Having a mobile is great. Use it to more than just phone calls and playing games: priceless.
So, the big question now is: where do I get my audiobooks from? Answer: there are many sources. Myself, I have been downloading them from different sources all along but I have narrowed down as of late for absolute lack of time. Regardless, I would venture to group the many different websites as follows: public libraries, free, free+paid, paid+free.
Starting locally, all decent public libraries have websites. The majority will allow you to search for content on-line. A growing group is now offering digital content. Digital content includes anything from magazines, newspapers, ebooks and of course, audiobooks. Usually, you will need a valid library card to access the content. Once you login to the library through your mobile device, you will have direct access to the digital content straight from and to your device, including capabilities such as searching, borrowing, returning and even entering a waiting list for the Harry Potter series (yes, been there, done that). You will need to use specific software (usually free) that is provided through the links in your library website.
If that's not enough, there are many sites that distribute free audiobooks. Usually, they are free because they are categorized as
public domain. Through those sites, you can download any title to your mobile device without a registration. Use of specific software is also not required giving you flexibility to use your preferred player. To name only a few,
LibriVox and
Project Gutenberg are the ones that first come to mind.
Other sites will distribute free audiobooks, either public domain or with lower audio quality. They will offer higher audio quality versions for a fee or their own offerings. Software requirements might vary from site to site. Examples of sites that follow this category are
AudioBooksForFree and
LearnOutLoud.
At the other side of the spectrum there are the paid sites. There you can find the latest audiobooks and most offer you memberships for lowering the cost of this entertainment. Sites such as
Audible,
Tantor and
Blackstone are good examples of such.
I started to compile a (reasonable) list that shows locations where you can go for downloading audiobooks. It will be accessible later in this blog's main menu.
Happy listening.
Marcelo
