Paintedlady Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 DD (11) is dyslexic and while she can read, it's not exactly easy for her. I require the kids to read for 30 minutes a day related to our history and another 60 minutes of whatever they want to read during their quiet time at night before bed. She loves audio books and while I'd love to get them for her I'm not sure I can justify the expense unless it's really worth it. If I understand it correctly, you have to pay a monthly fee plus the cost of the book. Or do I have it wrong? Can anyone sell me on the expense? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
astrid Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 DD (11) is dyslexic and while she can read, it's not exactly easy for her. I require the kids to read for 30 minutes a day related to our history and another 60 minutes of whatever they want to read during their quiet time at night before bed. She loves audio books and while I'd love to get them for her I'm not sure I can justify the expense unless it's really worth it. If I understand it correctly, you have to pay a monthly fee plus the cost of the book. Or do I have it wrong? Can anyone sell me on the expense? I'm an Audible subscriber. There are several levels of membership depending upon how many credits you'd like to use per month, I think. I don't really know because I've got the lowest level-- one credit per month. The credit covers the cost of the download, whether it's 2 hours or 40 hours long. I LOVE AUDIBLE. I drive over an hour one way to work every day and I listen to audiobooks the whole way. I just finished Ken Follett's The Fall of Giants which was 40 hours long, so I do try to get a lot for my one credit. In fact, over the course of the spring and summer, I did three Ken Follett novels: The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End and The Fall of Giants in one continuous stream. Each one was about 40 hours long and quite heavy. Don't you think that deserves some sort of medal? :D Anyway, I think there's a trial membership. Give it a whirl and see if your dd likes it. I can't live without it now that I"m on a roll. I'm in the middle of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle right now. GREAT book. astrid Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandy in Indy Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Did you see this yesterday? It's a FREE site for audiobooks... http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/Top_100 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love_to_Read Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 try www.learningally.com used to be called Books for the Blind and Dyslexic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 I'm an Audible subscriber. There are several levels of membership depending upon how many credits you'd like to use per month, I think. I don't really know because I've got the lowest level-- one credit per month. The credit covers the cost of the download, whether it's 2 hours or 40 hours long. I LOVE AUDIBLE. I drive over an hour one way to work every day and I listen to audiobooks the whole way. I just finished Ken Follett's The Fall of Giants which was 40 hours long, so I do try to get a lot for my one credit. In fact, over the course of the spring and summer, I did three Ken Follett novels: The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End and The Fall of Giants in one continuous stream. Each one was about 40 hours long and quite heavy. Don't you think that deserves some sort of medal? :D Anyway, I think there's a trial membership. Give it a whirl and see if your dd likes it. I can't live without it now that I"m on a roll. I'm in the middle of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle right now. GREAT book. astrid Thank you for all the details! I think the trial membership is definitely worth a try. Have you tried the website that Sandy in Indy posted? I wonder how different they are. I can only assume that Audible has more books b/c the other site only has books that are in the public domain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 Did you see this yesterday? It's a FREE site for audiobooks...http://www.booksshouldbefree.com/Top_100 I did see it but haven't checked it out yet. I will now. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Amazon occasionally runs a deal where you get $100 toward the purchase of an MP3 player if you sign up for a one year subscription to Audible (at the rate of $14.95 per month). I've done it twice. I feel like I am getting my cake and eating it too! (And yes, I realize I'm actually paying more in the end, but I'm getting 2 things I want!) :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alte Veste Academy Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 (edited) OK, here is the offer, for anyone interested. The first time I did it, I collected all of Hakim's A History of US series (which is fabulous, by the way). Then I was hooked. You don't have to buy an MP3 player with the credit. It's worth noting that a Kindle qualifies... Edited September 2, 2011 by Alte Veste Academy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 try www.learningally.com used to be called Books for the Blind and Dyslexic Am I remembering correctly that you have to have an official diagnosis to use this site? I'd love it if you don't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 OK, here is the offer, for anyone interested. The first time I did it, I collected all of Hakim's A History of US series (which is fabulous, by the way). Then I was hooked. You don't have to buy an MP3 player with the credit. It's worth noting that a Kindle qualifies... Okay, now I'm really intrigued! Off to check it out. