An Unpaid Ad For Audible Plus

Sounds Good!

I’ve signed up to Audible again. I’ve done a few free trials over the years and bought a three-month membership and so on. But I always break-up with Audible, because I feel like I’m cheating on podcasts…

Earlier, we talked about audiobooks – when I wondered if they ‘counted’ as reading. (They do, by the way. Absolutely).

And so I decided I needed to jump back on the boat and sail off with someone’s book in my ears. I do a lot of walking. That’s a lot of bonus ‘reading’ time. A chance to listen to a few chapters.

You pay a monthly fee (or around $17), and you get one credit. Which is the equivalent of one book. So one new book a month for that price. You can exchange them if you don’t like them, you can also pay around $15 for any other title that you want or wait until your credit renews at the same time each month.

But – and here’s the cool part – this time I have become part of something called Audible Plus. Now, maybe that was the case other times, and I just didn’t notice, but the point is – I’ve got more options. There are all the Audible podcasts and original series’ to have for ‘free’ (ie: as part of the monthly sub). But there’s also the chance to borrow a bunch of titles – from book-length works to shorter essays and single stories as part of your one-off monthly fee. This is the Plus part of Audible Plus. It’s the part I didn’t know about the other times.

There’s a lot of cool options – obviously not brand new releases. But there’s a mix of classic old material and some Audible exclusives available in this format.

This has been the revelation – for me. These in-between ‘reads’.

Much as I’ll have a graphic novel and a poetry book on the go while I’m reading a longer novel or non-fiction book, with the Audible sub I’m always listening to a ‘big’ book – and then I can munch through something a bit smaller along the way, or in and around the larger listens/bigger reads.

It’s been a cool way to revisit some classics, or pick off some books I’ve never quite made it to. Across the last month I’ve listened to Man’s Search For Meaning (Viktor Frankl), The Metamorphosis (Franz Kafka) and The Doors of Perception (Aldous Huxley).

I’ve been able to enjoy these while also listening to books by Grady Hendrix (modern horror) and Carol Clover (cultural criticism) and comedian/broadcaster John Safran (hilarious non-fiction about the vaping industry). I’ve got a Bill Bryson lined up and a couple of others…including a couple of Gloria Steinem essays.

I’ve still made my regular trips to the library, I’ve been buying Stephen King books from second-hand shops and off Trade Me, I’ve visited new bookstores, bought for my Kindle and received one or two review copies in through the letterbox.

Audible Plus isn’t slowing down my reading. It’s augmenting it. Audiobooks are a brilliant way to absorb some information and enjoy some entertainment. And the Audible Plus account has me searching all sorts of genres and styles and finding in-roads I’d never searched out before.

Books about science and serial killers, Ted Talks and essays, podcasts and monologue shows. A couple of the things I’ve checked out recently have been adapted from stage shows, a neat way to catch up on something I’m never going to get to see on a stage.

Oh, and I’ve just started this cool one about Stevie Nicks. It’s written and narrated by Rob Sheffield and I’m a huge fan of his music writing. Plus, you probably know already that one of my major hobbies in life is checking out anything to do with Fleetwood Mac. So there’s that too.

A while back I gave an unpaid ad for Masterclass. And now here’s one for Audible Plus.

So, there you go.

Anyone else using it already? Or a past user? On the fence about signing up? Or thinking about signing up for another hoon? There’s really something for everyone – and I think if you’re a commuting person, or want to change up your podcasts, or listen to something different from music while you exercise, it’s a cool option. There’s all those other times when you can just enjoy a book instead of music,  and sometimes that can be a book for your ears rather than your eyes. You know like when you’re driving, walking, at the gym, or even parked up on a comfy chair with a big pillow, drinking Rooibos tea…