How much do audiobooks cost, and what is the average audiobooks price?
The audiobook industry is expected to be worth $33,538,000 by 2030. Its popularity can be attributed to book lovers finding a convenient way to fit in their favorite author, among other reasons. The number of audiobook providers has also risen, making audiobook fans spoiled for choice. All platforms have their own pricing, and many vendors use a subscription model which makes the actual price of an audiobook difficult to pin down. Keep reading to learn what determines the cost of audiobooks, their average price, and how their price compares to paperback and e-books.
What’s the price of audiobooks on the largest platforms?
Here are the membership and individual audiobook pricing information (when available) for popular audiobook apps:
Audible
Audible, owned by Amazon, is the world's largest audiobook and podcast service. You can choose from thousands of audiobooks from every genre and access them from the Audible app. Audible allows you to buy audiobooks one at a time or via a monthly subscription. The cost of one Audible audiobook can cost anywhere between $10 and $25. If you listen to audiobooks regularly, you'd be better off becoming a member and starting an Audible subscription. Depending on the Audible membership you choose, you'll get the following:
- The option to choose and keep one audiobook per month, including new releases and best sellers.
- Unlimited access to thousands of audiobooks, including Audible Originals.
- Access to members-only sales.
Audible Plus is $7.95 a month, and the Audible Premium Plus catalog is $14.95 per month for access to more perks. Audible offers a free 30-day trial before charging the monthly fee. It’s important to note that Audible does not come included with an Amazon Prime membership. Therefore, subscribing to Audible will be an extra cost for Prime members.
Audiobooks.com
Audiobooks.com offers over 250,000 titles. Audiobooks can be kept for life when purchased individually or enjoyed with an Audiobooks.com subscription. As a member, you'll receive two free credits each month to get you one audiobook from their library and one book from their VIP library. The Audiobooks.com subscription service costs $14.95 per month, excluding tax, following a 30-day free trial.
Chirp
Chirp audiobook service offers impressive limited-time deals on particular audiobooks and regular pricing on all other books. It has over 200,000 titles to choose from. All purchases are yours to keep, and there are no monthly membership fees or minimum purchases. They have adopted a pay-per-audiobook structure. Audiobooks can be purchased on their website and accessed via the free app. At the time of writing, the average cost of Chirp books' daily deals is approximately $2 to $4.99. However, the audiobooks not on sale will cost the full price.
Kobo.Com
The Kobo app offers an impressive 5,000,000 titles and has one of the lowest monthly subscription fees. They charge $9.99 per month after a 30-day free trial. You'll receive one monthly credit to purchase any audiobook regardless of its retail price.
LibriVox
LibriVox offers a catalog of free audiobooks for anyone to listen to via their iPhone or Android device. They have over 40,000 public domain texts narrated by volunteers who won't necessarily have narrating experience. So as long as you don't mind the quality and you're interested in public-domain texts, LibriVox is a service to consider. For unlimited access, audiobooks can be streamed or downloaded to your device for later use. Their free app is available in Google Play and the App Store.
Spotify
Audio streaming service Spotify offers over 300,000 audiobook titles. They operate a pay-per-book model, and you get to keep your audiobooks. They do not provide free audiobooks, even if you have a Spotify premium membership. Their audiobook prices range from $3 to $40. Currently, audiobooks can only be purchased via the web. Once you've paid to unlock access to the audiobook, it can be listened to using the app.
How are audiobooks priced?
Audiobooks can sometimes be expensive due to production costs. Here are the general factors with some approximate pricing that determine the total price of an audiobook:
Audiobook length
The price depends on the length, and longer audible books are more expensive.
- 1-3 hours: $7-$10
- 5-10 hours: $15-$25
- Over 20 hours $25-$35
However, Amazon can set the price for audiobooks sold on their platform.
Other factors
Other factors involved in audiobook pricing include:
- The book genre and the price of similar audiobooks. How much are the target readers willing to pay?
- How much does the audiobook cost to produce? Authors can determine this by taking their total production costs and working backward.
- How many copies are expected to sell? For example, best-selling authors may sell at a lower price due to higher sales volumes expected.
- How much is the printed book or e-book version? An audiobook can cost two to three times more than the e-book version.
How audiobook prices compare to printed books and e-books
For an idea of how the pricing of audiobooks, paperback books, and e-books compare, these are the figures for five books from Amazon's top 100 bestsellers.
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
- Kindle: $9.99
- Paperback:$9.33
- Audiobook:$23.95
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K Rowling
- Kindle: $9.99
- Paperback:$8.49
- Audiobook:$29.99
The Outsider by Stephen King
- Kindle: $14.99
- Paperback:$18.00
- Audiobook:$26.64
A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 1) by George R. R. Martin
- Kindle: $5.99
- Paperback:$10.48
- Audiobook:$28.77
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
- Kindle: $0.99
- Paperback:$9.60
- Audiobook:$29.46
Grab your first audiobook for a single dollar from Speechify
Speechify is another popular audiobook platform, and its app has had over 20 million downloads. They offer over 100,000 titles across all genres, from non-fiction to self-help. You can purchase your favorite audiobooks one at a time or use their subscription service to receive monthly credits to make purchases. Audiobooks can be listened to on your Apple or Android device by downloading their intuitive app. It just so happens that Speechify is offering the first audiobook for $1. Yes, that's right. See why Speechify has received over 150,000 five-star reviews, and get your $1 audiobook by signing up today.
FAQ
Are free audiobooks legal?
Free audiobooks are legal when the books are in the public domain.
Are monthly subscriptions for audiobooks worth it?
Subscribing to a monthly plan may be worth it if you listen to at least one audiobook per month.
