5 Best Alternatives to Audible

Audiobooks are not a thing of the past. Instead, they are becoming increasingly mainstream, enabling users to find a comfortable ground to listen to books on the go. When it comes to audiobooks, Audible is a platform that has created a name for itself. It's accessible, extremely diverse, and hosts a plethora of novels and books that aren’t mainstream.

However, Audible isn’t a free service. So if you are considering shifting from a paid service to a free or more affordable one, some alternatives are worth the time.

This guide will review some of the best alternatives to Audible that we think are worth considering.

What are the Best Alternatives to Audible?

When looking at alternatives for Audible, we wanted to explore affordable (and free) options. But, we also wanted to curate a list that introduces promising audiobook platforms that offer access to various novels, short stories, and books.

Following are our top 5 picks:

1. Audiobooks.com

When looking for the best alternative to Audible, nothing beats Audiobooks.com. This is a subscription service hosting 350,000+ novels, titles, and books. Besides the extensive library, the accessibility and UI of this platform deserve special mention.

If you are on edge about using it, Audible has a generous free trial where you can download and listen to 3 audiobooks. The unique trait of this platform stems from its Audiobook club. Users can choose from the 8 clubs and avail of 30 days of unlimited listening.

The categories of audiobooks on the platform are quite promising too. If needed, you can also sign up for their 30-day free trial. The 3 free audiobooks can be selected from the Premium and VIP sections of the available titles.

Once the free trial is over, users must pay a recurring fee of $14.95 per month. However, it is a fairly good price, given the diversity of books available.

2. Chirp

Want to save up to 95% on your favorite audiobooks? If yes, Chirp is the platform you need to look into. With Chirp, users can avail of limited-time deals on some popular audiobooks without paying a hefty price.

Unlike Audible, where you have to pay a monthly fee to avail of the audiobooks, Chirp is perfect for the occasional audiobook listener. You can buy individual audiobooks at discounted prices and make the most of the purchase.

The platform also hosts new discounted deals daily to bring you various choices. In case you don’t like any of their audiobook or their quality, Chirp has a money-back guarantee you can look into.

Users also won’t have to get into waitlists. All you need is to find the audiobook you wish to buy, get it for a reduced price, and enjoy your day listening to it.

3. Libro.fm

It's not every day that you come across an audiobook platform that supports your local bookstore. With Libro.fm, you get to make that happen. Every purchase or membership gives back to the local bookstore, keeping them in business.

Libro’s primary objective is to take away from corporations' huge profits and share them equally with the local bookstores to keep their business afloat. Therefore, it is a social purpose corporation and a more ethical choice than Audible.

You will find a lot of exclusive perks and features with Libro. They have a sense of community on the platform where you can share your excitement and passion for books with others. There are bookseller-curated playlists on the platform as well.

The app version of Libro is available on both iOS and Android and for free. So you need an active membership to the platform, and you can get started with the audiobooks.

4. Libby

An app-based audiobook platform, Libby is developed by Overdrive and allows you to borrow audiobooks using your library card. The best part about Libby is that it's 100% free. You don’t have to pay a dime to download the audiobooks from your local libraries. The only thing you need is a library card.

The app hosts a variety of audiobooks, including the NY Times bestsellers and the classic novels we have read growing up. In addition, you can browse through the different categories of novels and magazines and listen to them on the go.

Also, the app is available on iOS and Android devices, so compatibility won’t be an issue. However, there are certain limitations regarding the availability, so that’s a downside. Also, if the novel you are trying to download is already borrowed, you might have to wait a bit.

Not just for smartphones, Libby is accessible on PCs, too, if that’s something that catches your attention.

5. Scribd

Scribd is another versatile platform that hosts audiobooks, e-books, and much more. Similar to Audible, even Scribd is a subscription-based platform. You pay a monthly recurring fee and get to enjoy unlimited audiobooks.

The platform is highly popular and caters to millions of users. The library is quite organized yet diverse at the same time. However, the best part about subscribing to Scribd is their affordable subscription fee of $9.99 per month.

Although they offer unlimited access to audiobooks, e-books, etc., some titles come with exclusive restrictions. What makes Scribd different from its competitors is the difference in formats. Not just audiobooks, you also have print, which is a bonus.

