I tried a couple of times to find certain audiobooks, but seldomly had luck. There just does not seem to be a place that sells digital versions of audiobooks, similar to how bandcamp sells music.
And even putting on my eye patch and throwing out my fishing net I was not able to find a place to get them.
I do not want to use a subscription service, especially if it’s part of amazon.
Therefore it seems buying a CD and ripping it is the only option left.
https://libro.fm/ you can buy audiobooks through independent book store and they are drm free. It’s great. If you want more of an eye patch solution. You could rip audio from YouTube. There tends to be a lot of books uploaded there.
Libro sounds promising, thanks for the tip.
Yeah it is great – their sales are pretty good but they kind of hide it but I often pick up a bunch of books from there and then host them on my home server so my family can read the books I bought. Also good to support your local book shop if you can , in my opinion.
+1 for Libro, I’ve been very happy with their approach and the DRM free store
I absolutely love Libro.fm. People can choose a local physical store for Libro to donate to.
How much do Libro.fm Affiliates earn?
Our affiliate program offers a 10% commission on each audiobook and credit bundle, and a 30% one-time commission on each new monthly membership. Commission is earned on each qualifying sale (excluding tax, returns, and cancellations).
Their customer service is phenomenal. Multiple times, there were some audiobooks that they did not have on their website that I wanted, so I sent them an email asking if they might be able to obtain them. They reached out to the distributors and got them on their store for me to buy in less than a week each time!
Libby app. In conjunction with my local public library card. Free audiobooks, e-books, e-magazines and much more!
Libby + librivox.org + archive.org has a ton of options especially classics
When all else fails, Audiobookbay and and Anonamouse are my go-to sites.
I’m sure your public library has some kind of online resource, Go ask them.
They do, but only for eBooks. Audio they only have as CDs.
1337x.to or pretty much any torrent site.
I usually use audiobookbay.
Libby. I got a library card from like… Kentucky library or something. I don’t live in America. I got a library card for my local library too but it doesn’t have as good of a stock.
How did you get that Kentucky Library card?
I’ve wondered if there is any way to get an US library card as a non-citizen for a while and this thread got me to finally do the research. The Queens Public Library apparently issues cards to non-US-residents for 50$/year. I have yet to look into it more thoroughly and check out the catalogue. But considering the number of Audiobooks I listen to, it seems like a good deal.
I can’t remember what county I signed up with but I just provided a real address in the county and a fake name and that was it. It’s free. There’s a thread on the other site for libby libraries you can sign up with for free. Some work, some don’t.
Did you get the card online? Or do you have to actually go to Kentucky to get their library card?
I signed in using my Dallas public library card, but once you’re in i think you can add other libraries for bigger selection.
Edit to add - Harris County Public Library let’s you sign up online through libby with a phone number. It’s says it’s a temporary card but would at least get your started.
Just online.
Have you checked your local library? Can be hit or miss, but many have a variety of digital and CD resources available.
Yeah, and as someone lse mentioned: they often have a Libby service that gets you tonnes of free audiobooks and other digital materials.
rutracker.org or other torrent site
The library (via Libby)
Libby does not seem to be a thing where I live.
Maybe Hoopla? I know my library supports both
Audiobookbay or Mobilism usually have whatever I am looking for.
I’ve been using audible for years. Then I download the file and scrub the DRM so I can use a different audio book player, because while Audible is a good source, their player sucks ass.
I do this as well, but I use Libation: https://github.com/rmcrackan/Libation
Super easy, barely an inconvenience.
Then I use Audiobookshelf https://www.audiobookshelf.org/ to host the books and their Android app to play them.
How do you scrub the DRM?
I found something on github that does it - removes DRM and converts to mp3. Works like a charm.
Nice find, thanks for sharing!
In addition to all the suggestions everyone has put in, check your local bookstores. My local Barnes and Nobles regularly stocks audiobooks (or did, I’m not allowed in book or tech stores without “adult” supervision anymore :), both in audio cd as well as mp3-cd. If they don’t have what I’m looking for, often they can special order it. Just have to ask.
For me though, Audible is cheaper. I’ll buy the books, download them and strip the drm off.
