Why Are Some Books NOT Available On Audible? (Answered)

Audible is an amazing service that allows you to get audiobooks and listen to them whenever and wherever you want.

But as good as it is, a few things make it less than ideal—namely, some books aren’t available on Audible.

Why Some Books are Not Available on Audible: 

If a title is no longer available on Audible, the publisher or author has removed it from the Plus Catalog. If you’re still interested in purchasing this title, you can do so by going to Amazon.com. If no purchase options are available, they no longer carry the title.

How Soon Do New Titles Get on Audible? 

A number of factors go into how quickly a title will become available for purchase on Audible.  

First, some publishers are slower than others to release their books and audiobooks.  

The pace at which they get them out depends on their internal processes, the size of the publisher, and whether or not they have an established relationship with Amazon (or other providers). 

Second, some publishers are more selective than others in their release schedule.  

They may have different criteria for what kinds of titles they put out as audiobooks and when they do so: it could be by genre or subject matter; it could also have to do with quality control over production values or content licensing issues.

There are many other reasons why books are not available on Audible. Some of them are: 

• Publishers have licensing protocols to follow. They may have contracts with other publishers that prevent them from selling their books on Audible. 
• Some publishers have to get approval too. If a publisher wants to make their book available on Audible, they will have to submit the title for approval by the company. 
• Sometimes, it’s just a matter of timing. The publisher may want to wait until another book comes out before offering it on Audible so they don’t compete head-to-head with themselves. More on that is below. 

Why Would A Publisher Or Author Say No? 

The most common reason is that they don’t want to cut their print sales. 

Publishing companies make more money on books than on ebooks or audiobooks. 

Publishers still get royalties from them even though they aren’t making any money from them directly. 

If someone downloads an audiobook instead, one less person will buy the print version later down the line — which means less money in their pockets overall. 

So they might delay the release of audiobooks to get better profit margins.

Also, some authors may not make too much money from Audible.

Can You Check If a Book Title Is Coming to Audible Soon? 

You can follow Audible on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram as they regularly post about new releases. 

If you have a title you’re interested in, click on it, and it will take you to the book’s page. Scroll down until you see the “Pre-Order” button under the price. Clicking on this button will confirm that your order has been successfully placed. 

You can check other apps to see if a book is available elsewhere.  

If you’re looking for an audiobook on Audible, try searching for it in the Amazon Kindle Store app or iBooks or even googling that audiobook to see whether it has been released on any platform yet. 

The Benefits of Pre-Ordering Audible Books: 

Over the years, Audible has become one of the best sources for audiobooks and podcasts.

If you are an avid reader or listener, you might want to consider pre-ordering your next book from Audible. 

There are several benefits to doing so: 

1. Convenience
   • You can easily pre-order books on Audible’s website using a desktop app or mobile site. 
   • Easily done on Audible, you can keep track and even see when they are released. 
2. You Can See When Your Book Will Arrive
   • Audiobooks come out on different dates depending on the publisher or author’s schedule.
   • If you see when a certain book is coming out, then it would be smart to pre-order it. 
3. You might save money by buying early
   • Audiobooks offered at a pre-order cost less than those that aren’t — sometimes significantly less. 

Does Audible Offer the Same Books in Every Region? 

Audible is available in many countries, but not all.  

Each Audible region (United States, United Kingdom, and Canada) has a different selection of audiobooks because each country has its copyright laws and distribution deals that affect how much content can be legally distributed or broadcast to listeners in that country.  

They always try to include as much content as possible for their customers—it’s just that sometimes these restrictions prevent them from offering the same titles across all regions. 

For example: If Amazon Publishing publishes a book, then only listeners living in the US can purchase it through Audible.  

However, if another publisher owns the rights for another region (e.g., Penguin Random House UK), listeners from those regions will be able to purchase it as well–but only if they live there. 

Why Doesn’t Audible Offer the Same Books in Every Region? 

One reason Audible might not have the same book in your region is because of publisher contracts.  

Publishers have different deals with Audible for each region, and sometimes those deals are limited to a certain duration or the number of books publishers can buy. 

For example, some publishers may decide they want to release an audiobook in one country but not another because they don’t think it will make enough money there. 

Another reason, like I mentioned before, is for sales figures. Some countries receive more sales for hard copy books than audiobooks. So they might hold out to maximize their profit. 

Does Audible Offer Different Book Selections for Different Geo-Locations? 

No, Audible does not offer different book selections for different geo-locations. 

Audible offers different book selections for different regions. For example, if you are located in the United States, you will only be able to purchase audiobooks from US authors and publishers.  

However, suppose your IP address displays that it’s from another country, such as Canada or England (or any other region). In that case, you’ll be able to purchase audiobooks from authors and publishers in those countries. 

If you have additional questions about what languages are available on Audible, we have an entire article dedicated to this!

How To Fix Audible Titles Not Showing In Your Location? 

One way to get titles is to use a VPN, but this is not simple at all. 

If you’re using a VPN to change your location, you can sign in to the server from another country. However, you will need an account verified and set up for that country to sign in and access the books from that server. 

If you have an account in a different country, then using a VPN within that same region could allow you to access the books from anywhere in the world. 

Does Audible Sometimes Remove Book Titles? 

You may have noticed that some books are no longer available on Audible, or you might have thought of a title that has been out of print for years and wondered if it was still available.  

While audible occasionally remove books from their store, most of these titles will still be available on Amazon or through libraries (if your library is affiliated with OverDrive).  

This happens because: 

• The publisher decided to take the book down from all retailers
• You live outside of the country where your region is currently supported by Audible

Why Does Audible Remove Book Titles? 

Audible removes books from its catalog because they are no longer available.  

Sometimes, the publisher pulls a title from circulation permanently; other times, the rights may have expired, and the book is no longer available for sale (or only in physical formats). 

Can You Check What Books Audible Will Get Next? 

The easiest way to see what books are coming up is to go to the Audible website. You can also find this information in the Audible app, but it’s not as easy to navigate.  

On the website, you can see several categories of books that will be available soon, including New Releases and Upcoming Releases. 

Here you can also pre-order books, as mentioned before. 

What Other Audiobook Apps Have the Most Books? 

If you’re looking for a specific audiobook, the first thing to do is check with these apps.  

Some of them have really good libraries, and some of them don’t. Most well-known audiobook apps have a large selection, but this isn’t always true of lesser-known ones. 

Here’s a list to show you a quick comparison: 

Google Play has over 300,000 titles in its inventory, which puts it at the top of the list regarding finding books (and if you have an Android phone or tablet). 

Audiobooks.com also has a lot of audiobooks available for download—it’s one of our favorites because it lets users listen on their computers and on mobile devices and tablets like iPads and Kindles (although not iPhones).  

LibriVox provides free audio versions of public domain works by volunteers who record works onto CDs or digital files.

BookBub showcases discounted ebooks via email newsletters and special offers on new releases or bestsellers at reduced monthly prices. 

BookBeat publishes information about upcoming releases to help readers plan. Another great option is finding out about new releases or planning your next reads. 

Sources

Audible: Coming Soon 

Audible Help: Where Can I See Find My Pre-Orders on the Audible Website? 

Audible Help: Why Are There Titles That Are No Longer Included In My Membership?