. The professional narration gives an immersive experience that transports you into the story in a way that reading a printed book does not. Plus by being able to multi-task while listening, I can enjoy more books. Quantity and quality.
Audible App
The Audible app has been updated and improved significantly, adding more features for your listening pleasure.
Download Books over Wi-Fi — You can download books in your Audible library directly to your device using Wi-Fi. No longer do you first have to download the books to your computer and then sync. You can grab your books when you’re on the go.
You don’t have to wait until the download is finished. You can start listening to your book as soon as you start downloading it.
Navigation — The Audible app now makes navigating through books easier. By using the Button Free navigation feature, you can swipe to pause, play, rewind, fast forward and add a bookmark. Swipe up from the bottom of the screen to access Button Free navigation.
The updated app deletes the fast forward and rewind buttons because many people (including me) accidentally hit those, propelling them back or ahead an entire chapter. Instead, you can tap the Chapters & Bookmarks button to move between chapters.
Bookmarks and Notes — You can add bookmarks and notes to your audiobooks. These are are now saved to the Cloud even if you delete a book or the entire app from your device.
Back Button — If your mind wanders or you’re interrupted while you’re listening, you can hit the Back Button to rewind 30 seconds.
Sleep Timer — If listening to audiobooks helps you fall asleep, you’ll enjoy the sleep timer feature. Set the sleep timer to stop your audiobook after a specific time or at the end of the current chapter.
Speed — When you feel the need for more or less speed, you can use the app to adjust the reading speed of the narration. Choose from normal speed (1x), a slower speed (0.75x), or faster speeds (from 1.25x to 3x).
Badges — Earn badges by listening to Audible books. Brag about badges such as Social Butterfly to your friends on Facebook and Twitter.
Stats — See your stats in colorful graphs so you can track your listening patterns.
Whispersync for Voice
Whispersync for Voice is a useful and cost-saving feature that lets you both read a book on Kindle and listen to it on Audible. Whispersync for Voice syncs your Audible and Kindle book positions, notes and highlights to the cloud so you can access them from any other Kindle device and Kindle or Audible app. Over 15,000 Audible books are Whispersync for Voice Ready.
See, Whispersync for Voice: The Marriage of Kindle and Audible for a full explanation of its features.
Whispersync also works for Audible books alone, even without a Kindle book. You can stop listening on one device and start listening where you left off on another device.
Whispersync can save you quite a bit of money on audiobooks. When you’re shopping for an Audible audiobook, look for Whispersync for Voice Ready in the Audible listing.
[tip]Whenever you see Whispersync for Voice Ready, check to see the price if you buy the Kindle book first. Even if you never set eyes on the Kindle book, it may be worth buying it to save money on the Audible book.[/tip]
For example, the book No Mercy is available for 1 credit* or $17.46 for members/$24.95 for non-members. If you buy the Kindle book first, on sale for $0.99 (a BookBub listing), then the Audible book will only cost you $2.99. You would pay a total of $3.98 by buying both the Kindle and Audible books, a savings of $13.48/$20.97 over buying the Audible book alone.
No Mercy on Audible alone: $17.46/$24.95
No Mercy on Kindle and Audible: $3.98
Savings for getting both Kindle and Audible formats: $13.48/$20.97
[warning]You only get a discount on an Audible book if you buy a Whispersync for Voice Ready Kindle book first. You do not get a discount on a Kindle book if you purchase a Whispersync for Voice Ready Audible book first. [/warning]
Not all Audible books are significantly discounted when you buy the Kindle book first, with Whispersync for Voice. Check to see whether the cost of buying the Kindle book and the Audible book together saves you money. You may have to do a bit of math here. But taking a few moments to figure this out could save you money and get you the Kindle version as well.
Check out Amazon to see free and discounted Kindle and Audible books that are Whispersync for Voice-ready.
Availability
You can listen to Audible books on your PC and using the Audible app for:
Bottom Line
Whether you’re already an audiobook fan or new to audiobooks, check out Audible for audiobooks with useful features and discounted prices.
Do you listen to audiobooks? Do you enjoy listening using the updated Audible app? Do you find Whispersync for Voice useful? Let us know in the Comments section below!
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* Audible Credits — You can purchase Audible books using cash or you can sign up for a membership and purchase books with credits. I explained the credits in my prior Audible article.
By joining Audible and purchasing credits you can save on the cost of audiobooks and have access to other benefits such as members-only sales.
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** Paradise Found image by Prescott Pym.
HI Carolyn,
Awesome indeed 🙂
I loved listening to those informative videos telling us everything in details, besides your wonderful post about Audible. I remember the last time too you had written about it.
I think if you have Audible for audiobooks with so many useful features and discounted prices alongside it, what more could you ask for! I would love to just do my chores and listen to the audiobooks, which otherwise I would never have time to read – so it’s one way that you are multi-tasking and getting two things done together.
Hadn’t heard of Whispersync until now, but it sounds like a perfect combination with Audilble. I need to pass this on to my friends too who are in a similar boat as me.’
