People love to listen to audio books on tape or CD, but for quite some time they have been provided with alternative methods of enjoying various literary works.

Technological advancements have served to accommodate many different types of media output and more recently, downloadable audio books are becoming very popular. Complete volumes are available in downloadable format and have become a great alternative to printed books.

Audio books have been developed not only as a mainstream method of entertainment but also for providing educators with cutting edge teaching aids for both children and adults who have special needs. Recently, audio books have gained widespread popularity among multi-taskers who want to acquire particular information on a wide range of subjects while involved in other activities like commuting and exercising.

Audio books are available in various formats including unabridged (word for word), abridged (text edited out), and dramatized volumes, which include actors, musical scores and sound effects.

What Type of Audio Book is Right for Me?

As digital devices like iPods and MP3 players become more miniaturized and technologically advanced, they are readily accepted by everyone. Creators of audio books have been quick to take advantage of this trend and thousands of audio books have been developed with various techniques for downloading and retrieval of files.

There are many options available for anyone interested in listening to audio books. If you are a sedentary person and would like to enjoy your audio book from the comfort of your couch or favorite chair, cassette tapes may be the option for you.

Perhaps you spend a lot of time on your computer. As most PCs come already loaded with digital audio players, listening to audio books on your computer is simply a click away. Programs like RealOne Player are perfect for this. If, for some reason your computer does not have the program, you can download it from the RealOnePlayer website.

For those on the go, the new iPods and MP3 players allow users to listen to their favorite audio book while they walk, exercise or commute.

Just Exactly How Do I Download An Audio Book to My Computer?

Most of us have downloaded software files from the internet to our computers at one time or another. Downloading audio books is just as simple. Because audio books are digitally produced with software consisting of sound files, it is quite simple to transfer the files from an internet site that specializes in audio books right onto your home computer. For a nominal fee, your chosen audio-book site will provide you with easy to use instructions for downloading your selection. It only takes a few minutes and then you will be ready to enjoy your audio book.

From there you can either enjoy them via the speakers in your computer, burn them to a CD, which can then be played in any audio CD player or transfer directly to your PDA. The selection is vast and the choice is yours.

Copyright: Helen Wall

Digital Audio Books are getting more popular by the day. Weekly, more digital media players are made available and consumers replace their old cassette and CD players with the modern MP3 players- These MP3 players are much smaller and can be loaded with many MegaBytes of content, music and audio books, even videos.

Audio Books are normally encoded in either MP3 or WMA format. Both formats can be played on PC’s, laptops and on Apple computers and most portable media players (MP3 players), like the iPod, Zune, iRiver, Samsung MP3 etc.

Here are a few tips that will help you making the right decisions, when buying your first audio book:

To download large files from the internet, it’s best to have a high speed broadband connection, it can speed up the download considerably. If you are on an slower – ISDN or analog – connection, downloading is still possible. It will just take a bit longer. I suggest you use a download manager to be able to pick up where you were interrupted, should the line go down.

The file size for audio books can vary considerably, depending on the file quality.

Usually audio books are made available by the publishers in several different compressions, making the files smaller. The most compressed format is usually of good, audible, but not excellent, quality, whilst the medium compression will be perfect for most users. The largest files usually provide better than CD quality and can be quite bulky. If you are not sure which format suits your ear most, download all three qualities for testing, then decide what is most convenient for you. When you then buy your next audio book, you’ll know what firle format to download.

The iPod has made media players popular, and a large number of iPods are used by old and young consumers. The questio I’m asked most often is: “Is it possible to transfer audio books to an iPod?”

My answer is a simple “Yes.” It’s a straightforward process: All you have to do is to burn the audio book files to CD first (this is a step we’d always recommend as it is wise to make a physical backup copy of anything you buy just in case your computer ever fails or is stolen) and then rip that CD straight into iTunes, from where it’s transferred to your iPod when you synchronize it.

