Audiobooks 101: A Beginner’s Guide

Prefer to listen? Narrated by Daniel Henning.

An audiobook is a book you listen to instead of read. Someone narrates the full text out loud, and you play it on your phone, computer, or another device. That’s the whole idea. This guide covers the basics so you can start listening today.

What an audiobook is

• A full book, read aloud. A narrator performs the text, start to finish.
• A file you play, like a song or a podcast episode, through an app.
• Not a summary. An unabridged audiobook is the complete book, word for word. An abridged one is shortened.
• Not always sold as an audiobook, either. Some are published as podcast feeds. We don’t draw a hard line between the two — it’s all audio storytelling, and if someone is reading you a story, it counts.

Where to listen

You listen through an app on a device you probably already own: your phone or tablet, your computer, or your car or smart speaker.

Not everything is an app, either. Plenty of libraries still lend audiobooks on CD, and some carry Playaways.

For a full walkthrough, including which app goes with which, see Where to Listen: Apps and Devices.

Where to get it

• Free from the library. Borrow audiobooks with your library card, at no cost. This is where we’d start anyone. See How to Listen to Audiobooks for Free.
• A free trial. Some paid services offer one. If it’s credit-based you keep the book after you cancel; if it’s a streaming trial, access ends when the trial does. See our Free Trials guide.
• Buying. One at a time, or through a subscription that gives you credits. A credit buys any book regardless of its price, which is what makes them good value — see What’s an Audible Credit? for how that works.
• Buying from an indie. Libro.fm is worth knowing: it shares each purchase with a local independent bookstore you choose.

Picking your first one

• Start with a book you already want to read. A story you’re excited about makes the format easy to enjoy.
• Listen to a sample first. Most apps let you preview the narrator’s voice before you commit.
• The narrator matters. A book you love can feel different depending on who reads it, and twelve hours is a long time with a voice you don’t get on with.
• Adjust the speed. Most apps let you speed up or slow down, and the right pace is a personal thing worth finding early.

The bottom line

An audiobook is just a book read aloud, played through an app. Start with the library so it costs nothing, pick a book you already want, and adjust the speed until it feels right. That’s all you need to begin.

Happy listening!