Posts
it is seldom that profits loses.
I wanted to give one of my audio books as a gift to a lab tech at a local hospital.
I have given not only my own audio books but those of authors I think friends would like
from Craig Johnson to Patricia Briggs
to John Steinbeck {Travels With Charley}.
(Narrated wonderfully by the actor Gary Sinse)
Imagine my surprise when I discovered Audible would no longer let me
give a single audiobook as a gift!
The company line is that it's to focus on the more popular gift memberships!
More popular to whom?
Audible obviously.
No customer believes the gift subscriptions are more popular.
I don't
want to spend $45 to send someone a 3 month subscription.
I want to
use a credit I have or spend $20 sending them a single book.
I now have to spend $45 and send a “gift”
which requires the recipient
to sign up for a membership that they didn’t ask for
when they only may
want to listen to the one book I want to send them?
Nothing says "You are my friend" like sticking her or him with a bill for a 9 month book subscription!
This hurts the Indie Author who promotes by buying his audio book and gifting it to friends.
But it also hurts the Indie narrators, like the excellent Robert Rossmann,
who promote their work by doing the same thing.
The only one who benefits from this is Audible (owned by Amazon) --
Another example of why monopolies are bad for the consumer.
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THIS?
ARE YOU AFFECTED BY THIS?
Hi Roland - I don't use audible - but it's certainly an outlet I'd think about. I hadn't thought about gift vouchers this way before ... seems a little strange - and sad for the lab tech person. So can't pass comment - all the best - Hilary
ReplyDeleteThe Indie narrators who depend on the audio books doing well are the people I am most concerned about. :-(
DeleteEnough people complain, they might change it back.
ReplyDeleteAmazon, who owns Audible, is so big these days that it just does not care if we complain or not. They are a juggernaut that rolls over any who gets in its way. Thanks for visiting today. :-)
DeleteArgh. I totally agree with you. No one wants a subscription. "Happy holidays! You get to pay for the other 9 months!" :(
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I heard from the grapevine (Alex, IWSG) that you may know a thing or two about New Orleans and have some suggestions? I'm planning on going at the end of November. If you have any, I'd love to take them into consideration as I plan my trip, if you are willing to share. :)
Sigh, yes about Audible. I know pre-Katrina New Orleans, but I will ask some NO friends for some suggestions. :-)
DeleteAs a publisher of audiobooks through Audible, I think you can get 'free' codes, but you can only give the codes, and the individuals can select whatever book they want (I think it is the way it works)...and you can not gift the specific book to them, which, I agree is sort of lame.
ReplyDeleteGifting a subscription, I can see Amazon/Audible's reasoning. Get someone hooked, and they are a customer. If they forget to quit the service, they earn some money by purchased credits the member may not have necessarily wanted.
My understanding is that Kobo is working to establish an audiobook system to compete with Audible.
Once you could give free codes. I haven[t received any to give for my newer books. But then, the poor person you "gifted" had to join Audible to receive your book!
DeleteAudible/Amazon has always been about making money whether the consumer profits or not. :-(
Hm. In short, that really stinks. Greed knows no bounds.
ReplyDeleteAmazon, like all robber barons before it, manipulates its customers without regard to their best interests. Sigh.
Delete