Why are audiobooks on iTunes so da*n expensive?? WOW!!!

I just bought a macbook but I had been noticing this. I love audiobooks but I refuse to pay that much for an audiobook that I'm only going  to listen to once. Do they ever go on sale? I just can't believe the cost of them. Anyone agree?

An audiobook is where you listen to someone narrate or read the book, right?

Wouldn't reading the books be more fun? And cheaper, libraries are free.

I also know the library has a bunch of audiobooks too. They're CDs, so you can try checking there, you can most likely rip them with something like windows media player and keep them for future re-listening or something.

how much are they?

a good paperback is $20; a hardback at leat $30.  at used bookstores and garage sales, they can be had for pocket change. 

i happen to like books the way they are; concrete, tactile, on the shelf, ready to be read and passed on.  i've gone totally digital when it comes to music, but i'm not ready to give up my books.  i like the way they feel and smell.

I read in the bathtub, so actual books are a must for me.

Nenewa, libraries often have audio books you can check out. 

Original Post by cptbunny:

Wouldn't reading the books be more fun? And cheaper, libraries are free.

 

 They are great for long drives (or for people who get motion sickness on planes and things like that).

I'm intrigued why you'd only listen to them once!  If you buy a DVD do you watch it once and then put it in the bin?   The beauty of a really good book is that it can stand being read and re-read (or re-listened to) several times and you'll get something different out of it every time. 

good concept for a sticky thread, jane: books you read over and over, and will share with buddies.

i have some that i buy every time i find them, because i give them away all the time. just picked up a spare copy of my favourite at a garage sale the other day.

Do you find books say different things depending on how you're feeling and where you are in your life?...  I remember reading Pride & Prejudice as a teenager and thinking it was about 'posh people from the olden days' messing about in a pretty boring fashion.  In my twenties I thought it was a charmingly fluffy romantic novel.  But re-reading it in my thirties (with a bit more hard-knock experience of the world) I finally appreciated it for the biting satire it really is!!

yes. P&P i always got (and i just bought P&P&V), but other books definitely have depended on state of mind. had this conversation with my best friend this evening, actually; she loves the guy who's my favourite author, but hasn't been able to get through one of my favourites; i need to re-try some Faulkner. my favourite books i read over and over, and every time i get something new. that's my test...

I do love books but sometimes it is easier to listen to an audiobook. I love to listen to them in the car to and from work or just anytime in the car. I used to think they were stupid until I tried it one day. I am aware of the library too because I've used the library to check out audiobooks many times. To the question of why would I only listen to it once...well it's like a movie to me. I only watch a movie once and I only read a book once. I've never been able to read a book more than once. I don't see the point of rereading it because I already know what is going to happen. The same deal with an audiobook. Why would I listen to it more than once.

If a book is truly good, I can read it over and over. Same with a good movie...

And I'm with PG... I like having the actual book up on my shelf. 

Original Post by nenewa:

I've never been able to read a book more than once. I don't see the point of rereading it because I already know what is going to happen.

it's not about what happens; it's about the details, the subtleties, and the characterization.  sometimes knowing what happens lends a whole new level of understanding to the story.

the best books get better every time.  and because we change over time, we see the same book through new eyes. 

and movies - i have favourite moments that will never, ever get old. 

find the alternatives then, itunes is not the only place to get audiobooks ;)

I get mine at audible.com, you can get 2 per month for 15$, which I find more than reasonable. As a regular listener (while doing household chores or outdoor sports) that's about as many as I can listen to in a month anyway. The rest of the time I do read paper books though :)

I've never listened to an audiobook in my life! Ok ok maybe something like Dr Seuss when I was a child, but I used to read along with it. I can't imagine listening to someone read a story from a regular book. Listening to 300+ pages or so, it definitely interests me but somehow seems boring.

I'm going to the library Tuesday to see what they have, any suggestions? Maybe listen to something I already read? Seems like something to plop in my ipod while on the treadmill (I can't read while on it yet, it's dangerous!).

Oh and like others, I can read a book several times! Y'know when you watch a movie, and then watch it again several days or weeks later, you sometimes catch stuff you didn't see before because you didn't know about it till the movie was over? I love finding those things! Sometimes it takes two reads to notice some of them!

I won't/wouldn't pay for an audiobook though, I rather pay for the paper if I'm gonna pay at all.

After some investigating I think I'm gonna stick to listening to what I already read. I find myself looking at things I haven't read/heard and I want to read them first, lol.

i have one friend who loves audiobooks for road trips.  me, i think i'd forget that i was driving.  yesterday after putting the deposit on my motorcycle, i got lost repeatedly because i was so busy navel-gazing, i just followed the vehicle in front of me.  seriously, i was in every suburb to the south and east of vancouver, because i just kept forgetting to pay attention to where i was going.

on a drive that i've taken many times, i'd probably be fine, but if i have to navigate - forget it.  and around the house, there are even more distractions!  the only way i could do it would be to sit in a chair and just listen; and if i'm going to do that, i might as well read a book ;)

You need to go online to your local library. They have a large selection and you can down load them from home for nothing, (except for my taxes).

I drive 50 minutes to work and they help the drive go by. I still read books, but now I go through twice as many.

Audiobooks can be expensive because you're still buying a book... For the most part, they've still got to cover the same costs regular books cover (including royalties, production costs, etc) AND they have to pay somebody to read it.

How much are they on iTunes?  I've seen other sites where it's pretty comparable to buying a paperback... that seems fair to me.