Audible, an Amazon company and a global provider of spoken-word entertainment, has launched over 100 audiobooks completely free of cost on Alexa.

The free books can be accessed on the Amazon Echo and Fire TV range, and other Alexa built-in devices. Several more titles will be added to this offering in the months that follow, the company has said.

This new offering on Alexa enables a seamless, hands-free experience to customers while switching from one device to another so they can continue where they paused on one device, like an Android/iOS app and pick it up on another Alexa device.

Users can access the collection by asking “Alexa, what’s free from Audible?” in English or “Alexa, Audible में क्या फ्री है?” in Hindi. Users will be directed to Audible’s catalogue of free titles on Alexa.

Users can also listen to a specific title that’s part of this offering by saying “Alexa, Read *name of audiobook*” or “Alexa, [booktitle] पढ़ो”.

Customers can choose to listen to any English audiobook including a Selection of the Cases of Sherlock Holmes written by Arthur Conan Doyle. This includes the stories "A Scandal in Bohemia" and "Man with the Twisted Lip."

The collection also offers A Tale of Two Cities written by Charles Dickens, The Complete Chanakya Neeti (English) written by R.P. Jain, mystery thriller The Mystic Sinners written by Proyashi Barua and On the Double written by Tanushree Podder, a charming tale of friendship and coming-of-age.

The free Hindi audiobook titles that a customer can access by simply saying “Alexa, read [book-title] from Audible” include anthology 21 Shreshth Kahaniyan Prem Chand written by Munshi Premchand, Corporate Guru Dhirubhai Ambani written by Prateeksha M. Tiwari, which is a biographical account of Dhirubhai Ambani's life and Shiv Puran written by Vinay Neeraj.

Shailesh Sawlani, Country Head, Audible India, said, “Audible and Alexa have teamed up to elevate the experience for customers and since 2020 have introduced some of the most-loved stories to Alexa users."

"By launching a selection of 100 + free audiobook titles in Hindi and English on Alexa devices, we are taking this experience up a notch and aim to make the Audible experience accessible to more listeners by making it free. We hope to introduce many such creative offerings with Alexa in the future and continue to entertain our customers," added Sawlani.

comment COMMENT NOW