Anyone using Unlimited (Throttled) Scribd?

[Synamon]

Lack of deals from Audible lately have driven me to try Scribd again. I'm doing a free trial at the moment, but from what I've read about the service it is far from Unlimited.

I wondered if anyone else is using Scribd for audiobooks? How small is the selection once you listen to a few books? And how many per month are you are managing to listen to before you are throttled? Does it matter how many you download or put on your save lists? Are all the 'unavailable' books freed up again at the start of your next billing period or do they come and go randomly?

I can live with some restrictions for the price as long as I do eventually get access to a wide selection over time. My husband goes through 10+ audiobooks a month, so I have been supplementing Audible with library loans. Recently Overdrive took away the ability to download to my Mac (I used iTunes to load audiobooks in bulk to his phone). Now having to manage holds and try and time listens using the Overdrive app is complicated and Scribd seems like a simpler way to access more audiobooks than the library or to at least fill in the gaps.

[Barbara1955]

Havent heard of it....Got a Link?

[stumped]

Have you considered Spotify.
https://bookriot.com/2018/03/16/audiobooks-on-spotify/

And after that check the other music subscription services

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by stumped

Have you considered Spotify.
https://bookriot.com/2018/03/16/audiobooks-on-spotify/

And after that check the other music subscription services

Spotify is mostly classics, which I've already got most of free from Audible over the years. I will probably do a Spotify trial in the spring once my Amazon Music Unlimited 4 months for $0.99 deal is over, I'll hunt for audiobooks on Spotify then.

I just discovered that the library downloads to my old MacBook Air are working again, but long term Overdrive isn't planning to support future operating systems so that's only a temporary fix. Off to the library to load up! Fortunately I get 30 holds and 55 loans on each of our accounts.

[booklover6]

Last time I used it was June 2019. I listened to two, went to get another, and couldn't. I immediately cancelled the subscription.

As for adding to the wishlist, you can add quite a few titles. But if you go back the next day to add more, you most likely can't.

They do have a very good selection. If you can be content with 2 or so a month.

Originally Posted by Synamon

Lack of deals from Audible lately have driven me to try Scribd again. I'm doing a free trial at the moment, but from what I've read about the service it is far from Unlimited.

I wondered if anyone else is using Scribd for audiobooks? How small is the selection once you listen to a few books? And how many per month are you are managing to listen to before you are throttled? Does it matter how many you download or put on your save lists? Are all the 'unavailable' books freed up again at the start of your next billing period or do they come and go randomly?

I can live with some restrictions for the price as long as I do eventually get access to a wide selection over time. My husband goes through 10+ audiobooks a month, so I have been supplementing Audible with library loans. Recently Overdrive took away the ability to download to my Mac (I used iTunes to load audiobooks in bulk to his phone). Now having to manage holds and try and time listens using the Overdrive app is complicated and Scribd seems like a simpler way to access more audiobooks than the library or to at least fill in the gaps.

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Last time I used it was June 2019. I listened to two, went to get another, and couldn't. I immediately cancelled the subscription.

As for adding to the wishlist, you can add quite a few titles. But if you go back the next day to add more, you most likely can't.

They do have a very good selection. If you can be content with 2 or so a month.

Thanks for the details. Since I only set up one trial account, I'm listening to one audiobook and my husband another. I've downloaded one more to each of our phones so far and I saved a dozen books to a list yesterday. I'm curious to see when they limit the selection.

[tempest@de]

I’ve used it before, I can’t really understand how they define the number of books you can have and I find their search unreliable, that being said usually I had access to 3 books each month, when I started the 3rd one some of the books on my library showed the message that they would be available after XX date, but that didn’t apply to all the books, so some months I listened to more than 3.

For me it was worth it, I usually listen to 3 to 4 books a month, and I subscribed with a promotion of 30 $ off for 6 months so it was a good value for me, especially because I also read ebooks from them, the most value/money month was 5 audiobooks and 16 eBooks for 5,38 € and the least one was one audio for 5,38 € in September which was my last month.

I found that they had a good selection of audiobooks but the eBooks appear to be the same from when I first subscribed in 2016, I’m waiting for them to had a few new audiobooks from authors that I like so I subscribe again for a few months.

[Synamon]

That sounds encouraging, thanks for sharing your experience tempest.

Originally Posted by tempest@de

I found that they had a good selection of audiobooks but the eBooks appear to be the same from when I first subscribed in 2016, I’m waiting for them to had a few new audiobooks from authors that I like so I subscribe again for a few months.

Yeah, so far most of the books I'm interested in are only available as audiobooks, their ebook selection is very small and seems to skew to non-fiction.