Thanks for sharing all of this with us. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Hi Harleena, Yes, I first wrote about Audible over two years ago but since then they have made so many improvements to their service that I wanted readers to know about. I used to listen using iTunes but now the Audible app is so powerful and useful that I only use that app.
Whispersync really is a game changer. I love that I can listen to a book and then pick up my Kindle ereader or app on my mobile devices and continue reading where I left off. Plus I can often save money by getting the Kindle book first. So very cool!
I hope you find some wonderful audiobooks, Harleena!
I don’t know more about audio book, but its related to listen book without reading with any work. It means if we have no time for read the any book, Using this we can directly listen book with the other wok?
Hi Mahendra, I’m so sorry, but I don’t understand your question. With Audible, you listen to audiobooks that are read by professional narrators. You can get audiobook from Audible as digital files you can download to a mobile device or your computer and listen to them.
I hope this helps answer your question. 🙂
Audio books are a huge timesaver. If your mobile device is Bluetooth enabled, it’s easy to pair it with your car’s audio system and listen on the go. If not, chances are your audio system has either an aux input or a USB/iPOD input. You can use this as well, and it’s very simple. These apps make it even more so. Listening to audio content during your commute is a fantastic productivity enhancer.
Hi Steve, Excellent points. You’re right, listening in the car can help the miles fly by! I now look forward to long car rides by myself so I can listen to my audiobooks. Exercising can also be more fun when you get caught up in an intriguing plot. :-bd
Hello Carolyn,
I love learning new things, it makes me feel good and wanting to learn more 🙂
I have never heard of audible before, but your review made it sounds great. I’d like to ask just one question; it has an app on iphone, but does it has an app for android as well? Thanks for this lovely post and have a lovely week ahead 🙂
Hi Babanature, I’m like you, I love learning new things too and I’m so happy you learned something here today! Yes, Audible does have an app on Android. There is a link to it in the article above under the Availability section towards the end.
I never thought I would like audiobooks but a friend insisted that I try one. I did and I was hooked. Now I always have an audiobook I’m reading. I tried using CD’s and digital files, but Audible makes the entire process very easy and less expensive than getting audiobooks on CD’s.
I hope you enjoy audiobooks, Babanature!
I really need to check out audible!
A friend of mine recommended that app to me since I have such a horrendous commute each day. (An hour each direction. Yikes!) Currently, I check out audio CDs at the library, but they don’t always have the book I’m looking for. Also, I frequently switch cars, making it difficult to figure out where I am on the CD.
Thanks for being another reminder. I’m definitely going to check into using Audible.
Hi Jennifer, Wow, with an hour commute, you could get a lot of reading done during the day. Who knows? Audible may get you to actually enjoy your long drive to and from work. Wouldn’t that be great?
You can get a free audiobook to try out Audible and see how it works for you. Here’s a link to get you started: Audible free book (not an affiliate link).
I think you’ll really enjoy how easy it is to use Audible as well as their selection of books.
This is the only way I consume books these days-using the audible app.
Hi James, I can understand with how busy you are with WeMontage, that you don’t have time to sit down and read books. It’s great that you’re using Audible to read books so you can enjoy them even as the founder of a new business and the father of twin babies!
By the way, loved the WeMontage I just received from you. I updated the WeMontage article to include how much I am impressed with the finished product and how easy it was to create and purchase my WeMontage!
Hope your lovely family is doing well, James!
That’s really awesome! Thanks so much.
I mostly listen to books because it takes too long to read with my A-D-D. Seriously. 🙂
You know, I thought audiobooks would be more difficult to focus on, but once I started listening I found them easier to pay attention to them than reading books.
I’m glad you found that audiobooks work for you, James.
This is great Carolyn and thanks for giving us all the updates. I love how you can do this on the iPhone and PC which you know those are my preferences.
I’m starting to think that I might look into this. I’ve never in the past been much on listening to books but I think that maybe I might give that a try. I could always start with a free one to see what I think right!
By the way, I tried out the voice app the other day on my iPhone and was doing a happy dance. I know, I haven’t yet played with everything but it was a time saver for me at that moment. You’re right, once you get it there’s no going back. 😉
Thanks Carolyn!
~Adrienne
Hi Adrienne, Yes, I thing you should give Audible a chance. You can get a free book by heading to Audible and check it out. I love that I can listen to audiobooks when I’m doing things like cooking, folding laundry and exercising. I even listen when I walk Astro. Pretty much everything is more enjoyable when you’re listening to a great book!
I’m so glad you’re enjoying your iPhone so much, Adrienne! The more functions you find for it, the more you’ll enjoy having it! 🙂
Not a big fan of audiobooks. I can easily get irritated by the voice of the person reading the book so I prefer to read books myself instead. But anyway, a really great and informative post Carolyn.
Hi Johan, Yes, the difference between someone just reading a book and a professional narrator is vast. With Audible, I find that I will get a book because it has a favorite narrator, such as Scott Brick.
Audible allows you to listen to a sample of the book first before you buy it, so you can hear if the narration is pleasing to you.
Audible also has a Great Listen Guarantee. If you don’t like the book, you can exchange it for another one.