The users can start with a free account with a 30-day free trial. Once that’s over, you need to upgrade to their premium version to access the library of e-books and audiobooks.

Which is the Best?

Audible is no doubt one of the best audiobook platforms on the internet. It's popular, diverse, and has an affordable subscription too. However, these are some of our top picks if you want to branch out. A studio is an excellent place to set up your audiobook and listen to them online. All of these alternatives are diverse and unique in their way. Some of these alternatives also give back to the local bookstores, libraries, and the communities attached to them, which is always a positive and not something you’d get with Audible. 

Author Bio: Hi, my name is James Mann from Becomesingers.com, I’m a vocal coach. And I have been involved in singing all my life in performing on stage, joining live bands, as a backup singer for other studio singers and teaching others on how to improve their singing skills and voice based on their vocal circumstances.

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If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer remote audiobook production and editing services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales. 

Listen to some of our audiobook samples here to get started.

How to Become an Audiobook Narrator

A lot of voice actors tend to turn towards becoming audiobook narrators, as they find the work much more rewarding regardless of the level of expertise required, Who says you can’t learn? So how do you get started? Better yet, what skills do you need to be an audiobook narrator? 
Keep on reading to find out some of the traits needed to become one.

Know The Different Types of Narration

Surprise! There’s more than one type of audiobook narration, but typically they are voiced by only one person and to be able to differentiate from the characters they change their tone, style or pitch of voice.

• Solo - one person is voicing all of the characters and is able to differentiate their voices accordingly.

• Duet - when there are two actors cutting in every line of a dialogue scene like a play if you will.

• Multicast - an example of this is if you had 4 characters and different points of view for each character, so you’ll have a different voice for each one.

• Full-Cast - actors performing various roles.

Self-Management

A very important aspect to have personally and professionally in any field, but especially when it comes to narrating a book as you are the one who shows the way to the listener. Whether you are going to be self-directing or directing others, you need to be able to stick to the timeline and make sure to plan for any errors, extra time in the studio and to be sure things get done in a timely manner.

Stamina is Key

Some days you’ll be in the studio for long, long hours and your voice may get tired or strained. Try to pace yourself so you can keep a consistent performance throughout the entire recording session and remember to bring that same energy and tone to the next one as you will need to sound pretty much the same the whole time.

Organization

This is key as you should be planning way ahead, before even booking any studio time. 

Start with your script: How is it going to sound to listeners? What edits need to be made to keep the listener immersed? What words need emphasis? What words need to be softer? Pacing? Think about how you want it to sound and what message you want to be delivered in the tone of voice.

Remember to plan out extra studio time, and to budget accordingly as costs can quickly add up. For every hour of finished audio, plan for 2 hours in the studio regardless of the experience of the actor - they’re bound to make mistakes and making sure you have the time to actually and effectively deliver a great audiobook is what’s important.

Know What You’re Doing

If it’s your first time creating an audiobook, do some research. There is plenty of advice, tips and tricks out there, so as to not waste any money on a project that you have no idea where to even begin, look into it here. The narrator needs to have full control over their voice, which means confidence and if you’re new then you may not have the experience so all that’s left to do is to learn and practice.

Be Objective

You may have your own opinions on how a character should sound or be like, but stay objective. While you may love the book you are narrating, keep in mind that it’s the author’s book and they’re the ones who have created the story and the people in the book that you are so passionate about. Basically, the narrator tells it as is. You may have extra inside information that the audience doesn’t know, but that doesn’t mean you are the author (unless you are, but there’s a reason why you have a script).

Paint the Picture

People who typically enjoy listening to audiobooks like being told a story. So, it’s up to the narrator to be able to execute and deliver this to the best of their professional abilities. They’re able to bring the text to life and truly embody the characters. Whether it’s through the pacing and pronunciation of your words, voice separation from each character and narrative text, what you’re doing is drawing people to you with your voice, a strong skill not everyone is able to do.

