Audiobooks: Access reading through listening

Audiobooks can come on CD in two main formats: standard audio CD and DAISY CD.

A standard audio CD works just like a music CD, so you can play it on any CD player. Audiobooks on CD are widely available from major retailors, charity shops and second‑hand sellers. You can also borrow audiobooks on CD from your local library, however the options available are limited.

The downside of standard CDS is that they don’t give you many navigation options. You can normally only skip from one track to the next. Also, CDs can only house around 80 minutes of audio, meaning that most audiobooks will be spread across multiple CDs.

DAISY CDs store audiobooks in the DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) format, which is specially designed for blind and print disabled people.

DAISY lets you move around a book in a much more flexible way. You can jump to chapters, sections, pages or even paragraphs, and DAISY supports several levels of navigation to help you do that. You can also add your own bookmarks, so it’s easy to return to specific places in the book. Many DAISY CDs hold around 25 hours of audio, so a whole book often fits on one disc.

Another big advantage of DAISY CDs: if you remove a DAISY CD from a device, when you reinsert it, it will play from the point at which you removed it. This is unlike standard audio CDs, which will just play from the beginning.

To get the most out of a DAISY CD, you need a specialist DAISY player. These devices include all the buttons and features needed to use the extra navigation options.

Some CD players that can play MP3 files may also play the audio on a DAISY CD, but you won’t have access to the DAISY navigation features.

A standard CD player that only plays normal audio CDs won’t be able to play a DAISY CD, although a DAISY player can play a standard CD.

You can play both standard audio CDs and DAISY CDs on a computer. To use the DAISY navigation features on a computer, you just need software that supports the DAISY format.

Some audiobook providers, those specifically for print disabled people, offer audiobooks on USB stick. You receive the USB stick by post, listen to the book(s) on the stick and then return it in order to receive more books.

You can either listen to books on USB stick using your computer, or a device that supports the playback of audio on USB. RNIB sell portable USB audio players that you can use to listen to audiobooks on USB sticks.

Audiobook providers offer the ability for you to download books. Depending on the provider, this can involve downloading books to listen to using the app tied to that provider, or software that allows you to access multiple providers. Dolphin EasyReader is a popular app amongst blind and print disabled people for accessing audiobooks, and some providers also use the Libby by OverDrive app. You can also use standard software, including Windows Media Player and VLC Media Player, to listen to audiobooks from some providers.

You can download books onto various devices including computers, smartphones, tablets and specialist book players such as the Victor Reader Stream.

Streaming refers to listening to audiobooks without downloading them to a device. In order to stream audiobooks, it’s crucial to have an internet connection.

You can stream books using your computer, smartphone or tablet. Some providers also offer you the ability to stream books using Alexa-enabled smart devices via an Alexa skill. This means being able to access audiobooks just by using your voice.

Audible is the largest audiobook provider. It features over 900,000 audiobooks, plus Audible originals and podcasts.

You can buy audiobooks as you go, or sign up to a subscription which gives you a certain number of credits per month for you to use to get audiobooks.

The Audible app is available on a wide range of devices including the iPhone and iPad, Apple Watch, Android phones and tablets, Amazon Fire tablets and certain Kindle e-readers. You can also stream Audible audiobooks on the Audible website, and using an Alexa-enabled device.

You can also use the Victor Reader Stream 2 and Victor Reader Stream 3 to access Audible audiobooks. To do this, use your computer to transfer them using the Audible Sync app.

If you use Kindle, on books that support the Read & Listen feature, you can seamlessly switch between reading and listening. Providing you have both the Kindle book and audiobook in your library, you can download the audiobook to the Kindle app and easily switch between both formats. Also, this will sync your position so that if you start reading and decide you want to listen vice versa, you can switch formats and still access the book from the point where you left off.

Audible has many features so that you can listen to books. You can adjust the playback speed, customise how many seconds the forward and back buttons navigate by, and even save clips and add notes to those clips.

Audible is a very versatile provider. It offers lots of choice, lots of customisation options and lots of ways to listen.

The audible website contains all the information you need to know about Audible. This includes specific information on how the plans work and pricing, exactly how you can access Audible, and much more.

Apple Books allows you to buy both eBooks, and audiobooks that you listen to through the Books app built into Apple devices.

You buy each audiobook individually. There’s no subscription model.

Apple Books is great if you want access to a large selection of audiobooks and you want to buy as you listen. However, Apple Books is only available on Apple products, so there are limited options in regards to how you access it.

When you think of Spotify, using it to listen to audiobooks might not be the first thing that comes to mind. However, did you know there are over 700,000 audiobooks you can listen to on Spotify?

