With a credit card...
free-ebooks.net is great. Scroll down for their audio books.
For 5 bucks,ya can hire Garrett Morris
If you buy from any of big name companies you will have to deal with the encoded files. What is the issue with that? I know Audible allows you to authorize several players.
I have my iPhone authorized as well as my wife’s kindle. They also have your library available whenever you want it.
And $20 a book is an awful lot. I pay $30 a month and get three books. I drive a lot and walk a lot. I listen to as many books as I read.
M4L e-books
what kind of device are you planning to use for these MP3s ?
Audible.com is a major source. You just have to watch the prices so you don’t overspend.
Also when I find a book I want on Amazon I put the CD or mp3 version in my cart and just wait until the price drops to where I want to buy it. You just have to be sure that Amazon doesn’t switch a hard copy for the audio version to make the price look lower. They did that to me twice and now I double check when the price drops that they didn’t do a switch.
Having an easy to move around MP3 is what is needed to pirate the book, and that's exactly what the publishers are trying to avoid.
Audible
Our public library has downloads that you can check out. Limited selection and an app has to be installed on your phone.
Also, if you know how to rip a CD, the library could be useful . . .
If you do a lot of driving and live in the heartland, Cracker Barrel stores let you buy and exchange audio books on CD at most of their restaurants so you can listen to a book while driving then turn it in for another in another location.
http://freelibrary.lib.overdrive.com/
Most larger libraries in your state may offer this service. You can't always find exactly what you are looking for, but you can find some good reads. -Good luck!
PS. Many can be downloaded as .mp3's. I then copy them from the download directory and paste them to my library on my hard drive. This way, when I "return" them, they are still accessible.
Regarding Audible.com, their service allows you to create straight audio CDs, from there you can rip MP3s. It is a lot of work but it can be done.
I have had second tier MP3 plaeyrs that would not work with audible, and yes, it would be good to have things in MP3 format.
I worked for ten years at a publishing company, and was responsible for the small audiobook selection that we introduced in 2003. I made the recommendation to go with MP3-CD format so we could charge a reasonable price (CD replication was more expensive then) and that people could move their books to any device (although making regular CDs was work).
Blackstone/Downpour has newer titles, and carry MP3-CDs, and I believe you can do straight MP3 downloads from them.
Tantor Media is on the secular/lefty side, but they run good sales including MP3-CDs regularly.
If downloaded music can be purchased in unencoded MP3 format, then there is no reason that audiobooks cannot be as well.
Not a "cracking" tool - it only works with books that have been purchased and are authorized by Audible to play on your PC.