Discussion: Audible | Listening VS Reading

Audible is a monthly subscription service seller of digital audiobooks from the makers of Amazon. It has different membership programs ranked at different prices.

I have a subscription... I pay $14.95 per month and receive one credit a month. Basically, one free book. But then I also receive discounts and sale priced books.

There are three other levels of subscriptions. Platinum is $22.95 a month and receive two credits a month with the ability to rollover twelve. Gold Annual is $149.50 a year and you receive twelve credits all at once with the ability to rollover six credits at a time. The last is Platinum Annual, coming in at $229.50 a year and receive twenty-four credits with the ability to rollover twelve credits at a time.

I see myself never becoming a bigger member than what I pay now. Being a member with one credit a month is fine with me, considering audiobooks are so expensive, they are sometimes more expensive than just going to Barnes and Noble and buying the actual book. I pay $15 a month and receive one audiobook, which isn't horrible considering some audiobooks are nearly $30 for one! As it is right now, I have two credits sitting in my account because I never used last months and now this month has dropped.

Which brings me to the point of this discussion, and personally, my thoughts. I pay for audible every month but I don't use it all the time. I haven't listened to a whole book in a while and yet I continue to pay for this service and I think I do because everyone else loves it and raves about it. They can listen to books in the car and on the way to work. I only live ten minutes away from my job, which isn't a real lot of time. But I like the idea of having it there if I do want to listen to a book instead of the radio and it's constant run of stupid ass commercials in the morning.

Audiobooks are so expensive and personally, I would rather read a book with my own eyes, whether it be from my Kindle or the physical book, I prefer reading than listening.

Do you feel the same? Or do you enjoy the relaxation of listening and the non-pressure of reading?