Being able to listen to a small sample first sounds really useful. I think I will check out Audible and see if I find something interesting 🙂
Excellent. Also be sure to check out narration by Simon Vance. He narrated The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series and over 450 other Audible books.
Frank Muller is another favorite who narrated over a hundred books before he recently passed away. Cassandra Campbell is also excellent.
It’s actually difficult to think of a narrator I haven’t enjoyed on Audible.
Look for the Sample arrow below the image of the book cover in the Audible listing.
Enjoy!
This app is unique ..listening to your favorite books from your smartphone would make you feel that someone is reciting you a story/reading for you …The price of this app is not too high …hence , every smartphone user (that supports this app) can use this app without having to pay too much.
Regards,
Pramod
Hi Pramod, Yes, the app is free, though you do have to pay for the audiobooks. Buying an audiobook on Audible tends to be less expensive than buying it on a CD or from many other sites, especially if you join Audible and buy credits. Depending on how many credits you buy, they can be as little as under $10 per credit.
Audible also has members-only sales, such as 3 for 2 specials, that can reduce the cost of buying audiobooks. And by checking out the Whispersync for Voice deals, you may be able to save money on Audible books by purchasing the Kindle book first.
The professional narration of the Audible books is amazing. Many professional actors have started narrating books for Audible so the performances are very high quality.
I hope you enjoy your listening, Pramod!
I heard a lot about audible in past but could never use it to download or buy any audio books. I think, this has a good potential for growth as many people are now switching to listening rather than reading the books purely due to lack of time. Thanx for shaing the info.
Hi Tech Maninder, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! You’re right, Audible can save you a lot of time reading because you can listen while doing other things.
Great tutorial Carolyn. I have been using Audible for a while now, and I really like it. I listen to books, podcasts and music (via Spotify) when I’m out walking. I’m not sure why, but I only buy business books via Audible, and I buy fiction to my Kindle 🙂
Hi Jens, That’s very interesting. Sometimes I find that reading business books is easier on the Kindle because of the charts and graphs that don’t translate well into audiobooks.
For example, I read Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers on the Kindle and could see the charts of the ice hockey players who were successful based on which months they were born in. I thought that chart showed even more strongly the correlation of success with being left-handed, though he didn’t discuss that factor.
My first year with Audible, I listened to 42 books, and I checked to see how many were fiction and how many were non-fiction. I listened to exactly half fiction and half noin-fiction, 21 each. Now I listen to more fiction, I think it’s because I read so much non-fiction researching for The Wonder of Tech.
I can see how you would enjoy listening to Spotify, podcasts and Audible when you take your walks in the woods, Jens. I can just picture you listening with a smile! 🙂
Nice concept behind Audible…it would really help with multitasking. The introduction of badges in the system is cool too, really does increase user engagement. I’ve actually applied the badge system to my own site and it is having an effect.
On a side note, I like the minor change with the Top Commentator display…adding the most recent post is a nice touch.
Hi Frank, Thanks, after Barry Wells’ article at Adrienne Smith’s blog I changed my Top Commenters widget to the CommentLuv one which has more features,.
Yes, Audible’s badge system is interesting because they don’t tell you what it takes to earn a badge so you are surprised when you get one.
How are you using badges on your site?
I’m currently using a badge system provided by Punchtab. So far, I like it a lot. Not only do I have badges but users can also gain points for free rewards. Since I’m using the free version of the system, you need quite a bit of points to get these rewards. I’m going to change over to the paid version soon so that I can develop my own rewards system.
That’s a great idea, Frank! I wish you the best of luck with it. Badges can be very effective. Who doesn’t love earning a badge? 🙂
This is a very informative article Carolyn. The tip to check for a discount before buying your Audible books is very helpful. That could amount to some substantial savings simply by buying the Kindle book first.
I’m in the minority here but honestly I don’t listen to audio books. I love the feel of a book and I enjoy reading every word. On the other hand, my husband spends hours on the road and Audible sounds like the perfect fit for him! Thanks for a great post.
Hi Sherryl, You’re right, your husband’s time in the car could become much more enjoyable if he were listening to audiobooks.
I enjoy the feel of a book in my hands too, but I also enjoy the experience of listening to a book read by a professional narrator. They’re both satisfying experiences to me.
You probably aren’t in the minority, many people are only now discovering audiobooks because the technology of audiobooks on digital files is fairly new.
‘Audible’- the name itself is quite fascinating….isn’t it? I love the idea too as some great pro narrators will be narrating the whole piece to us…their expertise ability will enhance the whole reading experiences indeed…..thanks a ton Carolyn for writing about it…..
Hi Aditya, you’re so right, a fabulous narrator can transport you into a story. Sometimes I choose a book based mostly on the narrator.
This looks awesome. I’m just getting into audio books so I will check it out. Thanks for the tips about the discounts – that wasn’t entirely clear to me. This may actually save me money in the long run. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Dave, Welcome to The Wonder of Tech! Yes, many people didn’t realize that Whispersync for Voice can save you money in addition to being a very useful feature.
Happy listening, Dave!