Audio book rentals can be a convenient way to enjoy a wide range of audiobooks at home. Audio book rental plans offer audio book listeners the opportunity to rent audio books covering many different genres, including the latest bestsellers through to much-loved classics.
What are Audio Book Rentals?
Many audio book rentals work in the same way as Netflix, the online movie rental service. Listeners create a list of the audio books that they would like to listen to. As part of the audio book rental plan, as audio books on the list become free, they are sent to the listener to enjoy. Many plans have no time limit and people can enjoy listening to the audio book at their leisure before returning the book. Audio book rentals usually include audio books on CD or MP3 disc formats.
How are Rental Audio Books Received?
Most standard audio book rental plans involve audio books being dispatched and returned through the postal system. A new book from a listener's audio book preference list is dispatched when the first audio book is returned. This means that there can be a delay in receiving new books. Many audio rentals providers offer a two audio book rental plan. This is a good way to avoid a delay in the receipt of new books as one audio book can be returned while the other is being listened to.
Benefits of Renting Audio Books
There are many benefits of renting audio books. These include:
- Wide range of audio books to choose from including bestsellers and non-fiction titles
- Audio books are delivered directly to the home
- CD and MP3 disc audio books can be played in many devices
- Physical discs are delivered, no need to worry about downloading files
- Cost effective way to access a wide selection of audio books
- Many plans include free postage in both directions
- Some plans have no limit as to how long books can be held
Drawbacks of Renting Audio Books
While there are many benefits of renting audio books, there are also some drawbacks. These include:
- Audio books are dispatched when they are available, this means that they are not necessarily available on demand
- Delay in receiving new audio books due to the time it takes to dispatch or return the audio books
- Many audio books are DRM protected and this means that they cannot be copied onto other devices such as MP3 players or mobile phones
- Some unabridged audio books are split and may not arrive consecutively
- Price may not be that competitive when compared with audio book digital download plans offered by companies such as Audible
Audio Book Rental Companies
Many companies offer audio book rental programs. These include:
- AudiotoGo.com
- AudiobookWorm.com
- SimplyAudiobooks.com
Depending on a listener's circumstances, audio book rentals are a great way to access and listen to a wide variety of audio books. There are many different plans and rental options available and rental companies often offer a trial service. This can be a good low-risk way to find out if audio book rental is the best option.
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Kate Pullen - Kate Pullen is a freelance writer specializing in arts and crafts , and is an accomplished craftsperson. As well as being a designer / ...
