Went with Thalia here in Germany (still less books than Audible) and used OoenAudible to convert all my books to .M4B-files and also all MP3-files from Thalia into the same file type as well.
Deployed an own instance of Audiobookshelf then and bought the plappa-app on iOS to stream or download the books, also having CarPlay-support here.
A little bit complicated but the result is worth it - and new books are bought on Thalia from now on. Works for me and my use case!
Thalia it’s just another locust that should have been prevented merging with Mayersche / Weltbild etc. People seem to have forgotten that it was Thalia that completely destroyed the small bookstores a few years ago, not Amazon.
Tend to pirate e-books, but will check out these options since I know I’m not supporting the author and the industry.
One thing about the graph is that some are labeled as ‘profit share’, what does that mean? The yellow orange color gives a hint it might be a bad thing since it’s not green, but it being next to environment friendly gives me the hint it is a good thing so now I’m confused.
Profit Share is good! It means they are sharing in the revenue. In this case, it is with your local libraries or bookstore!
This is the first version of this guide, so please share any feedback, and I’ll include it in the next version.
Note: I include the services that directly support local libraries and/or are non-profit organizations
Thank you for posting here!
Would be nice if the alternatives to US software weren’t other US software. 3 of your proposals are still US based.
You could instead have included Xigxag: UK-based, no monthly fee audiobook library, and BookBeat, Sweden based.
Xigxag is mentioned, but you’re right that I forgot to include BookBeat. The others are US based apps but support your local library/bookstore
And to keep things joined up: [email protected]
Downpour is great for audio books. I was pleasantly surprised to find a non-mopoly replacement for Audible.
In Germany you can have a look at the Thalia Hörbuch-Abo. First month free, afterwards 7,95€ per month. You can download one audiobook per month as MP3s. It’s completely DRM free, you do not need to install any additional apps and you can cancel monthly. If you don’t download anything in a period, you collect credits which you can redeem later, also after you cancelled. For the 7,95€ fee you can download audiobooks that are usually way more expensive. I had one that’s regularly priced at 40€.
https://www.thalia.de/hoerbuch-download/dauerformate/hoerbuch-download-abo
Solange ich mind. 12 Hörbücher im Jahr höre, komme ich damit preislich deutlich günstiger weg. Ich frage mich irgendwie, was der Haken an der Sache ist. Ich sehe soweit die Kundenbindung an Thalia als einzigen Vorteil für das Unternehmen.
@rbn @FallenWalnut sounded great, but after checking, not a single book I want to listen to is available :/
Are these books available as audiobooks in general? At least so far, everything I wanted was part of the subscription, even really expensive and/or new stuff.
Thanks for the suggestion! Will add it to the next version of the guide.
@rbn Yes, I found them on audible and audiobooks.com
OK, sorry to hear that. As you mentioned audiobooks.com, are you looking for English content maybe? So far, I only downloaded German stuff but of course definitely possible that I’ve just been lucky so far.
@rbn Yeah, I’m looking for English content mainly about software engineering and engineering management, so it’s very specific 😅. But the MP3 download made me look cause that would be awesome.
I switched to Storytel after downloading all my Audible books and deleting the account. So far I’m pretty happy with it.
As a audible user, I was so excited to try this out. Lots of alternatives don’t have a large selection, and the next best thing is to sail the seven seas. But I also want to support the author.
Downloaded Storytel, and not supported in America. Dang. Free me from this Audible hellhole.
Another shoutout to the “Library Extension”. It will help you find alternatives should Storytel not have the option you want.
Not EU but I changed to Kobo from Amazon some time ago and don’t regret it for a second. Got a backlit e-reader for nighttime stories, loads of books on sale and none of it goes to Bezos.
I’m really enjoying BookBeat. Especially with the student 60 day trial
I’d live to year people’s recommendations for someone just getting in to books, albeit audiobooks.
I’ve not used it, but have used Nextory which seems similar. Also Storytell seems similar. What I do like about Nextory is that they have both audiobooks and ebooks, unfortunately not always both so that can be disappointing from time to time.
I’ve found I don’t really listen to audiobooks, prefer to read appearantly. Do think some books are more suited for being listened to than others, especially fiction. Can’t recommend a book since I’ve only listened to Dutch books so far.
Me too! Was surprised that it’s not in the list. The prices are reasonable. I’m currently on the 100 hours for 20€ tier.
Please do not switch to Audiolib. It is owned by French fascist Vincent Bolloré who is actively manipulating the media and financing far-right candidates in France that consider Donald Trump’s politics a great example to follow.
Does anyone know of European alternatives to Amazon for physical books?
Are you in Europe? Go to a bookstore.
Where I am (a large city), bookstores not only don’t have the books I want available, but can’t even order them, so thanks for the snarky advice, but it doesn’t work.
