My experience of using Audible

Reading has been an integral part of my life. My day feels empty if I haven’t read at least a few pages. And as the years have gone by, my reading has evolved. Not just in the kinds of books I read, but also in the way I read. In the beginning it was only paperbacks, then read pdfs of classics that I would read only my laptop or phone, then came my Kindle and the latest addition to this are audio books or audio books on Audible to be more precise. Here is my experience of using Audible.

I have always loved reading or being read to as long as I can remember. Reading was a habit that my Dad helped me build when I was a little girl. Growing up in a small town, it was difficult to find books always but whenever there were book sales in school, I would ask mom for some money and make sure that I would get to buy at least a few books. I’ve always loved holding a book, sniffing the pages and reading – adding a sticky note or a tiny piece of paper wherever I needed to make a note. Most of the books that I’d read till I started earning were borrowed. And then came a time when I ended up with so many books that there was no place for more in my tiny Paying Guest room which I shared with another girl.

That’s when Kindle entered my life. I was hesitant to start reading on a Kindle but then with the no place for more books situation, I had to get used to a Kindle if I wanted to read. And then, I enjoyed reading on a Kindle though at times, when I had to go back to a certain point in a book, it was difficult to go back. While this mix of physical copies of some books and some books on the Kindle was working fine for me for a long time, there came a time when I didn’t really have the time to sit down and just read. That was also the time when I got introduced to listening to the audio versions of books. And that was also when Audible had just started off in India.

I was unsure if I wanted to sign up for Audible, but the fact that I could have the free trial for 30 days made me sign up for it. And I’m glad that I did.  But if you are wondering how it works, here is how:

• You sign up for Audible with your email
• You get one credit per month until the end of your trial period
• You can buy an audio book with an Audible credit, irrespective of the price of the book.
• You will be charged Rs 199 per month after the end of your trial period, .
• You’ll continue to get one credit per month and you can buy any book you want with it.

To sum it up, one credit per month which lets you buy a book of your choice and you pay Rs. 199 every month for your membership. The books you have already purchased stay in your library even if you discontinue the membership (Haven’t tried this though).

It has been over a year now since I started using Audible and the way I consume books has changed! I now listen to a book on Audible whenever I can – while going on a walk, while cooking, while doing chores. This has become a habit now and I’ve definitely increased my attention span.

Audible has the cool feature which lets you choose the speed at which you would like to listen to a book. For me this changes from one book to another depending on the content and the narration. You could change the speed to whatever you are comfortable with.

I’m the kind of person who likes making a note of quotes and ideas I liked while reading a book – sometimes I take pictures and then write down these things in a notebook, sometimes I add sticky notes and Kindle has this feature of highlighting passages. On Audible there is a “Bookmark” feature which lets you bookmark the passages that you like. It is tricky when I want to bookmark something when I’m cooking or cleaning, but otherwise it is just fine.

How do I pick books on Audible?

The first book I listened to on Audible was “Becoming” by Michelle Obama. I loved the fact that Michelle Obama herself narrated it. I enjoyed listening to the book and in this case I think it was better than reading the book because it always is a different experience to listen to someone’s story in their own words and voice. I liked it and that is why I decided to continue using Audible.

I have listened to both fiction and non-fiction on Audible. I have been able to enjoy both. I think subconsciously I have been picking Audible for all the non-fiction titles that I’ve wanted to read mainly because I’m not a person who reads a lot of non-fiction. I think that is why I prefer it being narrated.

When it comes to fiction, I enjoy sitting down and turning the pages of a good fiction book. But then, I’ve always loved stories being told to me so listening to fiction is an experience of its own. The narration makes a lot of difference. I wouldn’t want the narration to spoil the book for me. So I always listen to the sample before I decide to use my precious credit on the book.

Audio books are expensive when compared to the Paperbacks or Kindle editions of the same book. So I try using my credit on the more expensive titles that I want to read or listen. I also prefer picking up longer books on Audible because I finish listening to them faster than reading them. It makes perfect sense for me that way because on an average weekday, I spend more than an hour listening to books on Audible and I barely manage on find 30 minutes to sit down and read on my Kindle or a paperback.

So if you ask me if it is a good idea to get an Audible membership, I’d say yes. And if you are person who has always been intrigued by books but don’t feel like actually sitting down and reading them, then you can listen to them on Audible.

I’ll try writing a post with a list of titles that I liked listening to on Audible.

So yay for Audible!

Do you listen to audio books too? How has your experience been with Audio Books?

Note: This is not a sponsored post. This is my own experience of using Audible.  

Since we aren’t able to travel as much as we love to these days, I’ve made a list of books set in different countries that I liked. You can find the list here.