3 questions about audiobooks in the USA

[Brian G Turner]

For our American members - three quick questions about audiobooks, for those of you who use them:

1. Do you subscribe to Amazon Audible, or do you buy audiobooks individually?

2. Do you prefer download, or CD?

3. What is the normal range for audiobooks in the USA?

Thank you for any responses.

 

[Parson]

Brian,

I do subscribe to Amazon Audible, or at least did, it's a bit murky because I get my Audible books along with my Amazon Unlimited subscription. So, I have a rather large library of Audible Books, but I haven't paid a membership fee in about 2 years.

But I listen to 4-10 books a month so I think I can help you with this.

I completely prefer download. I wouldn't want all of those CD's lying around. With my grandkids around they wouldn't be long for this world. Besides that I have them all in a neat library which allows me to access any of those books at any time.

Normal range? Hm, that's a bit hard to say. The prices can vary tremendously. If you are dealing with a recent best seller it is not uncommon to see the books priced at $20 or more, sometimes much more, for a stand alone audio book. If you ask for the price that is seen most often that would be between $3.99 and 5.99 if you also purchase the ebook. I have to admit that well over half of my audio books were free as a part of the Kindle Unlimited offer. I don't believe I've ever paid over $5.99 for an audio book.

Hope this helps.

 

[MWagner]

I'm Canadian, but maybe Brian meant North American .

1. Until recently, I subscribed to Audible. 1 credit a month for $14. I built up such a back-log that I cancelled last year.

2. Prefer download. It enables me to sync across multiple devices, so I can listen on my iPad while doing dishes, and then pick up where I left off on my phone when I walk the dog.

3. I never bought audiobooks individually, only through my Audible subscription (1 credit lets you purchase any audiobook). But the listed prices vary dramatically, from $4 to over $30. Generally, the price corresponded to the length of the audiobooks. It's understandable that a 36 hour audiobook costs more than a 4 hour audiobook.

 

[Brian G Turner]

Oh - I had thought I'd be able to set an audiobook price, but apparently the Amazon ACX program insists on setting that themselves, based on length. So much for being able to price competitively...

 

[Ray McCarthy]

Amazon ACX program

It's also exclusive, I thought? I decided I'd not touch it with a barge pole.
If I do Audiobooks, I will provide CDs (with free download) and Downloads and set price and distribute non-exclusively. I regard Kindle Select as something to be avoided too.

 

[Brian G Turner]

It's also exclusive, I thought?

There are exclusive and non-exclusive options, with royalty rates of 40%/25% accordingly.

 

[Ray McCarthy]

exclusive and non-exclusive options, with royalty rates of 40%/25% accordingly

I think FTC and EU ought to investigate Amazon's "Exclusive" offerings.