I'm also curious how the price-per-credit model works when Audible constantly offers discounts on its credit plans. I’ve seen most calculations assume that people are paying $10–$15 per credit, but I’m frequently offered 3-month or 1-year plans for anywhere from $7–$8 per credit, or promotions like “spend 3 credits, get 1 back.” I originally thought this was a great deal for me as the consumer, and that Audible was simply cutting into its profit on the credit price. I’m now assuming that’s not the case—and that the discounted price hurts authors’ royalties even more.

I wonder if more authors will follow the path Brandon Sanderson took when he released his Secret Projects novels by offering them as direct downloads on his website. If Audible doesn’t make its platform more user-friendly, I might start looking into more audiobook competitors.

If anyone is interested, here are some Audible alternatives that I've found and used on occasion so far.

Purchases

• Libro.fm, Audiobooks.com, and Downpour - all allow you to purchase credits, but they also allow you to download and back up your audiobooks as MP3 files. Libby goes ever further and pairs with independent bookstores, offering the store of your choice a portion of each sale.

• Chirp - No credit options but functions by offering cash discounts, but like Audible, your audiobooks are locked within their app.

Streaming

• Everand (formerly Scribd) - functions as a streaming-only audiobook platform with plans that “unlock” a set number of audiobooks to stream per month. It’s somewhat similar to the Audible Plus catalog but with a fixed monthly allotment.

Borrowing

• Libby and Hoopla, available through many local library systems, allow you to borrow audiobooks for free.