Audio Books: Buying How Do I

Now that I received my stimulus check I can finally get a few things I've wanted for years. One of them is an audio book by Dr.Michael Heiser. I googled the book's title but I'm not finding a quick and easy way to buy it. What I am finding seems to be a "book of the month" club where they give you the first book free, and they say you can cancel anytime. I'd rather just buy this one book because when the stimulus check runs out I already know I have will have to cancel my membership.
I never bought an audio book before so I have a few questions. Do I download the book onto my Hard drive? I also read something about a cloud. What exactly iis a cloud? Is that hard drive space I can use that isn't on my PC? If so, then won't I eventually lose what I put in the cloud?

Can anyone give me some advice?
 
Regarding cloud,
I avoid using cloud storage. Maybe I am an old fashioned guy, and I spent too much time working on highly classified systems, but I try to depend little on external systems.

If you do use Audible, the site will remember that your ID 'owns' the rights to have copies of your titles and allows you to download them whenever you wish. That is not the same as storing personal files on the cloud but Audible does keep much personal info and may sell it or use it in marketing.
 
Maybe I am an old fashioned guy,
I'm a pretty old-fashioned guy myself. If it was up to me we'd still be using land-line phones and I mean the kind you could throw against the wall it wouldn't break. LOL
I'm probably going to download this first book to my hard drive unless it's a huge file.By huge I mean 1 GB or more. I have an old laptop which has only 70 GB of hard disc space. It's already a little over half full.
Here's another question I just thought of. Obviously if I put the book on my laptop HD I have to be at home to listen to it. (my laptop no longer works with the battery) But if I put the book in the cloud then does that mean I can listen to it using my PC or my phone and does that mean I can listen to the book when I'm out?
 
The cloud is storage of files that are accessible online if you have a connection, so they aren't actually downloaded anywhere, as long as you have a connection you can access it, and it won't take up computer space.

So it will be free just the cost of your internet connection. Most ppl are connected whenever they go online. If you don't intend on keeping a book forever you could just borrow it from your public library that will subscribe to it (many audio books are available this way, and not on physical tapes and cds). The library pays for the cost of subscription to audio and e-books. Then just check it back when you've finished reading it.

If you want a copy you can keep forever even without an internet connection you will need to buy it to download and save it on your computer hard drive as a file, or a kindle, or some other e-book device. or find a cd version. If you just want to keep that one book.
 
Here's another question I just thought of. Obviously if I put the book on my laptop HD I have to be at home to listen to it. (my laptop no longer works with the battery) But if I put the book in the cloud then does that mean I can listen to it using my PC or my phone and does that mean I can listen to the book when I'm out?

The files are fairly compact... You can set the app to either doenload high quality or smaller files. For books, the difference is minimal, I download compact format. My copy of "Everyone's a Theologian" by R C Sproul is 11 hours long and takes 156 mb. Most books are shorter. You can locate the individual files on a PC, but on android devices, it is much more difficult to locate single book files.

Note that although the although format is nothing special, the files from Audilbe are not playable except from the Audible application (PC or Phone). I also have a sandisk player that I can move files from my PC to carry with me. That player cannot play files until that device is 'registered', but you can move files from your PC. Other MP3 players will not usually work. I guess that this helps Audible look after copywrite stuff.

Since you can download them several times, I keep almost all my books (and I have over 600) on both my Desktop and my Laptop. I only keep what I am listening to on my phone at any one time.
 
I tried to download an entire audio bible on my laptop but I'm not sure where it is now...
I do have KJV somewhere in my computer files although I much prefer reading it myself. And a portable audio cantonese bible player but the annoying thing is the battery ran out cos the switch wouldn't switch off and I don't know where to buy the special kind of battery it needs..I got from a shop across town and don't have the energy or means to go there at the moment.

I wish audio books were made easier to buy, borrow and download, and that they were divided into chapter chunks so you could easily go from one to the other. It seems you have to go through quite a few hoops just to get them and they can be pricy.
Some are available for free but mostly only those past copyright expiry date ie. older than 50 years, in public domain.

