Audiobooks are a wonderful complement to print, Kindle and other reading
formats. Listening to a novel or non-fiction book while driving, walking,
riding or waiting for public transit, traveling, sitting in waiting rooms,
crafting, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning or doing laundry or yard work
can make these activities much more enjoyable. A talented narrator can
significantly enhance the experience of consuming a good book.
Jim Dale’s Grammy award-winning narration of J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter
series is a perfect example. Unfortunately, production costs are higher than for print and digital
books, which makes audiobooks more expensive to purchase.
This review will introduce my fellow bibliophiles to Chirp, a wonderful
service that offers a changing selection of awesome, affordable, limited-time
audiobook deals without the financial commitment of a monthly or annual
membership fee that Audible requires.
Audiobooks Continue to Grow in Popularity
2020 was the ninth straight year of double-digit revenue growth for audiobook
publishers, jumping 12% vs. 2019 revenues to reach $1.3 billion, according to
this year’s sales survey conducted by research firm InterQ for the Audio
Publishers Association (APA). More than 71,000 audiobooks were published in
2020, a 39% increase versus 2019, per the APA’s consumer survey of American
adult audiobook listeners conducted by Edison Research. [Source:
Audio Publishers Association press release, June 1, 2021]
This rapidly growing trend toward publishing titles in audiobook editions as
well as print and e-book formats is wonderful news to the many avid readers
(including myself) who love listening to books as well as reading them.
The quality of the narrators and their performances has improved dramatically
in recent years. More and more books are being narrated by award-winning stage
and film actors. Depending on their contracts, narrators may be paid at an
hourly rate per “finished hour” of audio, and/or may earn royalties based on
sales. A sound engineer, producer, or other people may be required, and
production and editing costs are much higher than for other publishing
formats. Consequently, audiobooks are priced higher than their print or e-book
counterparts.
Buying vs. Borrowing Audio Books
Because of their higher price tag, many of us download at least some of the
recorded books we want to read the public library. Unfortunately, most
libraries can’t afford to make a wide selection of audiobooks available to
their borrowers, and the very long waiting lists for popular titles can be
quite frustrating. As a result, many of us who love listening to them purchase
at least some audio books rather than borrowing them from the library. In
fact, 38% of audiobook listeners who responded to the above-mentioned APA
consumer survey of American adult audiobook listeners indicated that they
subscribe to at least one audio book service, such as Audible or Chirp.
Audible dominates the audiobook services market to the point where the Audible
name is synonymous with this book format. As an Amazon company, no would-be
rival can hope to compete with its enormous library, financial backing,
in-house production studio, author and publisher relationships, and marketing
and technology resources.
I have been an Audible member since 2006 and remain a huge fan and loyal
customer. I appreciate the many major improvements, such as Whispersync for
Voice technology (which allows you to switch seamlessly between listening to a
book on Audible and reading it on a Kindle or Kindle app) and the excellent,
exclusive content produced by Audible Studios. However, the steep increases in
the cost of membership and the changes to their membership plan model in
recent years has made it less affordable.
Over the years, I looked into several less expensive sources for audio books
that others had recommended, but the limited selection and desirability of the
titles on offer, the number of abridged versus unabridged books and, in some
cases, the quality of the narrations (some of which were machine-generated)
was always disappointing. After being an Audible member for so many years, the
bar for a good audiobook acquisition and listening experience was set high,
and nothing else I found came close to measuring up. I gave up on finding a
less expensive Audible alternative for my own needs.
However, Chirp, a competing service that offers amazing limited-time deals on
popular audiobook titles at incredibly low prices, has turned out to be a
fantastic complement to my Audible membership. And for less hardcore audiobook
listeners who haven't built up a library of audiobooks in Audible's
proprietary format over the past 15 years, Chirp might be a viable and much
less expensive alternative.
Chirp Audiobook Deals Make Listening to Books Affordable
Last year, as I bemoaned how much money I was spending on my growing Audible
library, a close friend and fellow avid reader told me about Chirp, where he
frequently found titles that interested him at a fraction of list price. Given
my previous experience with lower-cost audiobook sources, I was somewhat
skeptical about how good this Audible alternative could be. But, based on my
friend’s enthusiastic recommendation, I went online to learn more about it.
