My Experience Switching to Everand for Audiobooks and Ebooks
After half a year with Audible and a lengthy stint with Kindle Unlimited, I decided to transition to Everand – previously known as Scribd – for my audiobook and ebook needs. While it may not fit everyone’s preferences, I’ve found it to be an ideal choice for myself.
Affordability of Everand Compared to Audible
For those interested in both audiobooks and ebooks, Everand offers a superior value compared to Audible. Audible provides access to countless audiobooks for a monthly fee of $7.95. In contrast, Everand allows unlimited reading and listening for $11.99 each month, a price comparable to Kindle Unlimited.
Additionally, Everand has introduced a premium selection feature, enabling users to unlock 1-3 popular title reads every month. This premium access on Audible amounts to $14.95 per month. A minor drawback, however, is that Everand’s titles cannot be kept once subscriptions are canceled.
Diverse Selection of Notable and Indie Titles
Although many new bestsellers are reserved for Everand’s premium section, I still discover an impressive range of popular titles monthly. Furthermore, the presence of numerous indie authors and smaller publishers keeps my reading and listening experience fresh and exciting.
In fact, I’ve found the variety to be more extensive than what Audible offers, though similar to Kindle Unlimited. A major advantage is the lack of worry about mistakenly purchasing a title instead of merely adding it to my reading list, as is common with Kindle.
Impressive Collection of Sheet Music
This may not resonate as significant for non-musicians, but I find sheet music to be quite pricey! For less than the price of just one sheet music book, I now have unrestricted access to over 70,000 pieces of music each month, featuring many Hal Leonard titles. Thus far, I’ve saved numerous books and enjoy viewing them on my tablet while playing.
If you’re learning an instrument, I highly suggest subscribing. There are abundant tutorials available across ebooks, audiobooks, and sheet music formats. Plus, I find immense joy in discovering new styles to practice and hone my skills!
Access to Everand Originals
One of my favorite features in both Audible and Kindle Unlimited was their originals. Everand, however, features its own original content, offering an extensive range of engaging titles across various genres.
So far, I haven’t felt the need to return to the other platforms regarding original works. However, if you are invested in exclusive series or specific authors found only on Audible or Kindle Unlimited, you may find yourself wanting more.
Organize My Reading List with Custom Lists
Does your reading list feel overwhelming? Mine often does. Fortunately, Everand allows me to create multiple lists for easy organization. As I uncover new titles, I can add them to a list where they await me once I finish my current read. There are even filters available for promptly locating titles within longer lists.
I can also mark titles as completed without removing them from my lists, which is useful for revisiting a read later on.
Centralized Bookmarking and Notes Feature
A little feature I appreciate about Everand is the Notebook. While Kindle offers something similar, I find Audible’s note-taking system more cumbersome.
The Notebook consolidates all of my notes, highlights, and bookmarks in one convenient location. While I can also access notes specific to each title, reviewing notes across multiple titles in one view is quite straightforward using the Notebook.
User-Friendly App Design
I must admit, I was initially hesitant to transition to Everand. However, the app closely resembles both Audible and Kindle Unlimited in functionality. The audio player operates similarly to Audible, and the reading experience mimics that of Kindle. Therefore, if you’ve previously navigated either app, embracing Everand feels easy.
Some Drawbacks Experienced After Switching to Everand
Honestly, no ebook or audiobook platform is without its cons. It’s more akin to navigating a bed of roses—where roses bloom, thorns exist. I truly enjoy my experience with Everand, yet there are a few aspects I’d like to improve.
My primary concern is the ambiguous limits mentioned in the terms. While it’s claimed that users can enjoy unlimited titles from the Unlimited collection, the fine print indicates potential restrictions enforced by publishers, with no clear details available. So far, I’ve encountered no such limits, typically delving into 3-4 ebooks while listening to 3-5 audiobooks and exploring various sheet music titles monthly.
Another challenge is identifying a title’s position within a series. Both Audible and Kindle Unlimited clearly label a book as “book 1 out of 5” or something similar; however, Everand lacks this feature. I often have to conduct my own research to find that information.
The overall library offered by Everand is less extensive than that of Audible or Kindle Unlimited. Audible particularly excels because of its expansive collection of bestsellers, though I don’t find myself seeking out many bestsellers, so this isn’t a concern for me. If you predominantly want free public domain titles and own an iOS device, Apple Books could be worth exploring.
Lastly, I’m unable to purchase titles directly through Everand. Unlike Audible and Kindle Unlimited, where I can buy titles for my permanent collection, with Everand, if I wish to keep a title, I must visit Amazon or Audiobooks.com.
Generous Free Trial Offer
Both Audible and Everand provide a 30-day free trial, which I appreciate as it allows ample time to evaluate a new service. In contrast, Kindle Unlimited sometimes offers only a discounted price or a shorter trial period.
When I made the switch, the 30-day trial from Everand allowed me to thoroughly explore the platform, test out its features, and feel confident in my decision to transition from the other services.
If you’re intrigued, I highly recommend trying out the free trial and comparing Everand with other services. You might discover a new favorite source for your ebooks and audiobooks. Of course, Everand isn’t the sole option out there. Consider checking out other alternatives to Audible and Kindle Unlimited to find the one that best suits your preferences.
Image credit: Pexels, All screenshots by Crystal Crowder
Leave a Reply