If you’re a Spotify Premium member, providing you’re the one that pays the bill i.e. the plan manager, you can listen to audiobooks for up to 15 hours per month. You can also subscribe to Audiobooks+, which gives you an additional 15 hours, giving you a total of 30 hours per month for listening to audiobooks.

If you’re not the plan manager but are part of a duo or family plan, you can request an add-on for you to listen to audiobooks. The plan manager would then purchase and pay for this on your behalf. This will give you 15 hours of listening per month.

If you run out of listening hours, you can purchase 10-hour top-ups so you can keep listening until your hours reset at the start of the next billing cycle.

If you don’t have Spotify Premium but still want to listen to audiobooks, you can buy them individually.

You can either stream audiobooks, or download books for offline listening.

You can’t unfortunately use the app to manage audiobook purchases  on Spotify. If you want to buy books or listening hours, you need to use the Spotify website.

If you enjoy both audiobooks and physical books (both print and eBook), you can use Spotify’s Page Match feature to find your place in the audiobook when you’ve been reading the print book or eBook, or find your place in the print book or eBook when you’ve been listening to the audiobook. While not everyone with sight loss may benefit from this feature, if you’re able to use your phone’s camera to scan, and enjoy both physical reading and listening, this is a great way to switch between the different formats while not losing your place in either.

Please note: Page Match isn’t available on all books. However, you’ll find a Page Match button on the audiobooks that support this feature.

Spotify is a great way to listen to audiobooks. If you already use Spotify for music and/or podcasts, you can access a large selection of audiobooks without having to take out another subscription or use another service. If you access listening hours via a Premium plan, while this is a limited number of hours, you can listen to as many books as you want and there’s the flexibility to increase listening hours. You can listen to audiobooks using whichever device you use to access Spotify, so there are plenty of devices you can listen on, from phones to computers to smart speakers.

BorrowBox is an app for borrowing audiobooks, and eBooks, from your local library. If you’re a member of your local library, you can log in to BorrowBox using your library membership and borrow audiobooks and listen to them right from the app.

BorrowBox is free to use because it’s linked to your library membership. However, it works like a physical library in that you can only borrow books, and a book may not be available straight away if someone else has borrowed it.

BBC Sounds is where the BBC hosts all its audio content, including podcasts and live radio. BBC Sounds also hosts a small selection of audiobooks.

The selection available changes regularly. Most audiobooks on BBC Sounds don’t remain there for a long period of time. There can also be times when some chapters of an audiobook may be available but not all of them, and some may expire before others.

Also, important to note: audiobooks on BBC Sounds are abridged. This means that they retain the plot points and key themes of the book, but they’re much shorter and are not the equivalent of the book word-for-word.

BBC Sounds is a good option if you want to listen to audiobooks for free. It’s great if you want access to audiobooks that are shorter, for example if you don’t have much time to read but still want to enjoy a good book without missing out on the plot and key themes. It’s also useful if you want a flavour of the book, and then you could use another provider to access the unabridged version and listen to it in full.

If you want to listen to a book in its entirety, BBC Sounds isn’t the best option. Also, remember to check episode availability because you don’t want to end up starting an audiobook only to not be able to finish it because chapters are no longer available.

Audiobooks on BBC Sounds are available through whichever way you like to access any BBC Sounds content: the mobile app, the website or through your smart speaker. You can also download audiobook chapters for offline listening.

LibriVox is an audiobook project featuring audio recordings of books that are in the public domain. This means books that are no longer copyright. The audio recordings are in the public domain also, meaning you can use them however you wish.

You can stream audiobooks from the LibriVox website, or download them to listen to on a media player or device of your choice. You can also access LibriVox via the RealSAM BookClub.

LibriVox is a volunteer-led project. Volunteers narrate all audiobooks, and many books feature multiple volunteers narrating different chapters. Because the project is volunteer-led, volunteers narrate audiobooks that they have chosen. Also, the volunteers aren’t professionals, so quality of narration may vary from book to book, and even chapter to chapter.

LibriVox is an international project, however it uses USA law to determine public domain. Bear this in mind when using LibriVox, for example if you want to distribute any audio as a UK user.

Most books on LibriVox were published over 100 years ago, so it’s not a good option if you’re after the latest bestseller. However, if you want access to classic literature for free with no cost or registration, LibriVox is worth exploring.

YouTube is a video sharing service, so it features any genre of video and audio you can think of, not just audiobooks. YouTube hosts a number of audiobooks that are free to access.

If you have access to the YouTube website or app, you can perform a search for audiobooks. You can be as vague or specific as you like. As anyone can upload videos, quality may vary considerably between different contributors.