Even the audiobook selection will probably last me less than a year at 3 per month, so canceling and resubscribing once they get more is something I'll consider. Good to know and means it's probably not worth signing up for the yearly subscription.

[Paperbackstash]

I am using it now since Audible was too pricey for me and I felt too hesitant to spend the one credit a month since it was my only one - the sales were fun, though!

I don't listen to Audiobooks quickly, so I don't think I will personally run into much throttling. Now if we add together some ebooks I may "rent" certain months, that may make a difference. I also don't seek out the newer ones or bestsellers much unless they fit a BOM I'm doing on a group challenge.

I can't comment much since I'm a new member there, but I haven't had issues so far. Right now I'm doing an Audible book that I had purchased but not listened to, so no listening on Scribd the past few days.

For Scribd this month I listened to two Perry Masons, Silence of the Lambs (a little over halfway), the beginning of Two Can Keep a Secret (ended up reading that one instead because I couldn't get into the narration) and The Chestnut Man. So I've finished 3 1/2 audio books, started another. Three old, two newer and more popular. Haven't rented an e-book yet, waiting for my new Fire to get here, which should be today.

[Paperbackstash]

I do have a big saved list because I like to browse and save stuff later when I'm bored and watching shows on the computer. I do that with various services, make lists that don't require much concentration. Have no idea if that has to do with anything.

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

I am using it now since Audible was too pricey for me and I felt too hesitant to spend the one credit a month since it was my only one - the sales were fun, though!

I loved all the sales, but it’s been so many years that I rarely find anything new to buy in the sales now.

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

For Scribd this month I listened to two Perry Masons, Silence of the Lambs (a little over halfway), the beginning of Two Can Keep a Secret (ended up reading that one instead because I couldn't get into the narration) and The Chestnut Man. So I've finished 3 1/2 audio books, started another. Three old, two newer and more popular. Haven't rented an e-book yet, waiting for my new Fire to get here, which should be today.

That sounds promising. Thanks for the details.

[Synamon]

Originally Posted by Paperbackstash

I do have a big saved list because I like to browse and save stuff later when I'm bored and watching shows on the computer. I do that with various services, make lists that don't require much concentration. Have no idea if that has to do with anything.

I’ve added quite a few more audiobooks to my saved list today. I really like browsing the site and seeing recommended books or similar ones popping up as I save books.

Discovering books via the app/site has been a nice surprise I wasn’t expecting. I added some of the titles I found to my library holds, so I won’t even need to listen to them on Scribd when throttling happens.

I especially appreciated the editor/author curated lists, but have noticed that when there are supposed to be 3 or 5 books in those lists I can’t see all the books, 1 or 2 are missing.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Last time I used it was June 2019. I listened to two, went to get another, and couldn't. I immediately cancelled the subscription.

You had the audacity to try and listen to a third book? What are you, some kind of a book hog?

[Paperbackstash]

Still no problems. I'm not sure if I've just gotten lucky or too low a volume user. In November I listened to The Poet by Michael Connelly (full), The Case of the Howling Dog by Erle Stanley Gardner (Full), The Case of the Lucky Legs by Earle Stanley Gardner (1/2), The Chestnut Man (Full), Silence of the Lambs (Full), and now have been listening to Duma Key by Stephen King the past few days. Have borrowed one E-book.

[Synamon]

My husband listened to the first two His Dark Materials books and then the third one showed as unavailable until next month. He's listening to the the third now with a free kobo audiobook black Friday membership I signed up for, so he'd quit whining. I listened to the latest Grisham and am currently listening to Reamde.

I put about 50 audiobooks into my saved lists and 40 of these are not available until next month, leaving 10 (mostly older Stephen King books) available for the rest of this month to choose from. I expect that list could shrink further if we actually listen to another title. I don't mind waiting a month since that's shorter than the library holds for anything new, but it is frustrating not knowing which books will be available when you want them.

The app is excellent for browsing, but sucks for actually listening. Occasionally it forgets where I was and starts at the beginning. Sometimes it tries to stream rather than use the downloaded audiobook and it often stutters when using bluetooth in the car or with headphones. Restarting the app and/or putting my phone on airplane mode and force it to use the download seems to work, which is not ideal. When you browse sometimes you accidentally start playing a book and then you have to go hunt for the one you were already listening to in your saved list.

Because of the problems with the app I doubt I'll continue with the membership, although getting 4 or 5 audiobooks per month to listen to for $9 is good, especially when some are newly released audiobooks. Since I have access to the library again and am willing to wait for holds, Scribd isn't worth the hassle. My husband hates having to keep track of and use multiple apps to listen with and I can load the library mp3s onto his phone where he can listen to them with the Audible app.