CONCLUSION

There is more to audiobook narration than meets the eye. There’s a lot of background preparation that needs to go into the production before you can even begin to think of actually stepping into the studio. Basically, know what you’re doing, and if you don’t start researching, otherwise you’ll find yourself clueless and out of money. Do you want to create your own author-narrated audiobook? Let us know!

Written by Tina Phong

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If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer audiobook production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales. 

Learn more here and listen to some of our audiobook samples.

8 Skills You Need for Audiobook Narration

Narrating an audiobook isn’t just reading words off of a page in one single monotone voice, it’s a lot more than that and some would even consider it one of the hardest forms of voiceover jobs you can do. But if you follow these steps, you’ll be able to master the technique and become one of the best narrators out there.

1. Articulation and Breathing

You need to be able to properly and clearly pronounce words, especially on those with harsher or higher-sounding tones as they aren’t very pleasant to the ear (such as the letter S). You also have to be wary of which words to put just a little more emphasis on and which ones to not, while also making sure to avoid any whistling sounds, lisping and other unnecessary mouth noises.

Always make sure you have enough air in your lungs to properly be able to deliver a full sentence without needing to take a breath (some could be super long sentences as well) so that the line stays consistent and your voice isn’t fading out by the end. Avoid any swallowing, and gulping and look into breath control.

You’ll need to focus on controlling how your ‘p’ sounds, harsh words, maintaining your volume throughout and being able to project your voice properly. This way, once you’re on the review and editing phase of the audiobook, there won’t be that much to adjust and you’ll more likely be hired.

2. Delivery, Tone and Consistency

To be able to draw in and fully immerse the reader into the story is what makes a narrator a great one. It must match what is going on in the text and the message that the author is trying to deliver at this point of the story. 

The pacing and the tone of yours need to be adjusted accordingly as the listener could easily get bored of your voice as it becomes more predictable and similar sounding. You’ll have to practice the energy you place in reading each sentence, breath control, pitch control and characterization. The more professional and consistent you are in your delivery the more likely you are to get hired,

On top of that, your voice must stay consistent from day to day as it’s most likely that you’ll be doing more than one recording session for the same audiobook.

3. Eye-Brain-Mouth Control

When reading the script, you are to read it word for word as it is tailored and perfectly written with all the words necessary to unfold the story - so don’t go adding or changing up anything yourself. 

You also must avoid making any mistakes or as little as possible as one mispronunciation of a word will lead to having to redo the recording - which takes up time and money. So, make sure to read ahead and know more or less of what next lines need to be delivered. This way you’ll be able to easily read the script and deliver your performance effortlessly.

4. Stamina and Endurance

As an audiobook narrator, the days are long and you’ll typically be spending 4-6 hours in the studio, each day recording. This means you’ll need to have the same amount of energy in the delivery and tone of your lines by the end of the day as you had at the start of it. 

5. Characterization

Give life to these characters through your voice. Based on their gender, age, accent, personality, tone - whatever it is have a specific voice for each character that matches their description.

6. Analysis

Understanding the story, its plot, and the characters is crucial to delivering a great performance that won’t bore the listeners and actually get them more invested and immersed in the world that the author has written on the pages - but in audio form. 

7. Separation 

Make sure to separate your narrator voice from your character’s voice so this way the listener can differentiate between each character while also knowing which parts are just describing words. Basically, say “she said” in a normal voice, but what she actually says is in a slightly different voice. But make sure this stays consistent so the reader can identify which character is speaking without needing a name.

8. Investment

Any successful narration is due to the narrator actually being invested in the story and enjoying it themselves. As opposed to seeing it as just another assignment or job that pays, to see it is an opportunity to be able to bring the story to life and take the listener through the journey of each character as their life unfolds.

CONCLUSION

If you want to become an audiobook narrator start sharpening your articulation and breathing skills, work on your delivery, tone and consistency, eye-brain-mouth control, your stamina and endurance, bringing the character’s on the pages to life, understanding the story, being able to create distinctions between each voice and to be thoroughly invested in your work.

Are there any other secret skills you’d like to share for audiobook narrators? Let us know!

Written by Tina Phong

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​​If you need help turning your book into an audiobook, we offer audiobook production services that will help you reach a wider audience and increase your book sales. 

Learn more here and listen to some of our audiobook samples.