How can I listen to the Discworld audiobooks for a reasonable price?

May 30, 2020 4:34 PM

My library only has about a dozen of the 41 Terry Pratchett Discworld books as audiobook. Of all the other audiobook services I can find, only Audible has the unabridged books available in the US. But (I believe) I can only get one book per month unless I pay $30-$50 each! Is there any other affordable legal option to listen to them all? Preferably faster than over 3 years?
posted by lemonade to Media & Arts (8 answers total)

Audible has a two-book-a-month plan that is cheaper per-book than one (Looks like it's $23/month for two books). And if you get an annual plan instead, you pay about $225 for 24 books, which is less than $10 per book, and I believe (though you'd have to confirm) that you get the credits all at once. That plus the library should keep help.

Also, I don't know where you are, and I don't know if you're looking at only digital audiobooks or also CDs through your library, but if CDs are okay, don't forget about interlibrary loan. They can get things for you from other libraries (I know our library can get you anything that's in the circulating collection of pretty much any library in the state). If you call the library, they'd love to help you.
posted by gideonfrog at 4:47 PM on May 30, 2020 [8 favorites]

Most libraries are still closed to inter library loans at this moment and we are all waiting for enough libraries to open up to lending to each other again.

Be adamant about your request for audio CD items. They are often classified as “audio visual” materials and the first answer from your library may be that they don’t request them by ILL. However the plastic boxes are quite durable and withstand mailing and shipping quite well.
I think this might be a great option once we are all sharing library materials again.
posted by calgirl at 5:01 PM on May 30, 2020 [2 favorites]

You’re probably eligible to join lots of other library systems.

For example, before covid, you could join pretty much any library system in southern California by driving to a branch with ID. There are like 30 library systems in LA County alone and people joined those like they were collecting pokemon. Now we’re under lockdown, these library systems are issuing temporary library cards using web sign up forms.

So: use Libby (the app) to figure out which of any systems near you (where “near” probably means “in the same state”) have the books you’re looking for, then go to that library’s website and apply for membership.
posted by caek at 5:01 PM on May 30, 2020 [2 favorites]

You can buy the audiobooks from Google Play Books for a lot less than $30. A lot of them seem to sell for $6.21 and the most expensive ones I'm seeing are about $15.
posted by Redstart at 5:40 PM on May 30, 2020 [4 favorites]

If you have an Audible subscription, you can also buy additional credits three-at-a-time, at a rate close to your monthly subscription (I usually see them available for $11.change/credit). That lets you get the titles for less than the list price of $30-$50!
posted by wind_up_horse at 7:12 PM on May 30, 2020 [6 favorites]

I ran into the same thing recently, and found the same thing you did unfortunately.
posted by kbuxton at 8:57 PM on May 30, 2020

Do you have paperback books or audiobooks to swap?
posted by calgirl at 12:38 AM on May 31, 2020

It seems Hoopla (hoopladigital.com) has a few of them. You might have access to Hoopla through your library.
posted by Tehhund at 9:35 AM on June 1, 2020