Audiobooks have so many benefits that it’s no wonder more and more people want to start listening to them. If you want to know how to listen to audiobooks and how to find the best audiobooks for beginners, check out my beginner’s guide below. I’ll help you choose the perfect first audiobook and the right audiobook app to get you immersed.
related article: the benefits of audiobooks
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the best audiobooks for beginners
I know, you were expecting a list here with 10 books or 20 or whatever. but I’m worried that you’ll scroll through them and decide that none of them really interest you, or pick one more or less at random, then get bored and give up on audiobooks. It’s the internet way, right?!
then we’ll do it differently instead.
Between the many fiction and nonfiction genre audiobooks out there, the different storytelling styles, and the many different ways for listeners to get their hands on audiobooks, I don’t think a list of the best audiobooks for beginners makes sense. or works. . instead, I want to try to give you the tools to find a good book for yourself. one that is the perfect first audiobook for you!
the best story for your first audiobook
If you already love reading ebooks or print books and want to try this new book format for yourself, now is the perfect time to reread one of your favorite stories and experience it in a new way! there is a great advantage in this. if you ever lose focus for a moment, you don’t get confused by the story and can quickly return to it without having to jump back. that way, you won’t get so easily frustrated with your audiobook. if rereading is totally impossible for you, then it should at least be a book by one of your favorite authors. When you’re just starting out with audiobooks, it’s not the best time to check out authors new to you.
I’ve seen a lot of people say they didn’t like audiobooks just because they didn’t like the author or narrator they heard first! That’s like saying I don’t like Italian cuisine because I once had pineapple pizza! (Actually, I love pineapple pizza, but I hope you get my point.)
If you want to try audiobooks because you haven’t read or haven’t been able to read many books so far, you can start by thinking about which movies or comics you like. People don’t necessarily have the same favorite genre of movies and books, but this is a safe place to start. For some movies, games, and shows, you can even find companion books that have audio versions, e.g. star wars, doctor who, or warcraft.
If you like podcasts, see if one of your favorite podcasters also has an audiobook. many do!
If you like rom-com movies, you’ll love how many great rom-com books there are in audio format!
If there’s a celebrity you admire, see if they have a memory!
The more confident you are that you will enjoy and be captivated by the story or theme of the book, the better to start with audiobooks.
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There are so many ridiculously great audiobooks out there and one could argue that for this or that reason one ranks among the “best audiobooks for beginners”. but people have so many different interests. It makes more sense if you take 5 minutes to think about what you enjoy and then find books that fit this topic and your interests.
Once you know the right direction, you’ll be able to find good audiobooks, e.g. in audible by typing the name of a famous person in the search or navigating the menu to the genre you like.
by the way, if you’re an ebook reader, amazon has this nice feature in the kindle app called audio update**. if you click there, you’ll get a list of all the audiobooks that are available for the ebooks you already own. They are often offered at a reduced price, and you can get some audiobooks for as little as $1.99.
related article: how to get cheaper audible books with whispersync
forms of narration
When choosing your perfect first audiobook, the way it’s narrated is just as important as the story. So, let’s talk about forms of storytelling!
full cast
full audiobooks are like listening to a movie. each main character is narrated by a different voice actor. full cast productions are often abbreviated (shortened versions) to make it more feasible to get as many voice actors in one studio. radio plays are usually recorded with a full cast.
duo narration
Consider this “total launch light”. in duet narratives for a book with a point of view of male and female characters, a male-voiced narrator reads all male-sounding characters and a female-voiced narrator reads all female-sounding characters.
dual narration
This is the most common form of narration for many fiction audiobooks, especially romance. the books often have two points of view and since each narrator only does the part of it in their own studio, this is easier to produce than earlier forms, which often required the narrators to record together in a studio. however, this is also the form that I personally found the hardest to get used to when I was new to audiobooks, as the characters sound very different in each chapter. I recommend skipping dual narration audiobooks until you feel more comfortable with the format as a whole!
single narrative
This is the closest thing to someone reading you a story. depending on the narrator, they may do more voice acting or more reading.
how to find the best narration for your first audiobook?
