George, I subscribe to both. Audible books are read by professional narrators and tend to be high quality. I use Bookshare for text copies of books. For a fluent braille reader, Bookshare must be wonderful. Unfortunately, I am a slow enough braille reader that I rely more heavily on narrated books. Of course, I do use text-to-speech engines, which I think work well for nonfiction. However, fiction doesn't do as well because a speech program can't always get intonation right, which you need for dialog and the other tricks of a novelist's trade.
In terms of cost, Bookshare is hands-down cheaper, at $50 a year for an unlimited subscription. I don't know all the Audible subscription options. Mine is something like $17.95 a month for which I get one credit, that is, one book a month. However, audible has sales throughout the year that make book purchases much cheaper than they seem at first. It might be a list of books at $4.95 each or another list of books where you get two books for one credit. I view Audible as a supplement to NLS/BARD. Each service has books that the other doesn't. also, there are several NLs narrators I just can't stand, and so Audible gives me options. IN fact, for me, as a poor braille reader, Bookshare is also a kind of supplement. If I'm reading a difficult text or if I want to quote from a book in a piece I'm writing, I'll download the Bookshare version. Both contribute to a level of access to books that was unimaginable just a few years ago. When you make your decision, you may need a little assistance getting set up. Audible's tech service people tend to pick up quickly and are familiar with accessibility issues. With Bookshare, you'll rely more on email for assistance. And, if this list's moderators agree, maybe someone here can help. If need be, I'd be happy to answer questions off-list. -----Original Message----- From: JAWS-Users-List [mailto:jaws-users-list-boun...@jaws-users.com] On Behalf Of George Martinez Sent: Wednesday, January 18, 2017 12:44 PM To: jaws-users-list@jaws-users.com Subject: [JAWS-Users] Audible or Book Share Hi All, I am considering joining an eBook service. Are Audible and Book Share both accessible? Any other comments about them would be appreciated. Thanks, George ________________________________ "Whatever you are, be a good one." ~ Abraham Lincoln ________________________________ George A Martinez CPA, PC 12231 North 50th Avenue Glendale, AZ 85304-2215 Voice 602.368.8854 FAX 1-206-666-2589 Email george.martinez...@gmcpa.net<mailto:george.martinez...@gmcpa.net> For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/ For answers to frequently asked questions about this list visit: http://www.jaws-users.com/help/