I found several articles about Chirp that concurred with my friend’s opinion
about this new-to-me site and book listening app. The more I read about the
company and its audiobook deals, the more interested I became.
I went to the Chirp website and browsed their limited-time audiobook deals. If
the selection of steeply discounted books didn’t interest me or had lots of
negative reviews, they wouldn’t be a bargain at any price. To my surprise,
that day’s featured deals included a few bestselling fiction and non-fiction
titles priced at less than $5 each! I returned to check out the update crop of
deals several times over the following week or two and was impressed by
quality of the books across a wide range of genres being offered for just a
few dollars apiece.
I signed up for the Chirp featured audiobook deals emails in October 2020 and
have added quite a few new titles to my recorded books library since then. I
still maintain my Audible membership for its enormous catalog, and because I
own so many audiobooks in Audible’s proprietary format that I don’t want to
lose access to. But, thanks to Chirp’s limited-time deals and notification
emails, I’ve also discovered several new authors and series without paying a
small fortune.
Here are the things I love most about using Chirp.
Find Fabulous Deals on Popular Audiobooks
Every day, you’ll find a good selection of limited-time Chirp Featured Deals
that sell for a fraction of their list prices, with discounts up to 95% off!
At the time of publication, for example, there were 381 featured deals from
$0.99 to $6.99, with the vast majority priced between $1.99 and $4.99, from
popular authors as diverse as Janet Evanovich, Jane Austen, David Baldacci,
Lisa Scottoline, Robert Heinlein, James Patterson, Agatha Christie, M.C.
Beaton, David Sedaris, Jeffrey Archer, John Steinbeck, Stephanie Laurens and
Robert Frost.
No Membership Fees, No Minimum Purchase
With Chirp, there is no ongoing financial commitment. Unlike Audible, whose
listening plans are based on monthly or annual subscription fees, Chirp lets
you buy as few or as many books as you want, as seldom or as often as you
want. Never Miss a Great Audiobook Bargain You can sign up for Chirp’s daily
or weekly featured deals notification emails to make sure you don’t miss a
great deal. Or, if you prefer, you can opt out of the emails and visit the
site whenever you wish to check out the bargains on offer that day.
A Low Cost Way to Try Audiobooks
If you're curious about audiobooks and want to give them a try, Chirp is a
great way to start building a listening library without spending a lot of
money.
Listen When You Want, the Way You Want
You can use the Chirp app on your iOS or Android phone or tablet, stream
audiobooks from your Chirp library in a web browser on a laptop or other
device, and even listen to your Chirp audiobooks on your Alexa-enabled devices
after you enable the Chirp skill on the device and link your Chirp account.
Buy Once, Listen Again and Again
All books you purchase are yours to keep, so you can revisit your favorites
even years later.
A Perfect Complement to Other Audiobook Sources
Whether you’re borrowing audiobooks from the library or buying them on Amazon
or Audible, Chirp’s limited-time deals can help you listen to more of the
books you want while saving you money.
A More Flexible Alternative to Audible, With A Smaller Catalog
In addition to the deeply discounted, limited-time deals, Chirp also sells
many other audiobook titles at what they call "everyday value" pricing.
Although you won’t find the vast selection of titles that Audible offers,
there are still plenty of books to choose from. So, if you’re new to
audiobooks or listen to them less frequently, Chirp can be a viable and far
less expensive alternative to an Audible subscription plan.
Discover Great Reads With Book List Recommendations
The Chirp website has a well organized Book Lists section with smart, well
written recommendations to help you discover titles you might not have known
about otherwise.
Books for Adults, Books for Kids
While the majority of titles on Chirp are for an adult audience, you'll also
find plenty of books for kids, as well as some excellent recommendations in
the "For the Kids" section of Chirp's Book Lists.
Get 20% Off Your First Audiobook Purchase on Chirp
If you use my Chirp referral link, you'll get 20% off your first audiobook purchase (and I’ll also get
20% off my next purchase). It’s a win-win!
Explore today's limited-time audiobook deals on Chirp and save 20% on
your first order!
Do you have other favorite sources for buying or borrowing audiobooks? If so,
please share them below in the comments.
Discover Chirp: Awesome Affordable Audiobook Deals product review by Margaret Schindel
Read More Product Reviews by Our Review This Reviews Contributors
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