I wish there was a christian audio bible/christian books platform that was free not one you have to pay through the roof to subscribe to.
 
I tried to download an entire audio bible on my laptop but I'm not sure where it is now...
I do have KJV somewhere in my computer files although I much prefer reading it myself. And a portable audio cantonese bible player but the annoying thing is the battery ran out cos the switch wouldn't switch off and I don't know where to buy the special kind of battery it needs..I got from a shop across town and don't have the energy or means to go there at the moment.

I wish audio books were made easier to buy, borrow and download, and that they were divided into chapter chunks so you could easily go from one to the other. It seems you have to go through quite a few hoops just to get them and they can be pricy.
Some are available for free but mostly only those past copyright expiry date ie. older than 50 years, in public domain.

I wish there was a christian audio bible/christian books platform that was free not one you have to pay through the roof to subscribe to.

FYI:
The Olive Tree app which runs on most platforms, has audio King James as well as electronic text versions of many Bible versions, commentaries, and other helps.

The King James may be purchased as New Testament or whole Bible. The nice thing about this arrangement is you can navigate to the verse you want the same way as navigation is done within a textual version: Menu selection of book, chapter and verse. You can download single books of the Bible, so you do not have to keep the whole Bible on disk, though you can.

When playing, the current verse is displayed, and changes for each verse. Sometimes this is helpful since it keeps your eyes on the current verse rather than 'peeking' forward and backward.

The app is free, but while several text versions of the bible are free, most, including the Audio Bible require payment. Once you 'own' a title, you can download it on all your devices and re-download as you wish.

By the way, copyright rules and the efforts to follow them not only ensure that the producers of materials can afford to continue, but provide legal protections against someone editing the Bible to change the meaning to suit their own ideas.
 
I tried to download an entire audio bible on my laptop but I'm not sure where it is now...
Lanolin, Whenever you download any thing, before the actual download starts you should get a small window asking you where to save the file. When you get this small window you can also change where you want that file saved. You can even create a new folder (and name it) to save the file to. I'm assuming you are using a Windows based laptop, other kinds of operating systems might work differently. It's a shame they don't teach you all this when you buy a PC. I think it took me 5 yrs of owning a computer before I learned this.

But as to where the file is now, you might be able to find it using the Search function of Windows.
 
I'm on a mac so it's a bit different. I had the KJV somewhere but I have to play around with it as I don't generally use my mac to listen to audiobooks, if I do listen to them I would want to listen to them in the car when I'm driving.

However sometimes I'm working on something in my library office like covering books thats when I might tune into a podcast.
I don't mind copyright but thing is if its KJV there shouldn't be any copyright issues as if someone wanted to change the KJV they would just call it a different version. Most people are reading it for the scripture, not the commentary or the interpretation, or the footnotes, which is the add-ons that other bible versions have.

I reckon each church ought to record their own entire bible so everyone can then have an audio copy to listen to. Since we got the technology now. I know people record sermons...but really a sermon is pulling bits of the bible and adding commentary to it. What about just straight reading the Bible through? Letting God's word speak for itself, rather than our interpretations of it.

Thing is lots of people skip passages in the Bible and don't read the whole thing. They abridge it or they paraphrase it or reinterpret it. You have to be careful about that as you can't just leave out verses you don't like if you are reading it out loud. its why movie adaptations of books are often so unsatisfactory, cos they leave out parts they don't like and add things to make it more dramatic.
 
I've heard that you can listen to audiobooks for free through your local library. Much cheaper than audible.
100 percent correct. All that is needed is an electronic 'library card'. You set up an "E-READER" account through the library and "borrow" E-BOOKS on line. Family members here have accounts in two states so if an interesting book is already spoken for locally, the other library may have it available. Works out quite well.
 
Oh yes use your library (duh!) I would advise that in the first instance before buying.
But I think audible lets you download it and keep it forever. I haven't signed up, I prefer to read my books rather than listen to them. It's faster!
 
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