Need audiobook intel

[EffYouSeeKaye]

I’m trying to find if it’s possible to buy and download individual audiobooks. My mum is looking at a few hospital stays this year and would like to give them a try.

I use BorrowBox but I don’t think that will suit her as she won’t have time to wait for the titles that she wants to become available, and she doesn’t have a library card anyway.

I know there’s obviously Audible but she isn’t very tech savvy and I don’t think she wants / needs a full blown subscription service.

Is there an alternative? Somewhere I can just choose the specific book she wants, pay for it and download it to her phone?

Any wisdom gratefully received.

get an audible membership, buy your tokens, maybe run membership for few months to take advantage of monthly tokens, and sales, use to but a selection of books, cancel the membership

If she's a library member she can use the Libby app.

She doesn’t have a library card and no time to sort one before her first hospital stay.

@Nimbostratus100 so if we download the audible app to her phone and set an account up for her, can she keep any books we buy / download after we cancel the subscription? I’m not an audible user myself so not familiar with it / the token system.

We tend to run into difficulties with accounts / apps / passwords because of her lack of tech knowledge so trying to find as simple a solution as possible 🤦‍♀️

Starting to think I need a personal stereo and a CD 😳

Yes you keep any books bought on audible even if you cancel the subscription

Get a free sub to audible (and they’ll offer an extension for a good price for another month or two if you cancel) and you can buy extra books. You keep the ones you’ve bought but loose any unspent credits if you cancel completely.

BBC sounds

You can download loads of books etc from there

You could install Borrowbox and Libby on her phone or tablet, log in using your library account, and then manage a selection of audiobooks for her from your own phone. All she has to do is click the icon and they will be there (I have shared my account this way before).

Obviously there may be specific books she can't get immediately but they have an amazing selection and I have never had to wait long for newer titles.

You keep all the books you buy with Audible, and don't need a subscription at all, though its worth it for the free trial and one free book.

I second bbc sounds

Get a months free audible sub. Choose a free book. Then once you have there is an option to buy three extra credits for less than 20 quid. Get three more books using those. Then tell you want to cancel, they’ll usually offer another free credit to get you to stay.

Depending on what you want to read audible also usually has a number of free books you can download and podcasts.

Scribd is better value than audible.

Bbc sounds is a good shout, I hadn’t thought of that, thank you.

@TheYearOfSmallThings i have my borrowbox account maxed out with my own books and reserves so she would need her own account I think. I will sort a library card for her.

Good to know I haven’t missed anything I guess. I thought I was being thick not being able to find much outside of Borrowbox and Audible, and that there must be a way to just purchase and download an individual audio book but it seems not.

Still lots of useful info here though, so thank you all.