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by lev99 3061 days ago
I'm a regular audible user with 72 audio books. Yes audiobooks are expensive, but I find them to be the most intellectually stimulating audio source. I have gathered these books over the last 30 months, with more heavy usage in the last 18 months.

Changes audible could make to increase the amount I consume audiobooks.

1) I'd really enjoy a "pause at the end of a chapter" button. So many times I would have pressed this and consumed more audiobook in a session than just pausing in the middle of a chapter. I think it would also improve reading comprehension and enjoyment.

2) Let me buy books on the app. I once spent a week without listening to audible because I kept forgetting to browse books when I was at a laptop computer.

3) The UI could have better grouping for series. I've read books without knowing they are series until I talk about the book with someone a few weeks later. The UI should let me know and suggest I buy the next book.

4) The UI should do a better job of highlighting the cheapest price. Sometimes it's cheapest to use a credit. Sometimes it's cheapest to buy the audiobook without a credit. Sometimes it's cheapest to buy the kindle book then buy the audiobook.

5) The books need better production quality. Books with multiple readers are significantly better then books with one readers. The reader has a large impact on the tone of the book. This isn't Amazon's responsibility now, but if they wanted to increase sales of audiobooks they could approach it from this angle.

6 comments

> 1) I'd really enjoy a "pause at the end of a chapter" button.

Audible has this feature, it's just hidden in the Sleep Timer menu. It has the exact functionality you describe, though: pauses the book at the end of the chapter. I've been using it nightly for a long time.

It also has timed options, of course, as well as pause at end of book part.

Thank you.
#2 is only a problem on iOS devices, Android users have been able to purchase books in the Audible app for as long as the app has existed.
2) will not be solved for the same reason you can't buy kindle books in the app. They're both digital content, and therefore subject to the Google/Apple 30% platform tax, and Amazon is unwilling to pay.
Google allows competing payment methods to be used on Android. And Audible on Android does indeed allow one to purchase books using a credit card.
> Yes audiobooks are expensive

If you get an annual Audible 'subscription' you're looking at something like £7 per audiobook. (Oddly they don't advertise that this package exists, but it does.) Even less than that if you play the game and go for Audible's promotions.

> Let me buy books on the app

I agree this is an odd omission. Could it be something to do with Apple's rules about handing over their cut? They gave Spotify a hard time a while ago - https://www.theverge.com/2016/7/1/12082398/apple-music-spoti...

Edit: apparently the Android app has no such restriction, so I suspect I may be right. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16324731

Edit2: Yup - https://www.quora.com/Why-doesnt-Audible-allow-you-to-purcha...

Agree with all of the above and want to include one more:

I'd really like to have a start/stop button on UI by pressing which the app automatically captures a note in text format and stores in the cloud under the same Audiobook. I hate to always take manual notes and in process miss out what narrator said during the time I was taking the notes.

> I think it would also improve reading comprehension and enjoyment.

Listening comprehension.