For people who are new to audiobooks, I always recommend a full or single narration audiobook. some find it easier to focus on one voice. if you listen to podcasts, chances are your brain is already used to listening intently to a single voice. but if you often follow TV shows without looking at the screen, e.g. while doing crafts or ironing, the full cast might work better for you since you’re used to hearing several different voices.
Of course, if you’re already an avid reader and want to reread your first audiobook, your favorite book may not be available in your preferred narration form. full cast stories, for example, are somewhat rare compared to dual or single narrators. In this case, simply search for a bunch of your favorite books on Audible and see how they’re narrated, or search for “full cast” or “radio play” on Audible if this form of narration caught your eye.
Whether you’re new to books or specifically new to audiobooks, it’s very important that you use the sample feature on audible and amazon before purchasing and downloading an audiobook. the sampler gives you a good idea of how interesting the book is to you and how much you like the narrator’s voice.
how to listen to audiobooks
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The best way to try out your first audiobook is at your local library. A librarian can help you set up overdrive or libby on your phone, and you can borrow free audiobooks with your library card so you can find what you like without worrying about the cost.
Don’t feel bad about stopping one audiobook and starting another if you feel like this isn’t the right one! listening to audiobooks is a skill and your brain will need some time to get used to it so that your mind doesn’t wander so easily. keep it up and try several different books, different genres and storytelling styles, if your first audiobook didn’t work for you.
However, if you don’t have a local library that offers free audiobooks, or if you’re like me and prefer to do everything from home, here are some good alternatives!
You may have heard that a standard audiobook subscription works like this: You pay a monthly fee for which you get a credit that you can redeem for an audiobook of your choice. But there are also plenty of audiobook subscriptions that work just like Netflix or your library! And for beginners, they’re great because you can try out so many different genres, authors, storytellers, and production styles to find out what you like.
audible is the most popular audiobook service. And in the US, UK, Canada, and Australia, they offer Audible Plus, which is a catalog of several thousand audiobooks from which you can borrow as many as you like. they also have many audio plays with a full cast of narrators. you can try this in a 30-day free trial**
scribd is a service similar to kindle unlimited. They have ebooks and audiobooks that you can borrow. There are some limitations, but unlike Audible Plus, you can find new bestsellers and book club favorites in audio format here! you can also try this in a one month free trial**
Either one is a good place to start with audiobooks. they are easy to subscribe to and have good phone apps that you can listen with. in apps, you can set bookmarks, which I highly recommend, especially if you’re listening in bed. the bookmark will help you quickly get back to the right part if you fall asleep or get distracted.
the scribd and audible app also allows you to set the narration speed. Some people have a hard time following audiobooks because they feel like the narration is too slow or too fast. With the narration speed feature, you can set the audiobook to play exactly as fast as you’re comfortable with.
Apps also have a sleep timer which is really convenient.
Most audiobook listeners prefer to listen with headphones or airpods. they make it easier to stay focused and not miss a thing. however, when driving, the car’s speakers also work very well. if you have headphones lying around, use them! In the long run, most audiobook listeners find a good pair of bluetooth headphones worth buying. When I listen to audiobooks while doing housework or cooking, I like to use just one earphone so I can hear what’s going on around me.
I hope these tips have helped you figure out how to listen to audiobooks and where to start looking for your first audiobook. If you have any questions or are looking for specific audiobook recommendations that might suit your taste, please leave a comment or send me a message!
If you want to know more about audiobooks, check out these 5 fun facts about audiobooks and if you want to know more about the different audiobook services, check out my comparison of the best audiobook apps. If you’re looking for more specific suggestions for good audiobooks, check out this list of 50 of the best audiobooks of all time, as selected by book bloggers.
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