With all the time we spend on our consoles and PCs, it can sometimes be difficult to make time for ourselves and indulge in other activities. Reading is a very time-consuming passion and if nothing really replaces the pleasure of impatiently turning the pages of a good book, audio books are starting to gain more and more followers.
Democratized through the platform Audible from Amazon, these books narrated directly to your ears are a great time to broaden your cultural horizons or listen to your favorite stories wherever you are. We take stock of everything you need to know about the service, how to use it and how to take advantage of Audible at a lower cost when you want to try the practice.
Discover Audible for free
Why listen to an audiobook?
It will not have escaped your notice that audio books are becoming more and more popular today. Formerly decried, these books are now widely accepted by the general public, who have seen in them a great opportunity to have access to works simply and quickly. If reading is an incredible hobby, not everyone has the time to devote several hours to it per week.
The audio book circumvents this problem since it frees you from the constraint of the physical object that is the paper book. With an audiobook, you can discover the latest fashion thriller while working out in your gym, cooking or playing your favorite game. We do not count the games that sometimes require repeating tasks in a loop or that do not require maximum concentration, so that the audio book then appears as an ideal accompaniment for these long gaming sessions. It is indeed more pleasant to farm artifacts in Genshin Impact or perform your daily quests of Final Fantasy XIV with a good book to listen to, even if that means ignoring the pretty music of these games.
In addition to being a time saver for very active people who have little free time, the audio book is also a real vector of curiosity, especially for the youngest who can then develop a taste for more traditional reading. Let’s not forget either that one of the audio advantages is to offer access to works to people with disabilities and who cannot read.
Audible, a huge library at your fingertips
The audio book is also a smart way to make the public want to discover works that they would not necessarily have gone to find on their own. Whether for reasons of time, means, or simply lack of confidence in his reading abilities. With Audible, it is possible to discover many great classics and satisfy your curiosity, whether listening to the full Harry Potter or by immersing oneself in 1984 by George Orwell.
Moreover, the audiobooks of today are no longer those of yesterday. If we still find a large majority of books narrated by a single person, it is also possible to discover works that go to great lengths to get us involved in their stories. As evidenced by the adaptation of The Sandmana series of graphic novels created by Neil Gaiman that have found new life on Audible with real sound effects, a great cast to voice all the characters and music to die for, which have nothing to envy to the adaptation produced by Netflix.
This is one of Audible’s great strengths: In addition to having a large library waiting for you, you will also find so-called Audible Originals that are really worth a look.. Between adaptations of comics or mangas (like Death Note), cult novels, documentaries or podcasts, you will certainly find something to occupy your ears for dozens and dozens of hours.
When the video game invites itself into the book
And since we are here on a site that deals with video games, there is no question of forgetting the many audio books related to our favorite medium. If some of the titles present in the Audible catalog are only available in English (which will not be a hindrance for English speakers), there are also some novels derived from video game licenses translated into French.
Want to discover the prequel to Far Cry 5 ? You can then listen to the novel Far Cry Absolution, available on the platform. Are you more of an MMO player? Let yourself be tempted by the novel Before the stormwhich takes place in the universe of World of Warcraft. Or rediscover the adventure of the mythical Ezio in Assassin’s Creed Rebirth.
This is obviously without mentioning the novels which inspired or which were then adapted into video games. We think first of all the saga of Witcher which is available on the platform, and which gave birth to the trilogy The Witcher. But also to Metro 2033 and Metro 2034 which served as support for the creation of games with the same names. Lovecraft’s various works have seen less direct adaptations but have also inspired so many games, as has Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness freely adapted with Spec Ops: The Line.
How does Audible work?
To begin, you will need to create an Amazon account with which you can log in on Audible. Once this process has been completed, you will discover the entire Audible library by going to the official website.
You can then go in the “Included in the subscription” tab to take a look at all the content offered for unlimited listening. The different works are classified by genre in several categories to help you find your way around. You can also buy these audiobooks to enjoy them without having to renew your subscription. Then just simply download these audiobooks as well as the Audible application on your smartphone to listen to these works wherever you want.
How to get Audible for free?
Despite all its fine words, not everyone can necessarily afford a subscription without knowing if the practice is made for them or not. That is why Audible has an unstoppable trial offerwhich deserves to give the experience a chance without the need to commit.
How to take advantage of the trial offer?
If you have an Amazon account, you can now try the free trial offer which allows you to enjoy Audible without moderation for 30 days. You can terminate the service at any time and you will be able to enjoy the entire catalog included in the service, with novels, children’s books or podcasts, at no additional cost. In addition to these works in unlimited listening, you will also receive an audio credit to redeem for the book of your choice. You will not need to continue your subscription to listen to this book, it will be yours for life.
Enjoy 30 days free trial at Audible
Moreover, if you are an Amazon Prime member, you will be able to take advantage of an exceptional offer. Instead of the 30 days offered, these are 60 days that will be offered to you to discover the Audible service, and not one audio credit, but two! Enough to give you a better idea of Audible, while getting two free audio books in the process, without obligation.
Experience Amazon Prime free for 30 days
Note that any subscription or free trial (even canceled afterwards) also supports our site. It is therefore a good way to support us while enjoying a useful and pleasant service, which will give you access to an audiobook or two for free.
How do I unsubscribe from Audible?
If you just want to take advantage of the free trial without renewing your subscription for the next month (to avoid paying €9.95 unintentionally), nothing could be simpler. When you are on the Audible page, go to your account to view subscription details and to cancel the subscription. You can also go directly to the service cancellation page.
Also note that on this same page, you can pause your subscription. This allows you to take advantage of the free days over several periods that you choose. You will also keep your audio credits obtained even after canceling your subscription, and you can use them at any time.
How much does the Audible subscription cost?
Of course, having access to this digital library comes at a cost. If you took advantage of the free trial and you are satisfied, you may want to extend the experience and take out a subscription. There are several subscriptions, allowing you to recover credits to be used on a title (which you will then keep for life, even after termination). Here are the 2023 prices with the subscriptions currently available:
- Monthly subscription 1 audio credit per month: €9.95/month
- Monthly subscription 2 audio credits per month: €16.95/month
- Annual subscription 12 credits per year: €99.65/year
- Annual subscription 24 credits per year: €189.95/year
The subscription gives you access to a catalog of audiobooks, then you can use your credits for exchanges against books of your choice, which you will then keep for life.
Download Audible
Audible is of course available through the official Amazon website but also on the various stores. It can be found on the App Store for the Audible iOS version as well as on Google Play for the Audible Android version. Once the application is installed, you will only have to authenticate yourself if you already have an account. It should be noted that the application is well received by users, allowing smooth use on their smartphone or tablet, iPhone, iPad or Android.
Download Audible from the App Store (iOS) Download Audible from Google Play (Android)