What is Audio Book?
An audio book is a recording
of the contents of a book read aloud. It is usually distributed on
compact discs (CDs), cassette tapes, or digital formats (such as
mp3).
Unabridged
audio books are word for word readings of a book, while
abridged audio books have text edited out by the abridger.
How does Audio
Book Club work?
There are two types
of audio book club: audio book download and audio book
rental.
Audio book
download - download 1-3 audio
books online for a monthly fee. There is no need to wait for
delivery and return the audio books. The digital audio files
can be played by most popular devices.
You can also burn them into CDs and listen to them anytime you want.
Audio book
rental - unlimited rental of audio books on CDs or tapes. You
can rent 1-5 audio books at a time depending on the
membership plans. Shipping is free both ways. Once you finish
listening to the audio books, you can mail them back in the
pre-paid envelope.
Both types of audio
book club have some advantages and disadvantages. Downloading
audio books online is quick and easy and it is the only option for
international listeners. Unfortunately, some popular books are not
available in digital downloadable format.
Audio book rental
may be more economical if you can finish listening to the audio
titles fast. However, shipping does take time and there may
be a queue for the audio books you want. It is also not
available for international listeners.
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Recommended Audio
Book Clubs: |
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Audible.com offers more
than 25,000 best selling digital audio books and magazines to their members.
All can be downloaded as digital files. Audible offers 2
membership plans or you can purchase individual audio books
without a subscription. Good for international listeners.
Their digital titles are also compatible with most digital devices
including Apple iPod.
a)
AudibleListener Gold:
$14.95/m $7.49/m for
the first 3 months, then $14.95/m (limited time offer).
One free digital audio book (one credit) per
month + access to members only exclusive sales and daily discounts
+ free digital audio newspaper (Wall Street Journal or the New
York Times).
b) AudibleListener
Platinum: Free
14-day Trial and you can download two digital titles free.
After this, you pay $22.95/m to receive two credits (two audio books) per month.+ access to
members only exclusive sales and daily discounts + free digital
audio newspaper (Wall Street Journal or the New York Times).
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Simply Audiobooks
- has both rental club and download club serving customers
in US, Canada and UK. Their digital downloads support
PlaysForSure audio players but are not compatible with Apple computers
and iPod.
Rental club monthly fee:
a) 1 audio book at a time: $17.98
($15 for annual plan*)
b) 2 audio books at a time: $29.97
($25 for annual plan*)
c) 3 audio books at a time: $37.98
($34 for annual plan*)
d) 4 audio books at a time: $44.78
($41 for annual plan*)
*Special
offer: 15 Day Free Trial on 2 @ a time rental plan!
Sign up now!
Download club monthly fee:
a) 1 download $14.95 ($11.95 for
annual plan*)
b) 2 downloads: $21.95 ($19.95 for
annual plan*)
c) 3 downloads: $27.95 ($26.95 for
annual plan*)
*annual membership is fully cancelable
with a full refund of unused service
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Jiggerbug.com
 is
an audio book club which provides unlimited audio book rental
services. They have 4 membership plans that fit casual to hardcore
audio listeners. Service is only available to US customers.
a) Plan A: rent one audio book at a
time for $17.95/m
b) Plan B: rent two audio
books at a time for $25.95/m (14 day Free Trial!) - most popular
c) Plan C: rent 3 audio books
at a time for $35.95/m
d) Plan D: rent 4 audio books at a
time for $42.95/m
*Special
offer: 14 Day Free Trial! on 2 @ a time rental plan.
Sign up now!
New! Download only plans:
a) Download 1 book every two weeks:
$13.95/m
b) Download 2 books every two weeks:
$24.95/m
Use coupon code "cjspecial" to save
20% on first month subscription.
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Which plan is
suitable for you?
How often do you listen to audio books?
If you are new to audio books, try Audible
Platinum Plan for a 14 day free trial. If you seldom listen
to audio books, consider purchasing individual copy from Audible
without monthly subscription as they provide better price than the
other two audio book clubs. If you listen to audio books
every month, choose a monthly plan that fits your need.
How long do you take to finish one book?
If you can finish an audio book within one to two
weeks and live in N America and UK, Simply Audiobooks and
Jiggerbug rental plans are
good choice. You can listen to 2-3 books for only $12 to
$15/m (annual plan or monthly plan). For avid listeners, the
savings is even greater if you go for 2 books or 3 books at a
time.
Where do you live? Outside N. America?
Jiggerbug only provides rental service to U.S.
customers. Simply Audiobooks serves customers in the U.S.,
Canada and U.K. Digital
audio books from Audible.com can be downloaded in all countries.
Are you interested in popular books / bestsellers
or less popular titles?
For downloadable audio books, Audible provides more
selection than the other two. However, some books are not
available in downloadable format (such as the Harry Potter
series). For audio books on CD (rental service), Simply Audiobooks
provides a more complete collection than Jiggerbug.
Would you like to own the audio title permanently?
If you join Audible or Simply Audiobooks download
club, you already pay for the license when you download the
digital files. You own these books permanently. Those
you rent on CDs or tapes have to be returned and due to copyright
protection, you cannot copy these audio titles into your computer
or media.
What digital device would you use?
Audible digital audio books can be played in most
digital players including Apple iPod. Simply Audiobooks
download can
be played in
PlaysForSure digital players that can handle a bit rate of 32
kbps but not in Apple computer or iPod.
Do you want to buy an audio
book without monthly plan?
Audible provides the best price if you
only want to buy individual audio titles without monthly plan.
Big Savings, No
Commitment
Considering most audio books are
selling at $30-50, you can easily save up to 80% by joining an audio
book club. All plans (monthly and yearly) can be
cancelled anytime without commitment and penalty.
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