Audiobooks discussion
Archives
>
Other issues (Audible)
I would love to be able to search the site by price. I've run across books that have been reduced in price recently, not associated with regular sales, that are only reduced for a limited time. I just happen to run across them, and after a few weeks the price goes back up. It's just dumb luck that I've noticed these books. I would love to be able to search them out to see what is "on sale".
I have found a sort function called "Regular Price". But this rather defeats the purpose when you're looking at a set of results which include sale prices (unless everything in the results is reduced by the same amount, which only happens when the sale is a percentage off absolutely everything).
Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Amazon's business practices aren't anything I'd want any other business to emulate....I try to avoid doing business with them whenever possI try to avoid doing business with them whenever possible, because of their lousy treatment of employees and other gorilla-like tactics in the market place.."
I think you meant to say "guerilla-like tactics". Whatever the syntax, I've heard no reports about "lousy treatment of employees." Can you provide links to references to back up this claim? Do a majority of employees feel this way? What are the issues?
Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "And why all the whinging about not being able to sort books by price? If I want a book, I look it up, and if it's too expensive, I don't buy it....
I think you meant to say "why all the whining".
Why not? I shop using different criteria than you do. For example, if I'm shopping by genre and I'm looking for the best deal (but don't know what I want yet), I sort titles in that genre by price.
Again, why not? I want to be able to shop easily my way, just as you shop easily your way.
BTW, you said "if it's too expensive, I don't buy it."
Suppose there are multiple editions of the same book, and the search results include several website pages. Wouldn't it be easier for you to be able to sort those editions by price, rather than have to read every page for the best price? And what if the best price deal you find has a narrator you don't like? You'd have to check out other pages to see if the price was right AND the narrator was the one you wanted.
That's a lot of bother when a sort by price would get you the results you need all on one page.
Again, it all depends on different people's needs when they shop.
So why all the whining about whining? You took the time and effort to complain about a complaint. Let me think, I'm a little slow.....
At least I was honest when I described my complaint as whining.
Alan Mintaka
"Whinging" is British English; cf. Harry Potter.
Alan wrote: "Whatever the syntax, I've heard no reports about "lousy treatment of employees."You'll find there are quite a few stories about Amazon warehouses. Frankly, I don't find Amazon's practices being any different in their warehouses than any other large retailer, but it is always popular to demonize successful companies. Here is a link to a recent article about a warehouse in the UK:
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/ed6a985c-70...
Super tempting to take the time to complain about a complaint about a complaint but this thread is really to "Ask Audible", which often may include whinging or whining or bellyaching or chucking a wobbly or spitting the dummy... but it does not really invite us to carry on criticizing/criticising one another. Let's talk about books, yeah?
Kimberly wrote: "but it does not really invite us to carry on criticizing/criticising one another.Let's talk about books, yeah? ..."
I agree. Note that I did not start the exchange. In my first post I targeted Audible, not other "whiners."
Alan Mintaka
Verena wrote: "Alan wrote: "Whatever the syntax, I've heard no reports about "lousy treatment of employees."You'll find there are quite a few stories about Amazon warehouses. Frankly, I don't find Amazon's prac..."
I'm aware of this issue with many online retailers and find it very distressing. A Mother Jones reporter went to work at one of these places and wrote about it. I do try to avoid shopping at these places. But Amazon was one of the first I'd read about.
Sorry, Alan. Just expressing myself as you were.
Now ... back on track, please. Thanks.
Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Sorry, Alan. Just expressing myself as you were..."And I apologize for the knee-jerk reaction, with emphasis on "jerk". As someone said somewhere, "Contrary to reports, I ain't proud."
John wrote: "Now ... back on track, please. Thanks."
Sorry to you too, Big John.
FWIW, I just did an Audible search on titles by Laurie R. King (today I rec'd an email promo that included a title from her Russell and Holmes series).
There is a drop-down list of sorting options in the Audible hit list, but "Price" is still not in there. In this case the entire series was listed on one page, so hunting the best pricing option was not a biggie.
Still, the price sorting option is not there yet and would be really handy to have. Rather than spew about the "whining" on this forum (including mine), I'll send a bunch of vitriolic messages to Audible support. Who knows...
In the meantime, despite all the misgivings about Amazon expressed in this thread, I suggest to anyone looking for pricing info to search for Audible titles there. It takes a little extra effort to filter the search hit list, but at least there are price sorting options.
