One of my goals for 2016 is to read more. I have shelves full of books I haven’t read and yet I continue to buy books that capture my attention. I knew I had to be realistic though, so I decided to focus on listening to audiobooks during my commute and to read for 10-15 minutes before falling asleep each night.
I did a lot of research before jumping onto the audiobooks bandwagon. I first looked into my local library system to determine their system for checking out audiobooks. I signed up for their audiobooks service and put myself on the waitlist for over a dozen books. Sadly there wasn’t one book I wanted to listen to that was available.
Because I’m impatient, I looked into using Audible to listen to audiobooks. As an Amazon Prime member, they were running a special for a 3 month trial membership so I took full advantage of that! Anyone can try Audible and get two free audiobooks
A regular Audible membership is $14.95, which includes 1 credit for 1 book. You can then buy additional audiobooks for 30% off the retail price, which is great. There are also larger memberships, which allow you to get more than one book a month, but I would most likely sign up for the standard membership.
After looking through Audible, I think the trick is to use your monthly book credit on a really expensive book and then to use the 30% discount on a cheaper book. For example, I really want to listen to the Harry Potter audiobooks, which are $31.49. I also want to listen to The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working, which is $16.75. I think it’s smart to be strategic on what you use your monthly credit on. Get the most bang for your buck (or free trial).
I personally download my Audible books into the Audible App on my iPhone at home when I’m on WiFi and then use the Audible App in my car. My car picks it up through Bluetooth, which allows me to listen to the book through the car’s speaker system. It’s really an awesome set up and has worked really, really great. So far this month I’ve listened to Big Magic and am almost done with Better Than Before.
Obviously I’d LOVE to get my audiobooks for free through the library, but I’ve heard horror stories about the waiting lists in the DC area. I’m going on 5 weeks now and still haven’t received a notification. I’ll probably look through their books that are available now and see how I like their system.
I still have 2 more months with Audible, which gives me time to decide. I’m honestly loving Audible and think $14.95 a month is well worth it. It has made my commute so much more meaningful and enjoyable. I love that I’m able to make better use of the 2-3 hours I’m in the car each day by using Audible to listen to Audiobooks.
