why are audio books so expensive?!

Like previous posters I also have a subscription to Audible, borrow audiobooks and e-audiobooks from my library and download numerous podcasts. Gets me through the tedium of housework or driving.

I'm listening to The Silver Dark a Sea by Susan Fletcher through my Audible app at the moment - beautiful....

The last e-audiobook I listened to was Keep The Aspidistra Flying, read by Richard E Grant. Great stuff.

My library (Essex) has a really good range of downloadable audiobooks for free. it is through a service called One Click Digital and I think lots of counties now use this. it's a bit of a fiddle to get used to it, but I now get them on my iPod fairly easily and I have a wish list of more than 10 lined up so that will keep me going for several months at least.

It's not just little known and old stuff, there are lots of very well known authors and recently published books in all the genres.

Agree with others here.
Audible do a deal for 2 books a month for a year.if you pay upfront you get 24 tokens to spend over the next year and it works out at £4.99 each. I share my account with my husband of course and it works really well. Amazing how much easier housework is when you can read whilst doing it.
If you are not sure whether you get on with audiobooks then sign up with an online library (surrey for example) where you can borrow audiobooks and download them without having to leave the house.

I assume most libraries now have audiobooks and ebooks you can borrow via their websites. Dorset does, and so does Wiltshire, and Cornwall I believe. I'm in Dorset, and use their website regularly for borrowing audiobooks onto my i-pod. I've listened to Restoration by Rose Tremain, On The Beach by Nevil Shute, Big Brother by Lionel Shriver, One Night in Winter by Simon Sebag Montefiore, and many many more over the past year or so since I discovered I could borrow free audiobooks. It's brilliant.

I have also just been given an Audible subscription for my birthday, so have one book a month from there, and the rest from the library. I get through one or two a week, depending on the length of the book. That habit could get very expensive if I had to pay for them all :o

As I've said before, Librivox's free recordings which you can get from their website or via i-Tunes are generally pretty good. Some of the narrators are better than others, so it can be a little hit or miss, but free books all the same - a good way to access classics which are in the public domain.

Already been said but go to your local library and borrow.

I might get her one sometime, at the moment she is meant to be revising.

Would definitely recommend an audible subscription for her then!

I have a dyslexic DD, she does read avidly, but she also loves audio books late at night and she complaints bitterly at the prices.

I expect it's partly that volumes are lower.

Also, I have no idea how long it takes to actually act out a book but bear in mind your typical CD costs £7-£13 for about an hour of music - an unabridged book might take 7 hours to read out. You need to compare to the cost of other audio not the cost of a book.

It can be cheaper to buy recordings of radio plays which may well be abridged versions of books - they are shorter plus the recordings exist already.

On the BBC podcast site, they have a weekly drama (Drama of the week) it's under an hour long but it is free and there is a new one every week.

Also an audible subscriber! I've built up quite a library - about 150 books. I used to get 2 a month but now it's just the one. I listen a bit first to make sure the narrator is bearable, and I'll buy anything less than a credit. I often look for the most expensive books

The only time I have EVER paid list price for an audiobook, is when the price is less than £7.99, which is equivalent to 1 credit.
I had another email this morning offering 3 credits for £18, so £6 per book of ANY value. And there's a sale on, so there are books available at less than £6.
Excellent value!

And I agree myitchybeaver about the narrator. There are some outstanding narrators, who really bring books to life. I have bought books, solely on the narrator before (David Tennant for example)

When you listen to audiobooks often, you appreciate why they are expensive. The narrator can make or break the story and are often amazing. I just listened to 'tiny sunbirds, far away' and the narrator was outstanding, the accents and voices of all the characters. Talent and class, she deserved to be well paid!

I also adore my audible account and spend less than you might think, buying extra 'credits' and waiting for special offers. I rarely pay full price for a book.

I read 'normally' too but do lots of exercise (walking, running, cross-trainer) and love a good story on the go.

MegBusset,
I actually have Ulysses in my basket (great minds!). Funny my sister bought the CDs years ago and paid over £100 for them. The audible book is 53 but I'll use a credit, so effectively only 9Euro. Not bad value I think once you're a subscriber.

DD has all the Harry Potter audiobooks. They ranged from about £20 to £60 for each book. They were not cheap!!!

Agree to looking for the Audible deals or subscriptions. I just had 3 months at £1.99 a month! Then they often do two for the price of one deals, so one credit can get two books.

I have an annual Audible subscription - and agree it is fabulous value for money. Regardless of the 'rack' price of the book it only costs you one credit, which means you make some real financial savings in the long run.

I am an avid audiobook listener (helps with my insomnia) so go through a lot and notice the savings.

An Audible subscription is fantastic value.
£7.99 per month for 1 book of ANY value, with LOADS of additional offers for members, 3 for 2, sales, BOGOF
Starting price is £3.99 per month for the first 3 months.

I gave my DH a 12 month subscription for Christmas, which only cost £70

I LOVE my Audible account!!

What?!?

Oops sorry just read Duchesse.

I have just discovered Librivox - American free audio of classic books. A bit like project Gutenberg I think. Worked fine for DS listening to The Treasure Seekers via Android app.

£20-25? Are you serious?

That is crazy. I recently bought Wolf Hall, The Luminaries, and The Goldfinch for £0.99 on the Kindle and can't imagine paying more than £5 for a book these days unless it is a favourite that is beautifully bound & illustrated, for example.

if in UK you can pre pay 100 pounds at audible and get 25 books for that

I've subscribed to Audible on a monthly basis so I pay (I think)9euro/month which gives me one credit. Usually I choose the recent releases that are priced around 25euro, so effectively they cost me 9euro. Worth subscribing.