With the rise of services like Audible and Spotify, Audiobooks are more popular than ever. However, many people can find it very hard to get into audiobooks, and one of the main reasons is the cost. Whether you need to spend “credits”, or just outright buy the book for a flat fee, most of the time the only way to listen to audiobooks is by spending money. Many people find this a barrier, but it shouldn’t have to be. Today, I am going to tell you three ways for you to use publicly available resources to listen to Audiobooks without having to spend a single dime.
The first way to listen to audiobooks for free is by taking advantage of the free books on sites like Audible and Spotify. While many people assume that every Audibook costs money, there are plenty of free books on these sites that often don’t even require an account to listen to. While you may not be able to listen to the newest or best selections, by just browsing the free catalog you can find plenty of great books well worth your time.
The second way to listen to free audiobooks is by taking advantage of your local library. Libraries can be found in almost any town, and almost every library today contains some sort of audiobook collection. However, many libraries have moved away from the clunky and expensive “players”, those machines with the headphones that always broke and cost the school 80$ each, and onto digital streaming services of some sort. At Wakefield, our school has migrated onto the Sora app. By going through MyAccess or the Wakefield site, you can gain access to the rapidly growing catalog of 200+ audiobooks our school offers. However, while digital access to our school library is nice, I think the better way is through our local libraries.
The final way to listen to free audiobooks is the Libby app. The Libby app allows you to quickly borrow eBooks and Audiobooks from your local libraries directly from your phone. Libby is a non-profit, so the only thing you need to make an account is a library card. With an account, you can borrow any digital book your local library has directly from an intuitive and accessible catalog system, and at the end of two weeks, it will automatically leave your account and go back to the library. In my personal opinion, this is the best way to listen to audiobooks, because it’s convenient, free, and sports a massive catalog.
Those are three ways that you can listen to Audiobooks without spending tons of money. I wrote this article because many people view Audiobooks to be an expensive chore, while this couldn’t be farther from the truth. There are so many amazing Audiobooks with thrilling stories and fascinating worlds out there that you would probably enjoy.
Reading doesn’t have to be an expense, and it also shouldn’t have to be a chore. With millions of stories waiting to be heard, I hope you use these resources and hear some of them today.