Why is Audible So Expensive?

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Audible is the top destination to get your favorite books in audio formats. Whether you are looking for classics, bestsellers, or new releases, Audible is the obvious choice for audiobook enthusiasts.

Although Audible offers premium-quality content, one common question among new users is: why is Audible so expensive?

In this article, I will break down the key factors contributing to Audible’s pricing and share 8 tips to get audiobooks at a fraction of the regular price.

5 Reasons Audible is Expensive

Let’s have a look at some of the reasons why Audible membership costs more than its competitors.

1: Audible is the Market Leader

Audible was the first audiobook production company which means they have the first-mover advantage.

They have the reputation of highest quality content and built a trustworthy brand in audiobooks, podcasts, and other forms of spoken word content.

Audible currently holds a 65% market share for audiobook sales in the U.S., according to Goodereader.

Audible is always the first choice for celebrities and popular authors. They demand big paychecks and royalties for lending their star power to the product.

Audible, being the market leader, can charge premium prices.

2: Audible Focuses on Premium Content

Audible focuses on creating the best quality audio content and it allows them to charge a premium price for their product.

Audible produces its content (or through a partnership with publishers) known as Audible Originals. This is exclusive content that is released only on Audible (and of course Amazon).

More and more public faces and celebrities are lending their voice to audiobooks. If a blockbuster movie is based on a book, it is now common for actors to narrate an audiobook version of the book.

From Tom Hanks and Prince Harry to Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway, celebrities love hosting a podcast or narrating audiobooks.

The heavy hitters and famous faces do not come cheap and it can cost a lot to produce the premium content, featuring celebrities.

3: Audible’s Extensive Collection

Audible features the most extensive audiobook catalog with over 1 million titles across 130 genres. All members get unlimited access to the Plus Catalog, with over 70,000 titles.

Related Article: How Audible Plus Catalog Works

Whether you are looking for a classic, bestseller, or a new release, your best chance to find a title in audio format is Audible.

Related Article: Audible’s book collection

4: Royalties and License Fee

Audible pays authors 25% royalties (or 40%, if they agree to an exclusive contract), According to AXIOS.

The audiobook producer has to pay the license fee to obtain the rights to make the audio version.

Other production costs include narrator payments (around 200$ per finished hour) and editing payments. At the end of the day, Audible has to sell hundreds of copies to break even.

5: 1 Free Audiobook and Unlimited Streaming

Audible’s Premium Plus plan comes at $14.95/Month. This plan allows unlimited streaming of Plus Catalog titles to justify the higher price structure.

The Plus Catalog has over 70 thousand titles, covering a wide range of genres. It is updated frequently with fresh content and includes Audible originals.

Related Article: Search Audible Plus catalog

Members also receive monthly credits to get titles from their premium collection.

Audible offers members-exclusive sales, deals, and offers. Subscribers are offered at least a 30% discount on all audiobook purchases.

So, to answer the main question why is Audible so expensive?

In short, Audible understands that it has premium content that a lot of people want to listen to and are willing to pay.

As the audiobook market size is increasing rapidly and demand is all-time high, it allows Audible (being the market leader and top brand) to charge a premium price.

Why are Audible Books So Expensive

Audiobooks are typically priced higher than eBooks or physical books. But why are they so expensive on Audible?

Let’s explore the reasons behind their cost and what goes into producing an audiobook.

1: Audiobooks are Expensive to Make

Producing an audiobook is more like making a movie than printing a book. It requires a skilled team, including narrators, sound engineers, proof listeners, and a producer, all working together to create a high-quality listening experience.

With so many professionals involved, the production costs add up, making audiobooks more expensive to produce.

The publishers also need to allocate resources for

• Evolving characters and multiple narrators
• Sound effects/ soundtracks
• Author royalty and licensing fee
• Marketing costs

On average, the basic production cost per finished hour of an audiobook ranges from $300 to $400. This means a 10-hour audiobook costs at least $3,000 to $4,000 to produce.

One of the biggest challenges of the audiobook format is its high production cost, making it more expensive than traditional books.

2: Celebrity Narrators

If a publisher chooses a well-known, highly skilled, or celebrity narrator, it can drive sales but can also cause production costs to rise exponentially.

Consider Audiobook narrators as actors in movies. If listeners don’t like the narrator, an otherwise popular book may not sell many audiobook copies since listeners do not have option to change the narrator’s voice

Celebrities take a big cut (upfront big cheque or a royalty percentage) to lend their voices and star power to the book.

Here are some of the best celebrity-narrated titles.

• Best celebrity-narrated audiobooks on Audible
• 25 Entertaining audiobooks narrated by celebrities
• 30 Audiobooks narrated by celebrities
• 11 of the best audiobooks narrated by celebrities

You can check out Audible’s Star Powered Listens for more.

3: Lower Demand as Compared to Physical Books

Audiobooks are gaining popularity each year, accounting for 9% of all book sales in the U.S. in 2022, according to Words Rated.

The audiobook format surpassed eBook revenue first time in 2019, and the gap has been increasing ever since.

Despite the rapid growth of the audiobook industry, print remains the most popular format among readers.

According to the Publisher Weekely, physical books accounted for approximately 54% of online book sales in 2022.

As audiobook demand continues to rise, the cost per unit is expected to decrease.

The audiobook format is the fastest-growing format in the publishing industry and is expected to become a $35 Billion industry by 2030.

4: Audible Encourages Subscription

Audible’s business model revolves around subscription plans. They encourage users to subscribe and get the premium titles through credits.

Audible makes sure that members get access to credits, offers, deals, and sales to make their membership worth it.

Related Article: 2 Types of Audible membership

You only pay the listed audiobook price if you buy the book with cash. Most users either use the credits or look for deals and sales to get their favorite titles for less.