Burning your audio book files to an audio CD on your computer is quick and easy, particularly if you are using Windows. If you are in doubt how to exactly proceed check for the help page. Audio book stores offer very detailed, step by step desciptions, often illustrated or even as videos, that will help you burn these files on CD.

“How can I test if my equipment will work with audio books” is an other question that is asked often. There is risk free way to find out:

Most audio book stores offer free audio books. So if you’re in doubt whether your system will be able to handle the files and whether the audio books are compatible with the equipment you own, just download one of the free books, and test it.

When you purchase an audio book, you often receive a user name and a password which allows you to download the files and prove that you are the rightful owner of these files. Like this you don’t run the risk of breaking the law. Such audio books have been licensed for sale and have been approved by the publishers and copyright holders. As a paying customer you are entitled to download and listen to these files as often as you wish and on whatever equipment you wish. You can also copy the audio books on CD as backup for yourself and your family. However, like for any other media, it would be illegal to make copies of the files and distribute them widely.

The length of time it will take for an audio book to download will vary greatly depending on what kind of Internet connection you have. Often the audio books are split into several smaller files or parts, especially if the recordings are several hours of listeing pleasure. If you have a broadband connection it will take just a few minutes per part. This makes it easier to download the book. Even if you are on a slow connection you can start listening to the first part whilst the other files are downloading.

Audio books are becoming more and more popular in recent years partly due to the busy lifestyle of city dwellers and the popularity of MP3 players and iPods. Unlike paperback books, you can listen to an audio book anytime anywhere, while you are jogging, shopping, or doing exercise. There are several ways to grab a copy of audio book. You can buy an audio CD, download a digital audio file, or rent the audio CD. So which method is suitable for you?

Buying an audio book is more or less like buying a paperback book. Audio books on CD are available in many online book shops and audio book clubs. These audio CDs are playable in any regular CD players. Alternatively, you can also buy an audio book MP3/CD player which is equipped with book navigation system, forward and reverse skipping by title, chapter or page, and re-read replay function. Audio CD costs anywhere from $20 to $60; and you can keep it as long as you want.

You can also download an audio title from one of the audio book resellers. Downloadable audio books are recorded in MP3, WMA, Playaway and other digital formats. The files can be played in your PC and portable device (iPod or MP3 players), or you can burn it to CD. You can choose to buy and download individual audio titles, or pay a monthly subscription fee and receive one to two free downloads per month. Downloadable audio books are usually less expensive than audio books on CD. Joining a download plan can help you save even more. Downloadable audio books are a good choice for international listeners. You can download the audio titles instantly without paying for shipping cost.

Some web sites also provide free download service. For example, the LibriVox project allows volunteers to record some classic titles in the public domains. The recordings are available for free download. However, the performance of these volunteers may vary greatly. Some are good, some are monotone and some may overact. In addition, the chapters are usually read by different volunteers. Books in the public domains refer to anything published in the U.S. prior to 1923, so you will not have a chance to download the current bestsellers either.

Other than buying or downloading an audio book, you can also rent audio books online. Audio book rental is like DVD rental, you pay a monthly fee and rent one to three audio books at a time. There is no deal time or overdue fee. Once you finish listening to the audio book, you can return it in the pre-paid envelope and receive the next one on your book list. To avoid shipping delay, you should join the two at a time plan. After you finish the first book, return it and the third book will be shipped to you while you are still listening to the second book. Audio book rental is very suitable for avid audio book listeners. Theoretically, you can rent unlimited audio books paying less than $30 a month. Unfortunately, audio book rental is only available in the U.S., Canada, and some European countries. They are not available for international listeners.

Whether you should buy, download or rent an audio book depends on your lifestyle, where you live, how often you listen to audio books, and your budget. Regardless of the method you choose, audio books are affordable, convenient and easily accessible. If you enjoy reading paperback books, you should give audio books a try, it will be an entertaining and enlightening experience.