How to Kindle/Audible Whisper-Sync... or another way to long Facebook-reply :)

I suggested the use of audiobooks to a mom on the Ambleside Online Facebook group and realized that by now I have acquired quite a lot of experience with the Knicks and knacks of the Whisper Sync system. So, I thought I'd put together a little tutorial... And the only place to save it in plain view was here! :)

Kindle/Audible-Whisper-Sync is great. It does cost a little more, though, than what one would like...

Some things to look out for:

1) Make sure your kindle can do it (my old Paperwhite can't, my fire-kindle can.)

2) If at all possible, use a Kindle with SD-memory card, as the Audible files take a lot of room, even with SD-card I can only have about three Audible books on each Kindle at a time.

3) Make sure you buy the right Kindle/Audible combination. Most classic books come in many different Kindle editions and only one of them will work with the Audible-book. Look out for the little "Whisper-Sync-logo" in the book information. Easiest is to buy the Audible-book as an "add-on" at the same time as you buy the Kindle-book. (You can also look up Kindle books you already own and see if the Add-on-Audible-button will show up.)

4) Some books will have several different Audible-editions as well. Listen to the audio excerpt and choose the reader you like the most, but before you buy, make sure there is a Kindle book connected to that Audible edition! (Most often only one or two of the Audible editions have the Whisper-Sync connection.)

5) Also, check what will be the cheapest: buying the Kindle edition first + adding on the Audible, or buying in the opposite order. Most often the first way is the cheapest, but not always...

6) When you sign up for Audible you have to buy those expensive credits, most of the time the Audible part of the AO books that you buy as a Kindle/Audible combination is less than what the credits are worth, so I save most of them for buying more expensive Audible books that I don't want/need with the Whisper-Sync. But remember Amazon will only let you keep a small number (I think six) credits, so better use them instead of collecting too many and end up losing them...

7) One more thing: The Whisper-Sync cannot be used on a kid account on the Kindle, so you'll have to let the kids in on an adult account. (You might want to disable the "buying without password"-setting on your Kindle, before login your kid in on your own account...) Plain Kindle books or Audible books can be read/listened to on the kid account, but the Whisper Sync won't work. And in my opinion, the Whisper-Sync is what makes Audible awesome for kids with reading problems as it guides the eyes and helps the child see the word at the same time s/he hears it.

HTH