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JennifersLost Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 Your library should have free downloadable audio books, too. Look on their website for "Overdrive" and you'll probably find it. A bunch of libraries in your region will "share" access to all the audio books, so you might have to wait for some books, but it's a very cool resource that a lot of people don't know about. As for Audible, I have a real love/hate relationship with them. I love them because they provide the most sales for the audio books I produce. I hate them for what how they treat audio book publishers. You know why audio books are so expensive? It`s not because they have to be at this point. With digital audio books, they could be as cheap as $7.99 or even less. It's because Audible has pretty much cornered the market (the ONLY way you can sell audio books on Amazon is by going through Audible) and they pay the publishers/authors a diddly-squat royalty percentage on audio book sales, AFTER discounting the books heavily. So - if a publisher puts the audio book's price at $20.00, for example, Audible immediately discounts it by 30% (because they want to undercut everyone else's price). That puts the book at $14.00. Once the royalty is figured on that price, the publisher can get as low as $2.10. They have to split that with everyone from the narrator/editor/producer/cover artist....oh yeah....AND the author. In order to keep the lights on, publishers have to price books at $40 to $50. Oh, and let's not forget - if you buy one of those subscriptions and don't use all your credits, but decide not to renew next year - you HAVE to use your credits before it expires. Otherwise, they just keep your money. It's ridiculous. I can't even say the word "Audible" in this house anymore because it infuriates my husband so much (he's had to listen to everything I've gone through dealing with them). His opinion - they are the most Evil company out there, LOL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paintedlady Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 Your library should have free downloadable audio books, too. Look on their website for "Overdrive" and you'll probably find it. A bunch of libraries in your region will "share" access to all the audio books, so you might have to wait for some books, but it's a very cool resource that a lot of people don't know about. As for Audible, I have a real love/hate relationship with them. I love them because they provide the most sales for the audio books I produce. I hate them for what how they treat audio book publishers. You know why audio books are so expensive? It`s not because they have to be at this point. With digital audio books, they could be as cheap as $7.99 or even less. It's because Audible has pretty much cornered the market (the ONLY way you can sell audio books on Amazon is by going through Audible) and they pay the publishers/authors a diddly-squat royalty percentage on audio book sales, AFTER discounting the books heavily. So - if a publisher puts the audio book's price at $20.00, for example, Audible immediately discounts it by 30% (because they want to undercut everyone else's price). That puts the book at $14.00. Once the royalty is figured on that price, the publisher can get as low as $2.10. They have to split that with everyone from the narrator/editor/producer/cover artist....oh yeah....AND the author. In order to keep the lights on, publishers have to price books at $40 to $50. Oh, and let's not forget - if you buy one of those subscriptions and don't use all your credits, but decide not to renew next year - you HAVE to use your credits before it expires. Otherwise, they just keep your money. It's ridiculous. I can't even say the word "Audible" in this house anymore because it infuriates my husband so much (he's had to listen to everything I've gone through dealing with them). His opinion - they are the most Evil company out there, LOL. Wow, I had no idea. Definitely gives me pause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kitten18 Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I have never used Audible but I listen to A LOT of audio books. I get all mine from the library. Our library has Overdrive and Ebscohost. For DD, I usually check-out audio books on CD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolamum Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 I am an Audible Member and have been for years. I love it. So many great books available. A simple download and you're off and running. I recently upped my tokens so I can have an audio going in the car as well as on my ipod. :D You can listen to lengthy clips on Audible to decide if the reader is right for you. You can leave reviews and read other people's reviews as well. There's GOBS of kids books, living history, non-fiction, etc. I don't have as much time to READ lately but I love that I can have an audio book going and still do chores, exercise, and chauffeur the gang around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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