Once you get the edition and price you're looking for, you can click on the "Buy from Audible.Com" button to get the member pricing.
It's not elegant, but eventually it works.
Happy Listening,
Alan Mintaka
I've never needed to search by price, as I either use an Audible credit, or get a significantly cheaper book with cash from a Kindle edition bundle.
John wrote: "I've never needed to search by price, as I either use an Audible credit, or get a significantly cheaper book with cash from a Kindle edition bundle."Me, too, although I do try not to waste credits on books that are actually cheaper to pay cash for.
Alan wrote: "Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "Sorry, Alan. Just expressing myself as you were..."And I apologize for the knee-jerk reaction, with emphasis on "jerk". As someone said somewhere, "Contrary to reports, I..."
I think one of Laurie King's series is available for 6.95 right now. Have no idea if they're any good.
John wrote: "I've never needed to search by price, as I either use an Audible credit..."I keep track of the credits vs. price because I don't want to use a credit to buy a book whose member price is cheaper than the monthly subscription fee, and/or the purchase price for those "extra credit" deals. I figure there's no point in wasting a credit on something that costs less than a credit in the first place.
Also, I'm not into Kindle, so the pricing for Kindle titles and the technological element of Whispersync are not part of the equation.
In my money days I would certainly have given Kindle a try if it existed then. Alas, it didn't, and now I'm dealing with the so-called "fixed income" (which isn't fixed - it keeps going DOWN !!!).
BTW how do you like Kindle? Is it easy to manage, and can you read titles easily in a variety of lighting conditions? I've always wondered about the latter.
Also, what about battery life? I understand it can be optimized by adjusting display parameters, but those tablets are so thin that they seem to rule out the use of heavy-duty battery packs like the ones used in laptops.
The old laptops, that is. See? I'm out of touch.
Happy Listening,
Alan Mintaka
Alan wrote: "Also, I'm not into Kindle, so the pricing for Kindle titles and the technological element of Whispersync are not part of the equation."sometimes it is worth it anyway -- there are books i have picked up for $.99 on kindle that have an audible edition discounted to $1.99!
if you have a smartphone you can try the kindle app.
i have a kindle e-ink and a kindle tablet (both were gifts). the e-ink can be read like paper, but the tablet will not work in bright light. the e-ink is much better for reading but the tablet does a lot of other stuff.
i really do prefer paper books but kindle is good for saving space.
Joel wrote:" Alan wrote: "Also, I'm not into Kindle, so the pricing for Kindle titles and the technological element of Whispersync are not part of the equation."
sometimes it is worth it anyway -- there are books i have picked up for $.99 on kindle that have an audible edition discounted to $1.99!"
And if you want to give the Kindle books a try, you can download the Kindle program and read on your PC or laptop. Doing that is what convinced me to get a Kindle Touch (now discontinued and replaced by the Kindle Paperwhite).
There are a LOT of books, particularly public-domain classics, which are free or very inexpensive as Kindle books and which are Whispersync'd (Amazon's term) to an Audible version; many of these are priced at $1.99-$4.99. Which makes the Audible version cost lower than any of the currently-available membership plans on a per-book credit basis.
Joel wrote: "sometimes it is worth it anyway -- there are books i have picked up for $.99 on kindle that have an audible edition discounted to $1.99!""
That was my point, Joel. When I buy the combo, I'm not intending to read the Kindle version at all. Actually, I have two Sony's - as well as access to software that can convert the Kindle edition of books that I've paid for to Epub format.
Getting back to buying books with cash, I have gotten some cheaper books, mostly from the publisher Iambik. Have I mentioned that I scour the Just Added list daily?
i was considering an iambik title the other day. there are also some book sci-fi titles by connie willis for under $10 (for shorter books, but still a decent deal).
CatBookMom wrote: "And if you want to give the Kindle books a try, you can download the Kindle program and read on your PC or laptop. Doing that is what convinced me to get a Kindle Touch (now discontinued and replaced by the Kindle Paperwhite). ..."I was wondering as I read this exchange - can those of you who have the Whispersync combo (not yet available to us in the UK) buy the Kindle book through the PC app and then buy the discounted Audible audio? If you can, then it would seem to me that Alan could buy his Audible titles cheaper using that method even though he doesn't own or want to own a Kindle.
