Scribd Unlimited again

[Bookworm_Girl]

I keep track of my "borrows" every year and compare what it would have cost to buy them with the subscription cost. I definitely get my money's worth so I don't mind that unlimited is actually limited. With the old credits, I found that there was still plenty of good stuff left in the old unlimited catalog to read that month. The throttling appears to limit you to something like the old unlimited. So you still sort of have unlimited but you've lost access to the newer releases and some best-sellers.

Where Scribd is especially good is that you do have access to brand new audiobooks (but not brand new books releases). Those usually have long waits at the libraries. I use Scribd to supplement what isn't at my libraries and I would have to otherwise purchase.

I do not have a Kindle Unlimited subscription. They don't have the big publisher books that I like.

I do not have an Audible subscription. Even at 3 audiobooks per month on a throttled Scribd I think it is a better value.

I am not one who re-reads books. Once and done except for special favorites.

[booklover6]

Yes, I do plan to keep Scribd at this time. As well as the Audible Romance package, as long as I continue to get it for $7 a month. I like the Audible app better, and there is some overlap in catalogs, but they supplement each other well.

[Blossom]

The old Scribd plan was one audiobook a month. Three is a huge improvement if it's five even better for the price.

Sent from my XT1528

[booklover6]

So, I finished another one last night, and successfully downloaded the next in the series, which was already in my Saved list. So that makes 4 audio books finished and 2 that are downloaded. IMO that is great.

Maybe their algorithms flag crazy people like me with a hundred or more in the Saved list and kick us into "available soon" mode. I'd be interested to hear other peoples' experience with this matter.

After I finish this one I plan to go on to the 4 Audible Romance audio books I already downloaded anyway. So this is no hardship for me. (At any rate, the next in the series I am listening to, Dark Predator, is not available to borrow in either program or from my libraries, so I will just have to read it).

[Bookworm_Girl]

If you're crazy, then I wonder what I am. I have about 500 books in my saved list since I've been a member so many years. The Saved list is like Amazon's wishlist. On the credit system, the list used to have a filter to find the full access titles (ones you had redeemed for a credit and ones available without credits needed). Now it just has a filter to hide finished books, which I keep in my saved list and is what makes mine longer. My saved list has in it books marked Finished, books redeemed on the credit system, and lastly books I wish to read.

I read that one reason why they switched back to Unlimited is because they want people to explore. Their customer feedback was that the credit system made people not want to explore.

[booklover6]

Oh! I found out I also had 2 downloaded to my phone. Interestingly--1 of the d/l book I had since removed from my saved list, b/c I already listened to it last year--and it showed the "available soon" banner, even though it was downloaded. The other one is an 18 hour behemoth that I am not sure i am even going to listen to this month. But I'll leave it there JIC.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by Bookworm_Girl

If you're crazy, then I wonder what I am. I have about 500 books in my saved list since I've been a member so many years.

Do you have the "available soon" banner on non-saved-list books?

[Bookworm_Girl]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Do you have the "available soon" banner on non-saved-list books?

No. Saved is just a list. I don't think they start keeping track until you open up an item and start reading.

[booklover6]

Nice! An audio book that came out *today* is in the Scribd catalog! I have been waiting for this, didn't realize it wasn't even out yet. So I have to wait til March, not a problem!

[wallflower75]

I was all excited to rejoin Scribd when they brought back their limited "unlimited" feature, because at least it appeared to be better than the previous extremely limited model. I added tons of books to my saved list. I've listened to I think three books now. But when I looked yesterday to see if they had a new audiobook by one of my favorite authors, the search turned up nothing by her at all.

Having read this thread, I looked through my saved list and even though there were a few I'd saved with the "expiring soon" or "not available at Scribd" tag on them, the books I'd previously saved by the author were still in my list. I clicked on one of the titles and it started playing.

When I sign out of my account and search for the author, the new audiobook shows as available. When I sign back in...nothing. No explanation why, no "available soon" as though I've hit my monthly limit. The only thing I can think of that's causing this is the fact that when I listen to an audiobook, I usually listen to the whole thing at once. But why would that be a factor? It's frustrating and it makes me want to reconsider the whole deal, because if I'm only going to be able to access the books on my list and nothing more, then what's the point?

[booklover6]

What is the author/title? I can check and see what shows up for me.

I noticed 2 books in my Saved list that now say "Unavailable." *** In the app it has "expiring 2/26/18 so had I looked there, I would have known this.

[wallflower75]

Originally Posted by booklover6

What is the author/title? I can check and see what shows up for me.

I noticed 2 books in my Saved list that now say "Unavailable." *** In the app it has "expiring 2/26/18 so had I looked there, I would have known this.

Lisa Kleypas, "Hello Stranger." I've seen it appear as available when I log out of my account. Logged in? Nothing by her to be found in audio.

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by wallflower75

Lisa Kleypas, "Hello Stranger." I've seen it appear as available when I log out of my account. Logged in? Nothing by her to be found in audio.

It is there. Not under initial search (because I am limited right now, I think). But when I search Lisa Kleypas, top left of the page shows her picture and says "42 titles." On that page, no audio books by her show up. However, if I click her name (at the top left) a new window opens, listing books and audio books. (All of the audio books show as "available soon" to me). There are 35 audio books by her there.

[wallflower75]

Originally Posted by booklover6

It is there. Not under initial search (because I am limited right now, I think). But when I search Lisa Kleypas, top left of the page shows her picture and says "42 titles." On that page, no audio books by her show up. However, if I click her name (at the top left) a new window opens, listing books and audio books. (All of the audio books show as "available soon" to me). There are 35 audio books by her there.

Aha! I tried that too and the same thing happened--they're all showing up as "available soon." So after three books, I've been throttled. Although I think I did start a fourth one for a couple of minutes, realized I didn't have time to listen, and turned it off. Hrm. Weeell...I will say the limited selection I still have access to is decent enough. I won't complain (much).

[booklover6]

Originally Posted by wallflower75

Aha! I tried that too and the same thing happened--they're all showing up as "available soon." So after three books, I've been throttled. Although I think I did start a fourth one for a couple of minutes, realized I didn't have time to listen, and turned it off. Hrm. Weeell...I will say the limited selection I still have access to is decent enough. I won't complain (much).

I'm not 100% but I think if you have a large number in your Saved list, that contributes to the throttling effect. Technically, like if I had time, I could listen to the dozens in my list right now. In fact, I downloaded three of them today. So I am waiting to see what happens to the few I have saved that say "available 3/07" (my subscription date). And I will add a bunch more after that date, and see what happens in the future to the status of Saved books. I'm thinking that the key is to add them to Saved if you want to listen to them soon.