SYNC 2015 - Free Audiobooks for Summer

[tubemonkey]

SYNC (owned by AudioFile) announced their Summer 2015 program today. Last year, the program ran for 13 weeks and gave away 26 titles. This year it'll run for 14 weeks (07 May ~ 12 Aug) and give away 28 titles.

What? -- SYNC [started in 2010] is a program that gives away two complete audiobook downloads — a current Young Adult title paired thematically with a Classic or Required Summer Reading title — each week to listeners ages 13+ while SYNC is in session each summer.

Why? -- SYNC audiobook titles are given away in thematic pairs. Young Adult focused titles are partnered with classics, required reading titles and other thematically appropriate Young Adult titles to encourage literacy and listening in young people across the country.

• Current Downloads
• SYNC Schedule
• Geo-Restrictions
• FAQs & Help

Archives

• SYNC Audio 2015 --> 14 weeks / 28 titles --> 07 May ~ 12 Aug 2015
• SYNC Audio 2014 --> 13 weeks / 26 titles --> 15 May ~ 13 Aug 2014
• SYNC Audio 2013 --> 12 weeks / 24 titles --> 30 May ~ 21 Aug 2013
• SYNC Audio 2012 --> 10 weeks / 20 titles --> 14 Jun ~ 29 Aug 2012
• SYNC Audio 2011 --> 08 weeks / 16 titles --> 23 Jun ~ 17 Aug 2011
• SYNC Audio 2010 --> 08 weeks / 16 titles --> 01 Jul ~ 01 Sep 2010

.

[tubemonkey]

SYNC 2015 Schedule (14 weeks -- 28 titles)

• Week 01 --> 07~13 May 2015
• Beautiful Creatures -- K Garcia, M Stohl --> US, Canada, & Philippines ONLY
• Rebecca -- Daphne Du Maurier --> US & Philippines ONLY

• Week 02 --> 14~20 May 2015
• Dodger -- Terry Pratchett --> NOT AVAILABLE in UK & British Commonwealth (except Canada)
• Great Expectations -- Charles Dickens --> no restrictions

• Week 03 --> 21~27 May 2015
• X: A Novel -- I Shabazz, K Magoon --> no restrictions
• Here In Harlem -- Walter Dean Myers --> US, Philippines, UK, & British Commonwealth ONLY

• Week 04 --> 28 May~03 Jun 2015
• The Ring and the Crown -- Melissa De La Cruz --> US & Philippines ONLY
• Sea Hearts -- Margo Lanagan --> US, Australia, & New Zealand ONLY

• Week 05 --> 04~10 Jun 2015
• A Corner of White -- Jaclyn Moriarty --> no restrictions
• Dracula -- Bram Stoker --> no restrictions

• Week 06 --> 11~17 Jun 2015
• tba
• tba

• Week 07 --> 18~24 Jun 2015
• tba
• tba

• Week 08 --> 25 Jun~01 Jul 2015
• tba
• tba

• Week 09 --> 02~08 Jul 2015
• tba
• tba

• Week 10 --> 09~15 Jul 2015
• tba
• tba

• Week 11 --> 16~22 Jul 2015
• tba
• tba

• Week 12 --> 23~29 Jul 2015
• tba
• tba

• Week 13 --> 30 Jul~05 Aug 2015
• tba
• tba

• Week 14 --> 06~12 Aug 2015
• tba
• tba

.

[tubemonkey]

FAQs & Help


* Download Details

• Downloads are in MP3 format, hosted by OverDrive, and are Mac and Windows compatible
• Downloads will operate through OverDrive’s Media Console
• Most listening devices are supported
• Each SYNC audiobook will be available for download for a period of 7 days (only)
• Titles, once downloaded, can be listened to at any time

* Software Requirements

• Titles are delivered through the OverDrive Media Console. You can prepare for the program by downloading the software to your desktop and whichever device you anticipate listening on.

* How do I download these audiobooks?

• See this page - SYNC Download Help - for details
• See this page - SYNC Download Prep - for details
  
  

  SYNC titles will be available directly from our SYNC Download Page starting 07 May. Each week you select the title(s) you want to try and enter your email address. You will then be emailed a link from which to download the title into the OverDrive Media Console.

* Do I need a SYNC account to download these audiobooks?

• No - SYNC does not require a user account and does not maintain records of the audiobooks you download. All you need is a username and an email address.

* Do I need an OverDrive account to download these audiobooks?

• No - OverDrive does not require a user account and does not maintain records of the audiobooks you download. OverDrive acts as the host to deliver these audiobooks during a 7-day window. After that, these audiobooks are no longer available as free downloads.

* Does SYNC or OverDrive keep copies of my audiobooks on their servers?

• No - since neither company requires user accounts, they have no need to keep backups.

* What happens if I lose my audiobooks?

• Hopefully, you have backups. If not, the files may still available somewhere on your computer or media device. If not, then you're out of luck. There's no way to legally get them back for free. See previous questions.

* Should I make backup copies of my audiobooks?

• Yes, most definitely! - make additional copies of your files in a separate folder on your computer outside of any third party software. Also, make copies on an external hard drive/ flash drive and/or cloud service and/or burn them to CD/DVD. Neither SYNC nor OverDrive maintain records/copies of your downloads. If your only files get deleted or corrupted during a third party software update, you may end up losing your audiobooks. See the next question for a real life example.

* Were audiobooks lost during the 2013 iOS 7 update?

• Yes - unfortunately, some people lost their audiobooks during the iOS 7 update last Sep 2013. See this announcement - SYNC Titles Lost in iOS7 Update - and this post for a discussion.

* How do I recover incomplete downloads?

• See this post from koland in the Current Audiobook Specials thread.

* Do any of these audiobooks have geographic restrictions?