Is that what John is saying he's doing?
I'd just like to have the option! Still waiting to hear if or when Whispersync is coming to the UK...
Yes, HJ, you understand correctly. It only works on certain titles, far from everything at Audible.
John wrote: "Yes, HJ, you understand correctly. It only works on certain titles, far from everything at Audible."Alan - go for it!!
I dunno, but I've been listening to audiobooks for YEARS! Back in the day I got big fat catalogues from Recorded Books and Books on Tape and Blackstone Audio and I laboriously poured over them to decide what to rent. It was slow and clunky and in many ways unsatisfying. None of them, for instance, listed series in order or anything else. There were no narrator samples to listen to. There was no internet to follow authors on, there were no blogs, no reviews (other than best sellers) and so forth. So a few years back when I discovered Audible (from an ad on my favorite podcast, This American Life) I was completely and utterly thrilled. Any minor inconveniences of download problems, etc., seem truly minor to me. I'm just glad they're there. I've yet to try any other sites for MP3 downloads, but reading about some here, I will try to explore them and give them a try.The only thing I've had real problems with is downloading and listening to library books. I still haven't figured it out. Sigh. So I buy all my books, which is just as well, as when I borrow them I usually wish I had my own copy anyway.
Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "The only thing I've had real problems with is downloading and listening to library books. I still haven't figured it out. Sigh. So I buy all my books, which is just as well, as when I borrow them I usually wish I had my own copy anyway...."
Sorry you're not having success with the library downloads. Are you trying to use OverDrive? If so, I'd be glad to try to help you through the process, though we should probably do it in Private Messages, rather than in this Audible thread.
Sandra - it's amazing how difficult it was to find the simplest information then, isn't it? I can remember copying out by hand the list of a favourite author's series which happened to be in one of the books I borrowed from the library (they weren't always printed in the books), so that I knew which order they came in, and could check which ones I'd missed. And we didn't know when new books would be published - it was hit and miss whether we'd spot them in the bookshop or library.On the other hand, we aren't just whining or whinging here - we're providing useful feedback to Audible which will enable us to find exactly what we want and also help them increase their sales. For example, I know from bitter experience that I buy many, many more books from Amazon when I work through results sorted by lowest price first, than I do when I have to know what I want and search specifically for it. And when I do search for a particular author, if there are several versions of a book I want to know which is cheapest, without having to make notes (I can't keep numbers in my head).
Now that we know how data can be manipulated in a database, we really aren't asking for much!!
Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "I dunno, but I've been listening to audiobooks for YEARS! Back in the day I got big fat catalogues from Recorded Books and Books on Tape and Blackstone Audio and I laboriously poured over them to ..."I used to rent boxes of cassettes from Chivers and Recorded Books (20 years ago).
John wrote: "Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "I dunno, but I've been listening to audiobooks for YEARS! Back in the day I got big fat catalogues from Recorded Books and Books on Tape and Blackstone Audio and I laboriou..."Me, too!
CatBookMom wrote: "Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "The only thing I've had real problems with is downloading and listening to library books. I still haven't figured it out. Sigh. So I buy all my books, which is just as well,..."I'll try to remember to contact you next time I try. Yes, overdrive is what I was trying to use. Is there anything else?
My library does not subscribe to them, but there is also a download provider called One Click (formerly Net Library, I believe).
Joel wrote: "i was considering an iambik title the other day. there are also some book sci-fi titles by connie willis for under $10 (for shorter books, but still a decent deal)."Joel, depending on which iambik title you were interested in, you might be better off purchasing it directly from the iambik site (iambik.com). The price on early books is $6.99. Those books are still being offered at the $6.99 price but only if you purchase from the iambik site. Recently, iambik worked out a deal with Audible so the prices on iambik's recent releases have risen. However, there are still a number of the early books (unabridged) available for the $6.99 price.
John wrote: "My library does not subscribe to them, but there is also a download provider called One Click (formerly Net Library, I believe)."Yes. I haven't tried to use that. Comments at Ravelry dot com about One Click Digital indicate it's less user-friendly than OverDrive. And apparently there may be a couple of other systems in development. The Ravelry group has a number of up-to-date librarians who seem to have good info about developments.
