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Buckle up, kids—it’s time for a thread about how Audible Exclusive audiobooks (aka Audible Originals) hurt bookstores and libraries. https://blog.libro.fm/the-harmful-impact-of-audible-exclusive-audiobooks/
While http://Libro.fm has a catalog of over 150,000 audiobooks—and more than 99% of all The New York Times bestsellers—some titles are unavailable due to exclusive licenses granted by audiobook publishers and authors to Amazon’s Audible.
For Audible listeners, the yellow band on a book cover reading “only from Audible” facilitates a feeling of access to premium content, but for the rest of the book world, it’s an access barrier.
Libraries, bookstores, schools, and anyone who isn’t affiliated with Amazon cannot distribute audiobooks that are Audible Exclusives. This means http://Libro.fm can’t sell Audible Exclusive audiobooks, which means our 1,200 bookstore partners can’t sell them, either.
Audible Exclusives work in direct opposition to the basic principles of libraries—free access to books, both digital and print. By limiting distribution, Amazon aids in making books, perspectives, and information inaccessible to certain communities and users.
To reiterate: Amazon’s Audible is publishing audiobooks that bookstores cannot sell, and libraries cannot lend.
This hurts bookstores because they are consistently missing out on sales for big releases. This, of course, only continues to increase Amazon’s power and influence within the publishing industry, resulting in more Exclusive deals and increasingly restricted access to audiobooks.
So what can we do?
1) Switch to http://Libro.fm
When you choose http://Libro.fm over Audible, you support our 1,200 bookstore partners, invest in your local community, and get audiobook recommendations from real booksellers—not an algorithm. #audiobookswitch
1) Switch to http://Libro.fm
When you choose http://Libro.fm over Audible, you support our 1,200 bookstore partners, invest in your local community, and get audiobook recommendations from real booksellers—not an algorithm. #audiobookswitch
2. Reach out to authors and publishers
Authors can change the story by ditching Audible.
We recommend @authorsrepublc as a production alternative—their audiobooks will be available on http://Libro.fm , libraries, and wherever audiobooks are sold or distributed.
Authors can change the story by ditching Audible.
We recommend @authorsrepublc as a production alternative—their audiobooks will be available on http://Libro.fm , libraries, and wherever audiobooks are sold or distributed.
Publishers can also produce their own audiobooks and distribute to http://Libro.fm via @ingramcontent, @wearefindaway, and @ZebralutionGmbH.
3. Spread the word
Share this blog post to help bring awareness to the harmful tactics that Amazon's Audible uses to control the audiobook market: https://blog.libro.fm/the-harmful-impact-of-audible-exclusive-audiobooks/
Share this blog post to help bring awareness to the harmful tactics that Amazon's Audible uses to control the audiobook market: https://blog.libro.fm/the-harmful-impact-of-audible-exclusive-audiobooks/
Have more questions about Audible Exclusives? Want more action items toward encouraging fair access to audiobooks? Reach out to us at [email protected], and a real, audiobook-loving human will get back to you.