• Yes, 11 of them do - see this post and Non-US Listeners for a listing.
  
  

  Many of you living outside of the United States would like to know if SYNC is available to you. Of course we want you all to participate, but some of the individual titles have international restrictions that originate from the original publisher contracts. If you are accessing titles from an IP address within a country restricted by rights we are sadly unable to provide the titles. Our apologies! If you are on a US military base outside the US and having issues please email us at sync@audiofilemagazine.com

* Do any of these audiobooks have DRM restrictions?

• No - they're delivered as DRM-free MP3s

* How long do I have to download these audiobooks?

• You have 7 days from the date they are released to download them. After that, they are no longer available as free downloads.

* Are these audiobooks mine to keep or am I just borrowing them?

• They belong to you; you are not borrowing them. They can be listened to whenever and wherever you want and loaded onto any of your compatible devices - they never expire.

.

[goldilocks]

Thanks for posting this tubemonkey (and leading me to the thread). I can't wait to get started.

I wish this was a "sticky" in the Audio books forum (at least while it is on-going). I have been avoiding the Deals, Freebies, and Resources forum since it went back to single posts and the ridiculously large yearly, sticky threads.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by goldilocks

Thanks for posting this tubemonkey (and leading me to the thread). I can't wait to get started.

I wish this was a "sticky" in the Audio books forum (at least while it is on-going). I have been avoiding the Deals, Freebies, and Resources forum since it went back to single posts and the ridiculously large yearly, sticky threads.

You're welcome. Sorry I took so long to respond.

Since this is a free offer, forum rules dictate that it belongs in the Deals Forum. That said, I requested that it get stickied for the duration of the promo and the mods agreed. It'll now be easier to find, since it'll be in the top half of the page.

[tubemonkey]

Just a week to go. This year, we're getting 28 titles; two more than last year. Unfortunately for non-US listeners, 40% of these titles (11 books) are geo-restricted and will be unavailable to them depending on where they live. See here for a listing of these titles.

In the meantime, be sure and get OverDrive installed on your devices. OD is required in order to download these free audiobooks. For more information on how to do it, see here, here, and here.

[tubemonkey]

Reminder - SYNC begins tomorrow morning - Thu 07 May

Be sure to download OverDrive to your devices. All downloads must go through OverDrive. Once downloaded, you're free to move these DRM-free MP3 titles to any device capable of playing MP3s.

Additionally, be sure to make backup copies. If your only copy is ever damaged or lost, there's no way to obtain another free copy. Neither SYNC nor OverDrive store your copies in their servers the way Amazon does.

Please limit all discussions about SYNC to this thread. It's a sticky in the Deals Forum and will always be in the upper half of the page during the promo.

[GtrsRGr8]

tubemonkey, I missed you. In more ways than one.

[Synamon]

SYNC is live. If you are in the US or the Philippines, both Beautiful Creatures and Rebecca are yours free. If you are in Canada you can get Beautiful Creatures. The rest of you are out of luck this week.

[David Munch]

Meh. The girlfriend really wanted Beautiful Creatures, what a pity.

[badgoodDeb]

Thank you! Rebecca should be great; I think I'll take a pass on the other one for this week.

[GtrsRGr8]

Moved to the generic Audiobooks thread.

[tubemonkey]

Week 01 --> 07~13 May 2015


Beautiful Creatures -- K Garcia, M Stohl --> US, Canada, & Philippines ONLY

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power, and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Rebecca -- Daphne Du Maurier --> US & Philippines ONLY

Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again . . . The novel begins in Monte Carlo, where our heroine is swept off her feet by the dashing widower Maxim de Winter and his sudden proposal of marriage. Orphaned and working as a lady's maid, she can barely believe her luck. It is only when they arrive at his massive country estate that she realizes how large a shadow his late wife will cast over their lives--presenting her with a lingering evil that threatens to destroy their marriage from beyond the grave. First published in 1938, this classic gothic novel is such a compelling read that it won the Anthony Award for Best Novel of the Century.

[tubemonkey]

Week 02 --> 14~20 May 2015


Dodger -- Terry Pratchett --> NOT AVAIL in UK & British Commonwealth (except Canada)

The setting is old London in the reign of Victoria. And our hero is 17-year-old Dodger. Dodger is a “tosher,” a boy who makes a meager living roaming the sewers under London’s streets searching for coins and treasures. One rain-soaked night he rescues a mysterious young woman from the clutches of deadly thugs. With the help of historical figures such as Charles Dickens and Benjamin Disraeli, the horse-drawn, gas-lit world of early Victorian London opens up to the listener. As always, longtime Pratchett narrator Stephen Briggs accentuates the tongue-turning phrases, gentle humor, and wide-eyed wonder of Pratchett’s writing. Pratchett appropriately calls this departure from his widely popular Discworld series a historical fantasy that mixes the oftentimes bleak facts of orphans and child labor with the magic of storybook endings. Briggs’s voice reflects this literary hybrid perfectly.

Great Expectations -- Charles Dickens --> no restrictions

With its meandering paragraphs, colorful character names, and engrossing plots, Charles Dickens's masterpiece is magical in the audiobook format. Anton Lesser's performance is especially notable for its blend of the traditional and contemporary. He captures young Pip's transformation from downtrodden lad to society gentleman with all the typical trappings of Dickens's atmosphere: Precise accent, clipped diction, and mellifluous voice are gloriously present. However, Lesser's performance is also wonderfully modern in its pacing and phrasing. Where some narrators resort to fusty, passive vocals, wherein they allow Dickens to own the role, Lesser is fully involved and vivacious in each sentence, propelling the story continually forward. This version of a classic is bound to become a classic in its own right.

[badgoodDeb]

Many thanks for the reminder!!