Amazon Whispersync Deals – Or: How to get Audible books for $1.99!

Want to buy audiobooks for $1.99-$7.49 instead of $14.95? Amazon Whispersync deals let you get professional Audible books at a fraction of the regular price. And you don’t even need any subscription for them!

Here’s exactly how Amazon Whispersync works and how you can find the sweet deals…

Whispersync Deals at a Glance

• What it is: Buy Kindle ebook + Audible audiobook together at a discount
• Typical audiobook price: $1.99-$7.49 (vs $14.95 for an Audible credit)
• Best for: Building a permanent audiobook library affordably
• No subscription needed: Works without an Audible membership
• You own it forever: Keep audiobooks even if you cancel everything

What Is Amazon Whispersync?

Whispersync is Amazon’s system that connects Kindle ebooks with their Audible versions. When a book is “Whispersynced,” the ebook and audiobook are identical and can work together seamlessly.

This connection gives you three major benefits:

1. Switch between reading and listening: Your progress syncs automatically between formats. Read in bed at night, then pick up exactly where you left off listening during your morning commute. You don’t have to do anything; it simply works when you have both formats of a title on the same Amazon account.

2. Immersion reading: You can listen to the Audible narration while following along in the ebook. This is great for practicing readers, but many proficient readers enjoy experiencing stories this way, too.

3. Whispersync deals: This is the big one for audiobook fans. Whispersynced audiobooks are offered at significantly reduced prices when you buy them with the ebook.

I hear you say: “What? Audible audiobooks are cheaper if you own the Kindle book?” And the answer is, in many cases, yes! Isn’t that awesome?!

These deals are perfect for audiobook fans who don’t like subscriptions or anyone who wants to own their audiobooks permanently. It’s an affordable way to build a substantial audiobook library from a huge selection.

Why are some audiobooks cheaper when you buy the Kindle ebook? Well, because it’s a great promotional tool for Amazon Audible. The deals encourage us to buy an audiobook that we otherwise maybe wouldn’t have gotten. And it gets us hooked on Audible! But it’s this versatility in how you can use it that makes Audible one of the best audiobook apps for me.

How Much Do You Actually Save?

Most Whispersynced audiobooks cost between $1.99 (typically Amazon Publishing or Audible Studios productions) and $7.49 (the standard price for most smaller publishers and indie authors, though recently we’ve seen greater variety in prices that reflect audiobook length).

Here’s a real example: Layla by Colleen Hoover** costs one Audible credit ($14.95 value), or you can buy the Kindle ebook for $2.99 and add the audiobook for $5.99 for a total $8.98. You save $6 AND get the ebook as a bonus.

Kindle Unlimited subscribers often save even more: If you have a KU subscription, borrow the ebook for free and buy the audiobook for $5.99. You keep the audiobook forever, even after canceling KU.

Important to know: You own the audiobook! It’s automatically added to your Audible app, and you can listen whenever and as often as you want, no active subscriptions required.

Related article: How to Listen to Kindle Unlimited Audiobooks

Yes, you do NOT need an Audible subscription to buy or listen to Whispersync audiobooks! Simply install the free Audible app and log in with your Amazon email and password. The Whispersync audiobooks work exactly like any audiobook you’d buy with an Audible credit.

Pro tip about the big 5 publishers: You’ll find Whispersync deals from major publishing houses, too, but if you only want the audiobook, these Whispersync package deals often aren’t worth it because the ebooks are so expensive. Spending an Audible credit is usually cheaper for those titles.

Generally, before buying any audiobook, check Amazon first to see if there’s a cheaper Whispersync deal available!

How to Find and Buy Whispersync Deals

There are three ways to find these deals, depending on what you’re looking for:

Browse All Available Deals

Browse all Kindle ebooks that have cheap Audible narration**! You’ll find thousands of options here. Unfortunately, you can’t sort by audiobook price, but you can filter by genre and recent releases to find what interests you. And you can sort by ebook price low to high to check out free ebooks!

Upgrade Books You Already Own

This is my favorite method! Amazon’s Matchmaker** scans all the Kindle ebooks you already own or have currently borrowed and shows you which ones have discounted audiobook versions available.

My strategy: I grab ebooks whenever they’re free or $0.99, then use Matchmaker later to see which ones I can upgrade to audio cheaply. It’s a great way to build your audiobook library over time!

Use Your Kindle App

You can also find Whispersync deals directly in the Kindle app:

1. Tap “More” in the bottom menu
2. Select “Read & Listen with Audible”
3. Browse your eligible ebooks with audiobook pricing

Note: This works great on Android phones, but the Fire tablet version doesn’t always show your personal library, it may take you to a general store page instead. If that happens, just use the browser-based Matchmaker tool linked above.

How to Add the Audiobook to Your Purchase

When you’re looking at a Kindle ebook on Amazon, you’ll see options below the main purchase button. Look for “Add Audible narration for $X.XX” and toggle it ON before you buy or borrow the ebook.

For Kindle Unlimited subscribers: Click the small grey arrow under the “Read for Free” button to reveal the audiobook toggle. You do NOT need to buy the ebook to get the cheap audiobook! Just toggle “Add Audible narration,” then click “Read for Free.” You’ll borrow the ebook and permanently own the audiobook.

The audiobook gets added to your Audible app automatically, and it stays there, even if you return the ebook or cancel your KU subscription.

Start Saving on Audiobooks

Now that you know how Whispersync deals work, you can start building your audiobook library for a fraction of the usual cost. No subscriptions required, no commitments, just affordable audiobooks that are yours to keep.

Happy listening!

Eline Blackman (pronouns: she/they) fell in love with books as a child – with being read to and reading herself. 10 years ago, she bought her first Audible book. It was love at first listen! An average of 250 audiobooks per year has become the new normal and you will rarely see Eline without a wireless earbud. Romance and Fantasy are the go-to genres for this audiobook fan.

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