How to Listen to Audiobooks for Free

Inside this edition: I want to teach you how to listen to audiobooks for free.

Hey, hey y’all. It’s your girl Rainey always looking for ways to save YOU – my tribe – the Rainey Crew money and time. I love books.  I love the smell of the paper, the feel of a new book, hardcovers, or a crisp new paperback.  However, I have to say that purchasing books was never practical for me. They are expensive. When I was done with it I had to find somewhere to store it or donate it.  That was space and money I did not have. The beauty of an audiobook for me is convenience.  As a working mom, I have not had the luxury of reading a physical copy of a book for over eighteen years.  Listening to audiobooks allows me to cook, drive, walk the dog, clean the house, and do laundry. I don’t have to stop to take time to sit and read a book. 

Listening to books is not a new concept in the least.  In the distant past it was another means by which the visually impaired would have the opportunity to read the written word.  It has been evolving over the last three decades. Younger generations probably think that electronic books were created just for the Kindle.  My exposure to audiobooks began back in the nineties when I worked for my local library.  They were then known as Books on Tape. As the cassette tapes went away CDs were the norm. That was a godsend as those tapes did take up a lot of space.  Today you don’t even have to go to the library to borrow an audiobook.  You only need to have WiFi access, a smartphone or a tablet.  Audiobooks are great way to get through books, and there is a way to listen for free.

The Public Library

Your first stop is to your local library if you are not a member. Pro Tip: Join libraries in different counties in your state. The more you join the more books available to you. To join the library is usually free as these are your tax dollars at work. Some libraries allow you to register virtually, but most require that you register in person.

The second step is to download the apps offered for audiobook listening at your library. You can go to the library or the library’s website to see which apps they have subscribed to for audiobooks.  At my local library they offer audiobooks and Ebooks through three different platforms.  OverDrive, RB Digital, and Cloud Library.  I am also a registered library user in another county, so in that county I borrow books from Hoopla since my library does not offer Hoopla as a resource. 

It is very possible that your local library may not have any or all of these options.  However, if they have at least one the one thing they all have in common is that it will not cost you a penny to borrow a book.  I do need to caveat that even though local libraries do try to offer most books in an audio format they do not offer an audio copy of all books.  If a digital format is what you need, Ebooks are also available at your library.

The Players

OverDrive

As long as you have a digital device that supports these apps, you are good to go.  I find that OverDrive has an excellent selection of new and not so new releases. Whatever they do not have on audio, if you really want it you can get it as an Ebook.  Books at OverDrive are available through your public library or school.  The loan period for audiobooks with OverDrive can be set up to a max of 21 days at my library.  These loan periods may vary among region and school districts. OverDrive usually does have a waitlist especially if it is a book, author, or series that is popular. 

If it is a popular book that you have been on the waitlist for a long time you may want to get that one done before a less popular book that you can check out again quickly.  With OverDrive you can checkout up to 10 books at a time and have up to 10 on hold.  I will try another service like RB Digital or Hoopla when nothing is available.   So far by using these three I am pretty much covered. 

RB Digital

RB Digital offers not only audiobooks, but also (current) magazines, video entertainment such as Acorn TV/British TV, Independent Films, and foreign language movies & TV shows etc..  The audiobooks on RB Digital rarely have a waitlist.  If I find a book I like it is usually available. This is great when you are on a waitlist in OverDrive.   The loan period for RB Digital is also a max of 21 days. However, as I mentioned I have never had a problem getting a book here, so renewing a book is pretty easy if you go over your 21 days.  Just a reminder there are no eBooks on RB Digital. You must use the app to register with RB Digital. Download them via Google Play Store and the Apple Store on to your device.

Hoopla

Hoopla not only has audiobooks, but also movies, music, comics, eBooks, and television programs.  They have a wide variety of everything else that I cannot find on the other two platforms.  Unlike the others Hoopla has a book limit per month.  The agreement Hoopla has with my county library is that users can borrow ten books for 30 days. The number of books you are allowed may vary by the region the library is in. After 30 days the loan period is over and the book is returned.  For example, if I borrowed 7 books on April 1^st, the loan period will be finished on April 30^th.  If I borrowed 3 more books on April 15^th then those books would be due on May 15^th.  With Hoopla I like to stagger my borrowing periods to make sure I always have options. I have also found that waitlists are not a problem with Hoopla.

Cloud Library

I am including Cloud Library in this post because it is one of the free options available . However I am not a fan, and as a result I have not used Cloud Library as extensively as the other apps. I did not find the app a great resource for getting the books I like. When there was something I wanted the wait period seemed quite random. While registering to use the app it proved to be very buggy, and I had to redo the set up several times. If you are lucky enough to have a better experience with Cloud Library, and you are able to check out the book I am sure you will find it rewarding in the end.

Pros and Cons

• All these apps have different user interfaces. This can be frustrating when going between different platforms.
• OverDrive and RB Digital have their books broken up into chapters. Hoopla tells you how long a book is in hours. The breakdown of the book is not usually available visually.
• Hoopla’s interface is very basic, not a lot of bells and whistles.
• The Sleep Timer is great if you are listening in bed. Bookmark it, fall asleep and pick up where you left off the next day.
• OverDrive, I believe is the most popular, as a result they do have longer hold periods especially on new releases and popular series.
• RB Digital has a wider collection of Public Domain books than OverDrive in my opinion.
• Audiobooks are awesome, and the best benefit by far is that they can never be late and you can never have a fine.

Final Thoughts

Speaking from experience I have had a few fines from regular books at the library.  I am really recommending the greatness of audiobooks because of the busy lifestyles that we lead today.  I do still encourage my kids to read physical copies of books, because I do think it is important, and I have bought books for my son because he asked for them, and I was happy to do it.  However, I know at some point they too will say goodbye to paper and embrace the spoken word, or read it on a device.  

If you do the math there is really no way you can beat this deal. Audible is approximately $15.00 a month. Scribd.com Audiobooks starts you with a free trial, but after 30 days you will be charged $8.99 a month. Fifteen dollars a month is $180.00 a year. You can put that saved money towards any debt you may have. This is one of the ways I recommend to trim spending.

Will you have to wait sometimes for your turn to borrow a book? Yes! What I have done is embrace the waiting period to listen to something new. Maybe try a new author or a different genre. Don’t let the wait times scare you off. Take it in anyway that suits you best, and stop spending money you don’t have. Go to your public library, and start listening to audiobooks for free. The only thing you should spend money on is a good set of wireless headphones, and enjoy.