As a big audiobook fan — and supporter of indie booksellers — I am excited to see the big promotion that Libro.fm is offering this month to honor their 10th anniversary. If you sign up as a new member right now, you’ll get 3 audiobook credits for the price of one with your first month of membership.
So does that alone make it worth it to switch from Audible to Libro.fm? Here’s some info to help you decide.
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What is Libro.fm and how is it different from Audible?
If you’re not familiar with Libro.fm, it’s like the audiobook version of bookshop.org, in which you support an indie bookstore of your choice with every purchase.
In terms of costs, both Audible and Libro.fm are just under $15 a month, and each gives you one audio credit for a new book each month.
While Audible of course has a bigger catalog, Libro.fm has nearly a half-million titles, and if you’re a fan of best-sellers, hot memoirs and biographies, YA fiction and children’s books (hey, summer road trips with the kids!) you’ll find what you’re looking for. Plus you’ll get 30% off any additional book purchases you want to make.
Related: Not into audiobooks? Here’s one thing that changed my mind.
Do credits expire on Libro.fm?
One big benefit of Libro.fm is that your credits never expire — I’m currently an Audible member and it’s frustrating knowing that if I get behind on my reading, I’ll get a notification that I have to order something right now ASAP this very second or I’ll lose that credit. With Libro.fm, your credits remain your credits even if you pause or cancel your membership entirely.
I also like that on Libro.fm you actually own your books. As in, you can download them to your computer hard drive or to your MP3 files on your phone, and it’s yours forever.
Can you find the audiobooks you want on Libro.fm?
With 450,000 audiobooks, that’s a big catalog! The app is incredibly easy to navigate, with the main genres right up top. You can also browse through best-sellers, or check out their excellent “bookseller picks” — recommendations, curated by indie booksellers. )(Though I will say that Amazon editors generally offer good recommendations too, if more geared toward mass-market releases than undiscovered gems.)
I also like Libro.fm’s “playlists” — collections of audiobooks sorted by genre or topic like “2024 Women’s Prize for Nonfliction Longlist”; or a series recommended by experts including own bookseller you’ve chosen to support. (You can see mine is Brooklyn’s Books Are Magic, below.)
So… Libro.fm versus Audible: Some last thoughts.
There are a few considerations besides what I’ve already mentioned above. Starting with the question: What do authors want?
I will note that because of the power of Amazon in terms of book sales, authors often promote Amazon and Audible as their preferred resource for purchases. It gives them visibility, and can make the difference between a book that charts and one that doesn’t. So when we speak with authors, we tend to follow their lead on shop recos.
At the same time, authors may also recommend bookshop.org and Libro.fm because if there’s one thing an author loves, it’s independent bookstores, owned by fellow book lovers, who are invested in getting great titles into the hands of readers. Those higher prices also better help authors make a living from their work.
I know that not everyone can afford to shop local booksellers all the time; they really can’t beat Amazon’s prices, which is why we always give you a choice here when we recommend our favorite books.
However, it’s good to remember that whenever you support your indie bookshops, you’re keeping jobs in your community and a valuable neighborhood resource so many of us care about. A Libro.fm subscription is just one more way to do this — at the same cost as Amazon’s competing audiobook service, too.
Like, the last thing my neighborhood needs is one more real estate agency or hair removal salon.
This month only, become a Libro.fm member and shop their members-only, 10th-anniversary buy-one-get-one sale in support of local bookstores. This offer ends June 30, 2024. I suggest you give it a shot. If you don’t like it, you can always cancel after the month and you get to keep the audiobooks, too.
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