Audiobooks are allowing book enthusiasts to tick off their reading list faster than ever before. Here’s what first-time listeners need to know. 

Thanks to the proliferation of smartphones, audiobooks have become incredibly popular, leading to many modern best-sellers, underground cult novels, and just about every classic piece of literature being made available in audio format from a range of services and vendors.

It’s a great way to get through your busy life without sacrificing the experience a good book can offer.

Thanks to faster and more widely-available internet, Audiobooks are easier to get hold of than ever.

What are audiobooks? 

An audiobook is the recording of a narrated book in exact word-for-word or abridged format.

They’re just like an older-style “book on tape”, but in digital audio form, similar to how you might download an album or podcast to your device.

They can range from a simple narration, to energetically voice-acted (by one or more actors), to a fully-fledged radio play-style work, complete with sound effects and music track.

Why audiobooks?

You might love reading, but where do you find the time?

On average, people spend more than eight hours of their day interacting with some sort of media.

As our lifestyles become increasingly busier, it becomes difficult to find the downtime to get through that ever-growing reading list.

There’s no denying that mobile technology has shaped the way we consume media, so why not books, too?

Audiobooks are the perfect solution for the time-poor person who loves indulging in a good story.

You might shy away from the idea of a book in audio format, but it’s easy to quickly become immersed, with audiobooks often narrated by high profile voices, or even the author themselves.

Audible Australia

Amazon-owned Audible Australia has a collection of more than 200,000 audiobook titles to choose from, and works with well-known narrators including Stephen Fry, Tina Fey, Pia Miranda, and Scarlett Johansson, to name a few.

These books can be purchased individually, or as part of a paid monthly subscription.

If you decide to also opt for the current monthly Audible membership (first 30 days free), you will receive one free audiobook download per month; the monthly the membership fee is lower than the cost of most of the books on the site.

Audiobook prices vary on title, but with an Audible subscription they rarely stray above a relatively low upper-limit, generally equal to the price of the regular monthly subscription itself. Without the subscription they are full price.

To fully access Audible you’ll need to have an Amazon account.

iBooks

Apple is another popular audiobook supplier, with an impressive selection on their iTunes store, playable using the iBooks app.

iBooks shares many of the titles Audible has available, with the added bonus of linking your existing Apple account, should you already have one.

Bolinda

Bolinda is an e-commerce store from Bolinda Publishing that offers digital downloads of its audiobooks.

Bolinda aims to provide everyone with endless opportunities of entertainment via access to a unique and vast variety of products.

All You Can books

All You Can Books is a service similar to Audible, but is a bit of a smaller operation at just 30,000 titles.

It has an engaged set of users who rate and review both Audiobooks and eBooks across the site, and is worth taking a look at if you're interested in switching to audiobooks, especially since the first month is free.

And more

There are plenty of other options for getting your hands on audiobooks, be they subscription services or online stores for purchasing them individually.

You can even pick them up on CD from some online book vendors if you’re feeling particularly nostalgic.

If you have a book in mind, just search for it with “audiobook” tacked on to the end and see what you get.

There’s a good chance that someone out there has converted it to an easy-listening format.

Where to listen to audiobooks

The beauty of audiobooks is that you can listen to them just about anywhere.

Instead of the hassle of having to carry around a physical book, or spend time flicking through pages trying to find your bookmark, you can pick up audiobooks right where you left off!

Leaving your eyes free for other tasks, you can get through your books while exercising, cooking, doing housework, or really during any other time you might listen to the music or a podcast.

With access to some of the world’s greatest literary works, audiobooks are the perfect solution for busy book-lovers, students, and children/parents alike.

Having access to a fast connection to the nbn™ network can make streaming and listening to audiobooks an even more streamlined and entertaining experience.  

Check your address to find out if the nbn™ network is available at your home or business.