Hj wrote: "John wrote: "Yes, HJ, you understand correctly. It only works on certain titles, far from everything at Audible."Alan - go for it!!"
I'll definitely check that out, and thanks to all for the info.
The bottom line will of course be the total price of both the Kindle edition and Audible edition of a title.
I'm like Sandra aka Sleo when it comes to library books - I have problems downloading them and converting them to MP3.
Also, I'm a collector. I tend to buy everything I read, catalog it, and store it in the event that I want to listen to it again in the future.
One of the ways I save money with this approach is to check out the local co-op bookstores, like Annie's Book Stop. It's a franchise that has shops here in NH and (I think) a few other states in the NE. They take books in trade, including audiobooks, and give 50% price break coupons by media. It's certainly not as cheap as a library and I have to deal with physical media, but it's another option if I'm having trouble with library editions.
So now I have another option for price shopping: the Kindle/Whispersync/Audible pricing.
Happy Listening,
Alan Mintaka
There isn't a very efficient way to "convert" WMA books with DRM to mp3 format, short of re-recording them in real time.
John wrote: "My library does not subscribe to them, but there is also a download provider called One Click (formerly Net Library, I believe)."Actually . . . OneClick is now the given name for what was once . . . Recorded Books. They no longer sell retail but to libraries and schools and this is the name for the application that allows you to download and listen when your library subscribes to their services.
My library doesn't use them however . . . They use OverDrive instead.
Net Library only provided Recorded Books titles, no other publisher's content. Their books were only available as a single file, no matter how long the book, until near the end, when they offered a very clunky manager with (hour long) CD-sized parts.
Sandra, At my nearby branch library a very pleasant clerk invited me to make an appointment to be coached upon the process of getting Overdrive audiobooks. I intend to do that just as soon as I catch up on the TBR backlog already on my Ipod. (snicker)
PS. I greatly enjoyed Laurie R. King's series that begins with The Beekeeper's Apprentice although another member disliked it. Her standalone Folly is her best IMO.
Margaret wrote: "Sandra, At my nearby branch library a very pleasant clerk invited me to make an appointment to be coached upon the process of getting Overdrive audiobooks. I intend to do that just as soon as I ca..."I thought about doing that, but haven't had enough prodding me so far.
Margaret wrote: "PS. I greatly enjoyed Laurie R. King's series that begins with The Beekeeper's Apprentice although another member disliked it."I liked it until I got creeped out by the idea that this 13 year-old girl is going to grow up and marry this old man who has become a father figure to her.
I feel as though Audible isn't an honorable company. Let me explain why. I spend a lot on my audio books-- hundreds of dollars regularly--because I'm a huge fan of audio books, however, I consistently keep having problems with Audible. The latest issue is that I get books in my cart and proceed to the check out page to purchase them, and suddenly, the price listed as my total becomes DOUBLED when the "thank you for your purchase" page pops up. I cannot fathom why Audible just can't get it together? I called, yet again, waited on the phone for 15 minutes, only to be told that they will send an issue form to the back office because apparently, Audible can't seem to properly charge me the member price. So, I have to wait 3 days for an EMAIL to see how to fix this issue. I sincerely hate Audible. I really do. Why are they supposed to be part of Amazon, but they are unable to sell books to their members properly. So, as it stands, Audible has no problem taking money from me for my membership, but I am unable to purchase anything because they continue to charge me the full price of the audio book. Audible seems to be a giant rip-off, and I plan on contacting Hank Philippe Ryan so she can do a "buyer beware" segment on this company. So, any of you out there thinking of joining Audible, think twice, and then go elsewhere.
I almost always use their credit system to obtain books, but even when I haven't I've never encountered a problem like this - quite the opposite, as when I've purchased a Kindle edition first as part of a Whispersync bundle discount deal Audible has always recognized me as eligible for the lower audio price.
