How does audible work?
Is audible worth it?
Most audible reviews will talk about costs and features. I’ll talk about that, too. But I’ll also talk about the benefits of using audible or listening to audiobooks in general.
Books can be life-changing. One book can change the way you see the world, help you get a new job, bring you to tears, or give you a skill that can give you more money, meaning, and freedom. The possibilities for what a book can do are endless. And audible is the perfect platform to use.
Audible is a platform you can use to buy audiobooks. Pretty simple, right?
If you’ve never had an audible membership before, you can sign up and get two free books.
Let’s take a quick look at the steps it takes to sign up for an audible account.
If you have an Amazon account already (which you probably do unless you’re living under a rock). You can use the email and password for your Amazon account to sign into audible.
Click on this link and select the free trial button:
Sign in with your Amazon account or create a new one if you don’t have one:
Add your payment details (if not already there):
You might be asking yourself, “Is audible worth it?”
Instead of focusing on the cost (which is low anyway) focus on the benefit you can get from using an affordable audiobook platform.
I love reading. Sometimes I go into Barnes and Noble just to take in the smell of physical books. I read on my kindle, I read physical books, I read blogs, you name it and I read it.
Some people just don’t like to read, though.
And that’s okay.
Reading can be a difficult process when you have to scan a page with your eyes, take in the meaning of the words, and remember what you just read.
Listening to books on audible lets you learn or be entertained without having to read.
Everyone has their own form of intelligence. If you love to learn through listening, you can listen to books on subjects you love and let the words soak into your brain.
Some people say listening to books on audio is less effective than reading, but who cares?
If listening to audio books helps you learn more than you’re currently learning. It’s worth it.
You don’t have to read books strictly for knowledge either. If you’re a fiction fan, you can get wrapped up in your favorite story by letting the characters develop in your ears.
See, the problem with a physical book is that you have to sit down in one spot and read the book.
You can’t read while you drive. You can read while you’re working out, but only if you’re going at a slow pace.
With audible, you can listen to your favorite books at all sorts of times you can’t with a physical book.
I listen to audiobooks:
The list really goes on. I use audible to fill in those gaps of time where my mind is idle throughout the day.
You can have your audiobooks on in the background. You don’t have to be super-focused on the book content. You’re just letting the ideas soak in a little bit. I usually choose “lighter books” to listen to when I’m on the go, so I won’t listen to something like The Origin of Species.
Here are some of my favorite audiobooks to listen to on the go:
Some people say you have to read books one at a time.
I disagree.
I like to bounce back and forth between books. I’ll listen to a motivational book when I need some inspiration. I’ll listen to a book about a new topic I’m interested in when I’m feeling curious. I might listen to three or four different audiobooks in a day and not finish any of them until a month has passed.
When you sign up for audible you get two free books. Then, you pay $14.95 each month to get credit for your next purchase. Sometimes I let my credits build up and buy a couple books at a time. After a while, you end up with a decent sized library of books that you can listen to whenever you want.
You can switch back and forth easily with audiobooks (you wouldn’t want to lug around a bunch of physical books to read at your leisure.)
Once you have a solid collection, you’ll realize how powerful it is to have so much quality information at your fingertips.
Audible costs $14.95 a month and you get two free books when you sign up for a free trial.
Think of some of the things you typically spend $14.95 or more on…
A night out at a restaurant…
Movie tickets…
Netflix, other streaming services, cable…
What do you get from those purchases?
You get fun and entertainment, which is totally cool and necessary.
But at the end of the day, you don’t gain anything useful for your future with those types of purchases.
Books, however, can be some of the best investments you can make. I’m not exaggerating when I say books are responsible for me making a six-figure income, living the life of my dreams, finding passion, etc.
There was a point in my life where I desperately needed change. I didn’t know what to do, so I just started reading. First, I read 75 books in the span of a year about tons of different subjects. I got inspired and launched my writing career all because of books. Now, I do what I love for a living and I learn new things all the time from books that I use to grow my business even further and become even more successful.
So, my answer to the question “Is Audible worth it?
Hell yeah, it is.
Here’s how the audible free trial works.
You sign up, get two books for free, and you get a free 30 day trial on the platform.
Then, at the end of 30 days, you get charged $14.95 to receive a credit that you can use towards buying any audiobook you want.
You can sign up for audible, get your two free books, cancel before the end of 30 days, and still keep your books.
Any books you get through audible are yours forever.
Amazon is a hassle free company. Their customer service is insanely good. If you want to cancel, it’s easy. If you get charged for something but decide you want to cancel anyway, they’ll just refund you.
So if you’re worried about how much audible costs, don’t.
First, it’s super affordable.
Second, as I said, they’re a no hassle company, so if you really need that $14.95 back you’ll get it no questions asked.
Audible has two different membership levels – Silver, Gold, and Platinum.
You can choose to pay monthly or you can pay annually to get a discount.
What’s the difference between these audible memberships?
With the silver membership, you pay $14 every other month for one credit, which can buy any book on audible. If you pay for the whole year up front, it’s only $84, making it the most affordable option you can choose from.
With the gold membership, you pay $14.95 every month, which means you’ll get 1 new credit each month. If you opt for the annual plan, you can save around $30 with a total cost of $149.50.
The platinum credit gets you two credits each month at $22.95 per month. This is the type of plan for an avid audio-book listener. If you think you’re going to dive deep into the world of audiobooks for a year, you can opt for the annual plan and save around $45 by paying the $229.50 up front.
The gold plan makes the most sense. It’s the plan you’re put into after you’re finished with the free trial and get your two free audiobooks. One credit a month can give you access to one great book a month, which is a great start for someone who’s just beginning to build a reading habit.
On top of the credits you get for being a member, Audible offers some cool incentives for members only to get you to join. This makes sense. Most companies like to throw in cool bonus items to get you to join and keep you as members.
The service itself is worth the money, but these add ons make the offer a no-brainer.
Audible originals contain exclusive audio content you can only find on the platform. Think of how Netflix has original series that you can’t watch anywhere else for a good analogy. You can listen to two of their featured originals each month as part of your membership.
Health and wellness are important in 2019 and beyond. Audible offers free wellness and fitness programs with your membership.
You can listen to a guided meditation, which can help you de-stress and relax after a long day. They have audio to accompany while you’re on a walk or give you a quick 15-minute routine to do in your hotel room while you’re traveling.
The audible fitness program keeps with the theme of being on the go. You might not have time to visit the gym for an hour or put on a workout DVD. Sometimes you simply need quick instructions to get you moving for a little bit.
If you’re an Amazon Prime member, you can get access to Audible audio for free. This means you have the ability to listen to audiobooks through the Audible platform with your choice of streaming titles from a selection of 50 books. Pretty cool.