How to Get Started With Audiobooks

Tips to get you comfortable with listening instead of reading

Hi Listeners,

I’ve made no secret in the past of my hesitancy in listening to audiobooks. Audiobooks are a great way to expand your reading horizons. If you’ve never listened to audiobooks before or are a reluctant listener, you are in for a treat when you find great audiobooks to listen to. While you may not have the same hesitancies that I did, I think I’ve got some tips for you that will help you enjoy audiobooks. My audiobook listening is still a work in progress, but it does get easier and more comfortable with each book I listen to.

There are a lot of reasons to listen to audiobooks. The biggest reason that I hear from readers is that it’s hands-free. You can do household chores, run, walk, commute, fall asleep to and many more. For readers with vision problems, this may be their only choice to read books. Some people are more auditory than visual; there are many reasons to “listen” to books, and no one needs a reason, just a desire. Having the desire doesn’t necessarily equate to being successful at it; I know this from experience.

Many things determine what makes a great audiobook, and those things are different for each of us. For me, the narrator is what draws me into the book and keeps me coming back for more. If I don’t like the narrator’s voice, there is no reason for me even to attempt to listen.

I have learned several more things that have helped me on my audiobook journey; hopefully, some of these will help you too:

• Listen to the sample first - Most audiobook services will allow you to listen to a sample before buying it. If the narrator’s voice is a deal-breaker for you, then do this first before buying. When the narrator’s voice matches the book in accent, style, voice inflection, it can be magic. I think this is why I loved all three of Elizabeth Acevedo’s books on audio.

• Start with something easy and quick - If your mind tends to wander like mine does, easy and quick are necessary. When I choose an audiobook to listen to, I look at the length before listening to a sample as I know anything beyond 6-8 hours will lose me, no matter how interesting it may be. I only listen in my car to and from work, and if it takes me weeks to listen to it, I lose interest.

• Start with low cost in the beginning - Libraries are the best place to determine if you can successfully listen to audiobooks with little to no cost upfront. Most libraries have some audiobook listening function where you can check out audiobooks for 7-21 days. You listen through the Overdrive/Libby app or whatever method your library provides. At this point, I don’t recommend signing up for any subscription-based services until you know for sure if audiobooks are your jam. In an upcoming post, I’ll review the different audiobook subscription services, their costs, and the different places to buy stand-alone audiobooks.

• A compelling story sure does help - A plot-based story seems to work better for me than a character-based or literary fiction type of novel does. While character-based is better for me in print, I need the plot to move the story forward, so I’m not waiting for something to happen.

• Listen to different types of audiobooks - As with the printed word, there are the same genres in audiobooks. There are no “best” genres to listen to for everyone. Some work better than others, and you won’t know until you try out several different types of audiobooks based on the same kinds of books you like to read in print. I’ve read that some can only listen to nonfiction while others can’t listen to nonfiction. The same can be said for fiction. We all have our preferences, and those need to be discovered just like you had to discover your preferences in the printed word.

• Find a favorite narrator - I can’t stress this enough; if you find a narrator you enjoy listening to and is compelling, google for other books that the same narrator has read. A great narrator can take a so-so book and turn it into a book that brings you immense enjoyment and will keep you coming back for more.

• What is your podcast style - If you listen to podcasts, let that help guide you to the kind of audiobook that would be a great listen for you. Do you like podcasts that have a couple of people talking in-depth about one subject? If you do, then a nonfiction book might be a good place to start. A multi narrator fiction audiobook will be a great choice if you like a scripted podcast with two or more people telling a story.

• Try different speeds while listening - I’ll admit that this was an epic fail for me. I listen to my podcasts at 1x speed. I’ve tried listening faster, but it makes the voices sound weird. I tried a faster speed with my first couple of audiobooks and quickly went back to 1x speed. I love Elizabeth Acevedo’s voice, and the faster speed distorted it and made me not want to continue. I am not saying I’ll never try this again, but I don’t see myself ever listening to either an audiobook or a podcast at anything other than 1x speed. Many audiobook listeners have success with faster speeds, so be sure to try it to see if it works for you.

• Read the book while listening - Reading the book along with the audio is a great way to get started, especially if the book is poetry or prose. You can also switch between the two for when hands-free reading is the only thing that will work, like driving.

• Try re-reading a book you enjoyed - If you’ve read a book that you enjoyed and think it will lend itself to a great listen, give it a try. I believe this is where a great narrator is so important. You already know the story and know what happens; now, you can listen to it with inflection in the voice of the characters that you loved. It brings the story to life, and you have a head start because you already know what the story is.

• Audiobooks read by the author - Most audiobooks are not read by the author of that same book; they are read by a professional narrator that has the experience and knows how to make a book come alive. When you find a book read by its author and you enjoy that author’s narrative style, it can give a whole new meaning to the book. I think this is why I love Elizabeth Acevedo’s books so much. When she reads them, I can see the characters in my mind, and I know exactly what they look like and what they are wearing; I know the places they go and the people they encounter in their travels. I don’t know that another narrator could do her books justice.

When you find a type of book that works for you and a narrator that makes a book come alive when you listen, you are in for a magical journey that you can’t achieve by reading a book. I hope some of these tips can help you enter the world of audiobooks if you’ve been hesitant to try. I’m still learning my preferences in style, narrator, and genre, and along the way, I’m also learning more about what makes a book a great read or listen for me.

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I just started the audiobook Pride: A Pride and Prejudice Remix by Ibi Zoboi, and it’s narrated by who else but Elizabeth Acevedo. I specifically chose this book as I know I adore her and her narration; I knew I would enjoy listening to any book she would narrate. She could probably read the back of a soup can and make it sound delightful. My wish for you is to find a narrator who makes an audiobook come alive for you to explore the wonderful world of audiobooks.

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I’d love to hear about your audiobook adventures, successes, and failures, too; do you listen to them, and have you found narrators that make audiobooks come alive for you? One can never have too many books to read or too many ways to read those books. I look forward to making audiobooks a bigger part of my reading life.

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Reading is such an essential part of my life, and writing this newsletter has been a way for me to share my love of reading with others. I appreciate every one of my readers and subscribers and truly enjoying hearing from you when you comment or email me. If you enjoy reading this newsletter, I’d love it if you would share it with your circle of readers, so your circle can become my circle too.

Have a super week, read some great books, and I look forward to dropping into your inbox again on Friday. Happy Reading and Listening!