eBooks Audibles

ARTICLE

In this digital age, e-books are more accessible than they have ever been before. Almost every major bookstore chain now offers an e-book option in their stores, and many of them even sell e-books that are exclusive to that particular store. In addition to all of the other ways that you can get your hands on e-books, there is also a wide range of services and apps that offer free or discounted audiobooks. As an avid reader from a young age, I’ve always loved books—the written word has always been something special to me. But as I’ve gotten older and busier, it’s become harder for me to find the time to read as much as I used to. That’s why audiobooks were such a godsend for me! Listening to books instead of reading them reduced my reading time by about 90%, which was perfect for me.

Check Out a Library Near You

If reading e-books is something you enjoy, then you may want to consider checking out an audiobook from your local library. Many libraries these days have extensive audiobook collections that their patrons can check out for free. Also, many libraries have partnerships with other libraries around the country so that their patrons can check out audiobooks from libraries in other states. This can make it even easier for you to obtain audiobooks for free. You can usually find a list of audiobooks available at your local library by visiting the library’s website and looking for the audiobooks section. You can also call your local library to see if they have audiobooks and how to take advantage of the service. If you’re not sure what audiobooks to check out, you may want to start with some classic novels that are often found on audiobook lists.

Amazon Prime Reading

One of the most popular ways to get your hands on free e-books is by using Amazon Prime Reading. This service is included in Amazon Prime memberships, so if you’re already paying for Prime, you can take advantage of Prime Reading. Amazon Prime Reading is a service that offers Kindle e-books, magazines, and audiobooks that are free to read as part of your Amazon Prime subscription. While the selection of e-books offered through Prime Reading isn’t as large as the selection of e-books available on Kindle, the fact that they’re free makes them a great way to expand your reading library. And you don’t even need a Kindle to read e-books from Prime Reading. You can download a free Kindle reading app and read your e-books from there. Another great thing about Amazon Prime Reading is that you can have up to 10 books checked out at a time. This is great for people who like to read multiple books at once.

Audible

If you’re more of an audio book person than a reader, then you might want to take a look at Audible. This subscription service offers a wide range of audiobooks, original audio programming, and audio editions of magazine articles. You can listen to any of these audiobooks for free, but Audible does have a paid subscription option as well. Audible’s free version is limited to one audiobook per month. But if you don’t mind the occasional ad and don’t care about accruing progress towards a free trial membership, it’s possible to get your hands on multiple free audiobooks every month. You can sign up for Audible’s free trial offer, which lets you listen to an unlimited number of audiobooks for as long as you remain a free member. After your free trial ends, you’ll have to pay a monthly fee to continue listening to Audible’s books.

Voice-Recognition Software

If you really can’t find a free audiobook online (or want to mix things up), you can always try voice-recognition software. This is a great option for people who want to read but aren’t able to physically do so. You can use voice-recognition software to program your computer to read e-books aloud to you. This is a great option if you have a visual impairment that makes it hard to read printed books. Voice-recognition software is also a great choice if you have trouble reading because of dyslexia or another type of reading disability. It’s easy to set up and can be customized for your particular needs.

Bottom Line

You don’t have to pay for audiobooks if you don’t want to. There are plenty of free and discounted audiobooks available online. If you’re more of a reader than a listener, then you can read e-books from your computer or your smartphone. If you prefer to listen to books instead, then you can use apps like Audible to listen to your favorite audiobooks. No matter what you prefer, there is a way to get your hands on free audiobooks without taking out a loan.