If you use credit wisely, the membership pays for itself and you end up saving.

Know more about Audible membership plans

5: Audible is Not a Streaming Service

Some users compare Audible to Netflix, but in my opinion, that’s not a fair comparison. Netflix offers unlimited streaming for a flat monthly fee, but you don’t own the content.

With Audible, any book you purchase is yours to keep, even if you cancel. It’s more like buying a movie on Amazon.

Note: Audible’s basic plan (Audible Plus) allows you unlimited streaming of over 70,000 titles in Plus Catalog at $7.95/month.

Audible has dictated the average audiobook price for years without any real competition. Being the market leader and major player.

8 Ways to Save Money on Audible

There are certain ways to avoid the listed please and purchase an audiobook for much less.

1: Use Credits

You can subscribe to Audible to get 1 or 2 credits every month or get them in yearly allotments (12 or 24).

One credit gets you one audiobook, irrespective of its price.

If you are running low on credits (0-1 credit), you will see a special offer where you can purchase 3 additional credits.

On average, a credit costs you anywhere from $10 to $15, depending on your subscription plan.

Related Article: How to buy Audible credits

It is equally important to spend your credits wisely.

• Only buy audiobooks through credits if the retail price exceeds the cost of credit. If a book is available for $5 on sale, it’s better to buy it using your bank card.
• Don’t pay the full listed price of the book if you run out of credits. Buy more credits to get the book. The “extra” credits are usually cheaper.
• Keep some credits to use in the 2-for-1 sales. If your favorite title is on sale, you can always get an extra book for free.
• You can buy box sets for Audible credits. Type “box sets” in Audible search and browse through Fantasy, Romance, Mystery, etc. Buy a box set using credits and it will cost you much less.

Always look out for cheaper credits or free credits if you can get them. There are several special offers and deals throughout the year to get the credits for less.

Audible’s credit system is one reason Audible can sell audiobooks at competitive prices.

2: Subscribe to the Right Audible Plan

It is very important to subscribe to the right Audible plan when you are getting started with audiobooks. The 1-credit plan costs you $14.95 while the 2-credit plan is $22.95.

If you intend to buy loads of books, your best option is to buy the yearly 24-credit plan. It will get you 24 credits upfront at the cost of $9.56/credit.

You can fill up your Wish List with all the titles you want to purchase and grab them on sale.

Know more about Audible’s Plus vs Premium Plus plans. You have the option to downgrade/ upgrade your Audible membership plan as you like.

Note: Audible offers 30-day free trials for its Plus and Premium Plus membership plans that give you free access to member benefits for 1 month.

3: Lookout for Sales and Offers

Do not miss out on Audible’s sales, deals, and offers. Audible offers several deals including cash discount and 2-for-1 credit sales.

The Daily Deal offers a new title every day that is deeply discounted. There are special sales several times a month offering books at a discount.

Here are a few tips to get the most out of the Audible deals and offers.

• Frequently visit the Audible Deals page for all deals in one place and explore other ways to find Audible books on sale.
• Visit the notification page and sign up for sales and offer emails.

You can explore the genre-specific deals and offers from Audible’s deal page and find the highest discounts.

Related Article: 7 Tips to find cheap audiobooks on Audible

4: Use the Wish List Feature

This is a no-brainer. Always add the books you want to buy to your Wish List. You will be notified when the book is available at a discounted price or if it goes on a sale or offer.

If you have loads of unfinished titles in your account’s library and a new title catches your attention, add it to the Wish List.

This will ensure that you do not forget about the title and get the best deal to purchase it when it goes on a sale.

Related Article: How the Wish List works?

5: Buy with Cash when Appropriate

If your favorite book is part of Daily Deal, you can get the title at up to 85% discount. Sometimes it goes as low as $1.

Audible offers $5 offers a couple of times each year where audiobooks are on sale for $5/book.

If a book is heavily discounted and available at less than a $10 price point, use your bank card to buy the book.

You can save the credits for expensive titles and 2-for-1 deals to get the most out of your credits.

6: Buy eBook and Audiobook as a Package

If you buy an eBook (Kindle book) on Amazon, you generally get an offer to add Audible narration to your purchase.

The audible narration comes at a discounted price and gives you the same audiobook as you buy on Audible.

You can visit Kindle books with narration or classics with narrations pages to find all the eBooks with Audible narrations.

Related Article: A step-by-step guide to buy audiobooks on Amazon

7: Cancel Audible

This little trick can help you save money on your Audible membership. If you are new to Audible and your 30-day trial is about to expire, start the cancelation process and you will get a discounted offer to continue.

To cancel the Audible membership, go to Audible.com. Click on your account name and click on Account Details from the list of options.

Select ‘It’s too expensive’ as the reason for cancelation.

Audible, like any other subscription service, does not want you to go. They will offer you a discounted membership to stay.

Take advantage of the offer and continue using Audible for discounted monthly payments.

Note: Use any existing credits in your accounts before attempting to cancel your membership. If you end up cancelling your membership, all unused credits will be lost.

You can listen to all purchased Audible titles after canceling your membership and can also reactivate your Audible membership anytime you want.

Know more about the cancel option from Cancel or Pause Audible membership article.

8: Borrow Audiobooks when Possible

The final tip is to avoid Audible in certain situations where you just want to listen to an audiobook and are not interested in buying.

I highly recommend getting a library card at your local library. You can then use the Libby app to borrow audiobooks, eBooks, and magazines for free.

You can sign up to get a library card from New York City, regardless of where you live in the US. They offer an amazing digital collection.

Tip: You can share Audible books with other family members through Amazon Household Sharing.

There are plenty of other ways to save money on your audiobook purchases and you can also explore inexpensive alternatives to Audible for more options.