Listening to a great audiobook is a fantastic way to fill time on the way to work, as you head to your next meeting, or on your next road trip. Writers are readers, but sometimes we don’t have enough time in the day to read all the books we hope to.
This is where audiobooks are a great supplement to daily reading. Not only do they provide the option to listen to a book and have it read to you, but there are so many audiobook options out there that you can take your time choosing the best one for your needs.
In this Chirp audiobooks review, we cover:
- What It Is
- About Chirp
- Pricing
- Pros
- Cons
- Information for Authors (rather than Listeners)
- Alternatives
Whether you’ve used audiobooks for years and simply want to try a new platform, or you have yet to enter the audiobook space, this Chirp audiobook review can help you make your next choice. Let’s dive into it!
We want you to make informed decisions when it comes to how and where to invest your money. That’s why our mission is to help educate authors on the various self-publishing companies and services that are on the market today.
Our reviews are meant to be unbiased, 3rd party reviews, but we will speak up if there is a scam or a clearly better option.
What is Chirp audiobooks?
Chirp is an audiobook service that provides you with amazing limited-time deals on select digital audiobooks and great everyday pricing on everything else. Another important facet of Chirp is that all the books you purchase are yours to own. If that isn’t good enough news, Chirp doesn’t even have a monthly subscription fee or require you to meet a minimum purchase amount.
How is this possible? According to Chirp, publishers are always on the hunt for new, improved, and unique ways to help readers find out about their books. Similarly, authors are often looking for ways to build their platform and expand their reach. This is where Chirp comes in.
As a solution to this need, by using temporarily discounted books, Chirp offers both publishers and authors the potential of enlarging their audience by reaching people who may not otherwise hear of them. A temporary discount is a very low-risk move, with a high potential for return. Because of this, Chirp is a great resource for growing your audience, fan-base, or readership.
About Chirp
The individuals who started BookBub also founded Chirp, so a passion for books is the foundation to this platform. BookBub is used by millions around the world, and Chirp is a newer launch within this same general field. If you reside in the United States or Canada, this audiobook platform is available to you.
Another fact to know about Chirp is that when you purchase an audiobook you automatically add it to your digital library. Chirp allows you to use their free iOS or Android app and even includes the possibility of listening offline.
If you’re a busy individual who never wants to stop learning, you’ll be happy to find out that you can switch between your devices and continue listening to your favorite audiobook as you transition from the gym to your car to the kitchen.
Chirp Pricing
Chirp offers great discounts, but on top of their discounts, they regularly work with publishers as well as authors to ensure everyday pricing on other audiobooks. This allows you to purchase the newest, most trending audiobook without being bound by a specific subscription.
Just like a softcover or hardcover book, once you make the initial purchase, the book is added to your library and yours to refer back to whenever you want to. This is a great way to make a single investment into your entertainment reads, educational resources, or slow pleasure reading without thinking about how much you’re paying out every month.
If you can only listen to a few audiobooks one month, you don’t need to feel like you wasted your subscription fee – because you didn’t! There is no subscription and you get to choose which purchases you make, and when.
Chirp Audiobooks Pros
One of the many pros of Chirp is their Deals page, where they list deals and provide sorting options. If you’re worried you may miss a deal, you can simply filter to Expiring Soon and make sure you collect all the books you want before the deal expires.
Additionally, if you want to make a purchase but don’t know if you can make it the very day you want to, Chirp offers a countdown expiration date. They tell you what the original price is, what the deal is, and exactly how many days until the deal is gone. You can shop – stress free – for the best deals without worrying about missing it by a day.
Chirp also categorizes their books into genres as well as subgenres. If you don’t know exactly what book you want to purchase, but you do know what genre you’d like to read, simply browse the category that best coincides with the topic you’re interested in.
Chirp Audiobook Cons
If you are outside of the US or Canada, or want to recommend Chirp to a friend outside the US or Canada, unfortunately, you can’t. Chirp has not expanded outside of these two countries – at least not yet.
Another con is that in order to make a purchase, you must first access the website and purchase your book. But to listen to it on the go, you then need to have the app and find your recent purchase in your digital library. In other words, you can only listen in the app; you cannot buy new books in the app.
One more con is the fact that there are no special deals with Chirp, other than discounts. You have the choice of purchasing a book at full-price or buying a book at a discount, but there will be no “buy-one-get-one-free” deals. This is something to consider before committing to this platform.
Information for Authors (rather than Listeners and Readers)
If you're an author wanting to run a Chirp audiobook deal, you basically need to sign up for a BookBub partners account. If you're new to Chirp and BookBub, you can create an account here.
If you already have a BookBub partners account? Sign in to submit a Chirp Audiobook Deal!
Since Chirp & BookBub live under the same umbrella company, you can expect similar support, as well as similar motives. They want to sell books to readers. You want to sell books to readers. You pay them to promote your book. They'll curate new deals every day in an attempt to drive more sales, reach new readers, and boost visibility for audiobooks.
- Related: How to Make an Audiobook
Alternatives
There are many alternatives to Chirp if you decide the cons outweigh the pros for you. Audible, Google Audiobooks, Blinkist, and Scribd are just a few of the choices you can select. Make sure you look into the pros and cons of these before committing to any singular platform, just as you assessed Chirp.
If you want an alternative that is the polar opposite to Chirp or any other audiobook platform, you can always look into reading with a Kindle, tablet, or of course, one of the originals—a hardcover copy.
- Related: Looking for where to publish and distribute your own audiobook? Check out this review on Findaway Voices.
What’s your next audiobook of choice, and platform?
When it comes time to choose your next audiobook platform, don’t stress too much about it. There is no wrong choice, there is just the choice that is best for you. People are always evolving, because needs and desires are always evolving.
The platform that may work best for you today may not next month. Make a choice that makes sense with what best fits your current needs, and remember you have the freedom to choose a different option later on.
In fact, one of the most important decisions you can make is not how you read but what you read. Whatever platform helps you meet your reading goals best is the one you should probably choose.
Feel free to reach out in the comments to connect with other readers and authors about what works best for them. Best wishes as you find the solution to your reading needs!