There’s also a risk that you will not get the full book.  There may also be limitations on the variety of content available due to the nature of YouTube. However, the only thing you need to access audio books in this manner is an internet connection on a device with a speaker or headphones. While you can sign in to a YouTue account to access features such as viewing history of videos you’ve watched, this isn’t essential, so you can just navigate to YouTube and starting searching for audiobooks straight away.

YouTube is a good option if you want a free way to access audiobooks. However, as it’s not specifically an audiobook provider, there’s no guarantee that the audiobook you want to listen to will be on there, or the audiobook you’re after will be of good quality or accurate.

RNIB Talking Books offers around 40,000 audiobooks, which you can access via a variety of methods.

RNIB Talking Books are available by post. You can either receive them on DAISY CD, or on USB stick with the books in DAISY format.

You can also access RNIB Talking Books through RNIB Reading Services. This enables you to access audiobooks over the internet.

You can either download them straight from the reading services website, or use the Dolphin EasyReader app to log in to RNIB Reading Services and download books through that.

RNIB Reading Services is also available on Alexa-enabled devices through the RNIB Talking Books Alexa skill. You can link your Alexa account and RNIB Reading Services account and access audiobooks simply by talking to Alexa.

While RNIB Talking Books doesn’t offer the largest selection of audiobooks, it offers a lot of flexibility. This means you can access the service in whichever way works best for you. In fact, it’s the only service we’ve highlighted that offers books on CD, USB stick, via digital download and through streaming. The service is free too!

Calibre Audio is an audiobook provider for disabled people whose condition impacts upon their ability to access print. This includes those who are blind, have reading difficulties such as dyslexia, are neurodivergent, or have physical conditions such as arthritis in the hands or wrists.

Calibre Audio gives you access to over 21,000 titles, with new books added every week. You can access books in various ways: USB stick, download or streaming.

If using the USB service, you’ll receive USB sticks by post for you to play on a USB player of your choice.

You stream books using Calibre’s own streaming platform: Play Calibre. You can access Play Calibre on your mobile device or computer. There’s also a Play Calibre Alexa skill, which allows you to play Calibre audiobooks on your Alexa-enabled device.

If you want to download books for offline listening, you can do this using either the Dolphin EasyReader app or Libby by OverDrive app. If you use Synapptic software and have version 9.1 or later, you can download audiobooks through its own Calibre Audio feature.

In the UK, membership is free for people aged under 25, veterans and anyone wanting to access books on USB stick only. For people aged 25 and over who aren’t veterans and want to access books digitally, membership is £3.00 per month or £30.00 per year.

Calibre Audio offers a lot of flexibility. While there’s a cost for most people to access its full offering, this is much cheaper compared to the cost of mainstream audiobook providers.

Listening Books is an audiobook provider with around 10,000 books for people with any disability that impairs their ability to access print. This includes blindness, dyslexia, physical disabilities such as arthritis and neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism and ADHD.

You can stream audiobooks through the Listening Books website. You can also download books using the Libby by OverDrive app.

Membership costs £25.00 per year. However, if you would struggle financially to cover this cost, Listening Books can discuss options with you.

Listening Books is a good option if you’re happy to download or stream books. The selection of books available isn’t the largest, and there’s a cost, but it’s much cheaper than mainstream audiobook providers.

Torch Trust is a Christian ministry that spiritually supports and encourages blind and partially sighted people. As part of its offering, it offers Christian audiobooks in DAISY format, as well as books in large print and braille.

You can either buy audiobooks from the Torch shop, or borrow them from the Torch library. Audiobooks in the Torch shop come on DAISY Cd. Audiobooks from the Torch library come in DAISY format on USB stick. You can also listen to Torch Trust content via RealSAM BookClub.

RealSAM is the company behind the RealSAM Pocket smartphone, a voice activated smartphone specifically for people with sight loss.

RealSAM BookClub is a little different. It brings different services together. It’s not a provider in its own right. It gives you access to RNIB Reading Services, as well as audiobooks from LibriVox and Torch Trust. You can also access podcasts and your favourite radio stations through RealSAM BookClub. RealSAM BookClub is available on In Your Pocket phones, as well as Alexa-enabled devices and through the Alexa app.

RealSAM BookClub costs, but there are multiple subscription options: pay monthly for £5.99, a monthly saver for £4.99 (but that is a 12-month contract) and an annual subscription for £49.99.

RealSAM BookClub is a good option if you want access to audiobooks, podcasts and radio stations through one service. However, with it only being available on In Your Pocket and through Alexa, this limits how you can access the service.