Oh John. I cannot fathom why Audible keeps doing this to me. A week ago I bought 9 audio books and 2 of the books were charged as the regular price. I had to call to complain. Then, three days ago I purchased 5 books, no issue. Today I attempt to purchase 7 books and boom. I'm charged almost twice as much-- the full price for each and every audio book!! Calling Audible isn't helpful because the phone reps have no true ability. They send a 'ticket' to their back-office help desk for them to resolve the issue, and I have to wait to hear from someone. During that time, the membership I paid for is a waste because any book I put into my cart requires me to purchase them for the regular price. Perhaps I need to not buy anything from them because it seems you have no problems because you only use credits. (I'm happy for you, really, I am. I know you love your books too!! But I'm so angry at having to deal with this, that every time I think about it, I literally start to shake.) For me, I purchase so many books that I can't possibly use credits for all of them because I would never have enough credits to cover all of the books I purchase. *sigh* Apparently Audible doesn't want my money, or a happy member. I am deeply disheartened.
Mel wrote: "Oh John. I cannot fathom why Audible keeps doing this to me. A week ago I bought 9 audio books and 2 of the books were charged as the regular price. I had to call to complain. Then, three days ago ..."Mel, sorry to hear of your problems with Audible. Based upon my personal experience with them and
discussions on this group over the last 6 years, I have to say you are the exception to the rule. I know that doesn't make you feel better but I know they like to make things "right".
Audible has given our group a special email for Goodread member issues. Please try contacting them directly using this email: goodreads-support@audible.com.
Please feel free to send me a personal message through Goodreads should you not receive a response because one, I want to know if they are not responding to group concerns through this email they've provided, and two, I can have my personal contact at Audible get in touch with you if the issue remains unresolved.
As I said, I know Audible values our Audiobooks group relationship and will do their best to rectify and turn your experience into a positive one.
I've never had this problem in the 4+ years I've been a member, and I've puchased books without using credits. And there are ways to always have as many credits as you need so that you never have to make purchases without them. If you buy that many books regularly, you could purchase the 12 or 24 credits at a time, have at least a year to use them if you need it, but can also use them all at once and then turn around and buy the same number again. That way you never have to spend more than around $10-$12 for any audiobook.
Since Mel stated that she has bought 21 books in the past week (by my count), perhaps pre-purchased bulk credits are, indeed, the way to go.
I've never had a problem with Audible. I've been a happy customer for years.
Can you guys tell me how to buy bulk credits? I didn't even know this was possible! And I certainly didn't know I could continually replenish my credits! I don't know why I seem to have so much difficulty. *sigh* perhaps from here on out, my luck will improve! @grumpus. Your name is great. And thank you for the contact info. I will email them tonight or in the AM and let you know how things go. I really hope things work out.
Thanks everyone!
Hopeful,
Mel
Mel wrote: "Can you guys tell me how to buy bulk credits? I didn't even know this was possible! And I certainly didn't know I could continually replenish my credits! I don't know why I seem to have so much dif..."John was joking, a bit. The most credits you can get at once is 24, paid upfront; the current US$ price is $229.50, which gives a per-credit price of about $9.56. When you use up those credits, just renew your "annual" membership. Aside from some of the $4.95-$7.95 per book in sales of a limited selection of books, that's the cheapest per-book price you'll find in current membership plans.
Mel wrote: "I feel as though Audible isn't an honorable company. Let me explain why. I spend a lot on my audio books-- hundreds of dollars regularly--because I'm a huge fan of audio books, however, I consisten..."I'm sorry you're having trouble, Mel! I have been an Audible customer for years and own hundreds of books there. I have never had any problem buying them with credits or cash. Everything has worked perfectly for me and I'm a sincerely happy customer.
Is it possible that your browser is the issue? I haven't had any problems using the website with Chrome, Firefox, or IE, but if I was having trouble (like I do occasionally at other sites), changing browsers is the first thing I'd try.
Yes, I have had trouble downloading when I go into Audible/itunes from Firefox but no problems if I go through IE.
Audiobooks
Books mentioned in this topic
Tilt-a-Whirl (other topics)Death of a Poison Pen (other topics)
Death of a Bore (other topics)
A Night in the Lonesome October (other topics)
A Night in the Lonesome October (other topics)
More...
Authors mentioned in this topic
David Monteath (other topics)David Monteath (other topics)
David Monteath (other topics)
Keith McCarthy (other topics)
Diana Gabaldon (other topics)
I never have any trouble with Audible's services. I can burn books to CD using itunes should I ever want to do such an inconvenient thing. Otherwise, the app works beautifully.
I have issues with DRM files, but *shrug* I guess it does protect author's rights.
And why all the whinging about not being able to sort books by price? If I want a book, I look it up, and if it's too expensive, I don't buy it.