- How does Books on Tape serve the library market?
- Who is listening to audiobooks?
- Where are BOOKS ON TAPE® audiobooks produced?
- How is a book chosen to become a BOOKS ON TAPE® audiobook?
- What literary genres are available on BOOKS ON TAPE® audiobooks?
- Does B-O-T offer children's audiobooks?
- Who are your narrators?
- How is my order shipped?
- What are my options for receiving backorders?
- What kind of warranty do you offer?
- What are the advantages to being a B-O-T Standing Order Plan member?
- How much should I budget for a standing order program
How does Books on Tape serve the library market?
For over 30 years, Books on Tape, a division of the Random House Audio Publishing Group, has offered the richest and most popular collection of unabridged audiobooks. Our audiobooks are produced in our Los Angeles and New York studios, read by the finest narrators, and delivered with a complement of services tailored to meet the special needs of librarians and educators.
We are proud to exclusively have LISTENING LIBRARY®, as our children's library imprint. Listening Library is the premier audiobook publisher for children's and young adult literature.
Who is listening to audiobooks?
Over 25% of American households borrow or purchase audiobooks every year. According to the Audio Publishers Association's (APA) 2001 survey, the audiobook industry is estimated to have generated $2 billion in sales in 2001. 70% of listening occurs in cars and with people spending more time commuting it's no wonder the industry is slated to continue to grow.
Where are BOOKS ON TAPE® audiobooks produced?
All of our audiobooks are created in our own state-of-the-art studios in Los Angeles and New York. The locations of our studios allow our producers to access the largest pool of stage and screen talent to narrate our audiobooks. Our producers work hard to marry the perfect voice to each project, and our state-of-the-art studios allow us to engineer the finest sound quality recordings.
How is a book chosen to become a BOOKS ON TAPE® audiobook?
Our editorial staff receives manuscripts, galleys and advance reading copies from all the major publishing houses, agents, and sometimes from the authors themselves. From this we determine which titles would be appropriate for our customer base in the audiobook format.
In order to provide you with bestsellers simultaneously with the print editions, our editorial staff works as far as 12 months in advance negotiating rights. As a result of our merger with Random House Audio Publishing Group in November 2001, we now have even greater access to today's most popular titles.
What literary genres are available on BOOKS ON TAPE® audiobooks?
Our vast literary selections span every genre from mysteries, classics, personal achievement, biographies, fiction, history and war, non-fiction, and science fiction.
Does B-O-T offer children's audiobooks?
Yes, Books on Tape is the proud publisher of Listening Library audiobooks for the school and library market.
Listening Library is the premier publisher of unabridged audiobooks for children and young adults. Their reputation for quality
productions of the best in children's literature has set them apart from other audio producers. Their backlist of over 600
titles includes such popular characters as Arthur, Ramona, Amber Brown, Harry Potter, and such authors as Judy Blume, Gary
Paulsen, Mary Pope Osborne, Beverly Cleary, and Philip Pullman.
The value of audiobooks as a learning tool in the education of children is widely recognized by experts.
Audiobooks bring written text to life, adding an interactive quality that can ignite a child's imagination. They encourage
reading by broadening vocabularies, stretching attention spans, and fostering critical-thinking skills. Listening to audiobooks
in the classroom can effectively enrich the reading experience and aid your students in understanding and appreciating
literature, history, theatre arts, and more!
Who are your narrators?
All our narrators are professionally trained and accomplished performers. Many have received national recognition for their work, such as Golden Voice, Earphone Awards, Audie Awards, and Library Journal's best audiobook listings. Most importantly, our productions have our listeners' stamp of approval.
We continually survey our customers to ensure that we are selecting their favorite narrators for forthcoming books. We know that great narration is critical to an enjoyable listening experience!
Please contact our customer service department to participate in our narrator evaluation program.
To learn more about our readers, please visit the narrators page.
How is my order shipped?
Every B-O-T library customer enjoys FREE shipping. Orders are shipped via UPS ground. We will process your order and have it shipped within 5 to 10 days. UPS will take 7 to 10 days to deliver your order. Federal Express Overnight and 2-day services are available upon request. Please allow for an additional two weeks if you request cataloging and processing services.
To take advantage of our commitment to provide bestsellers simultaneously with the print editions you must place your order 45 days in advance of the on-sale date and we'll ship the title before the hardcover edition goes on sale.
Two-Day Replacement Turnaround: All replacements are sent out within two business days and will be shipped by Priority 1st class mail.
What are my options for receiving backorders?
The preferred method is shipment based on on sale dates. This may lead to partial shipments, because on sale dates fall throughout the month. However, complete shipping is available upon request. Should you choose this option your order will be held until every title in the order is available. Complete shipping will not allow libraries to take advantage of our commitment to provide simultaneous release of bestsellers with the hardcover editions.
What is your return policy?
If for any reason you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, product is fully returnable within 90 days of date of receipt for credit at the price and discount at which the product was purchased. Full copy returns are required for credit. Returns should be mailed, at customer expense, to our mailing address. While return authorization is not required, all returns should be made with a claim copy or packing slip indicating for each title returned the ISBN#, quantity, account name and number, and date of receipt of purchase.
What kind of warranties do you offer?
Standing Order Plan Member Warranty:
Replacement of broken cassettes, CDs, binders, and inserts purchased direct from Books on Tape is FREE for active SOP members. This warranty warranty applies separately to each SOP format.
Standard Warranty:
FREE replacement of broken cassettes, CDs, binders, and inserts purchased direct from Books on Tape for 365 days after date of invoice (click here for replacement costs).
What are the advantages to being a B-O-T Standing Order Plan member?
When you enroll in a B-O-T Standing Order Plan, you'll have the power of title selection. This hallmark of all our Standing Order Programs allows YOU TO CHOOSE the titles that best fit your library's budget and patron demand by selecting from our popular New Titles and backlist favorites. Unlike other companies, which force you to take their selections, we encourage you to create your own title selection program. If you like, we will work with you to create a personalized standing order program based on budget or title quantity.
"Flexibility of the B-O-T Standing Order Plan works for us because we can select titles we know our patrons want to listen to."
- Elizabeth Prior, Broward County Library, FL
How much should I budget for a standing order program?
It depends on which program you select. Plus when you enroll in a Standing Order Plan you'll have the power of title selection, which will affect the total cost of the plan.
 BOOKS ON TAPE® |
|
Monthly Committment |
Discount |
Estimated Yearly Cost |
| 2 cassettes |
15% |
$1,300 |
| 4 cassettes |
20% |
$2,450 |
| 6 cassettes |
20% |
$3,675 |
| 8 cassettes |
20% |
$4,900 |
| |
| 2 CDs |
15% |
$1,625 |
| 4 CDs |
20% |
$3,000 |
| 6 CDs |
20% |
$4,500 |
| 8 CDs |
20% |
$6,000 |
| 10 CDs |
20% |
$7,500 |
| 12 CDs |
20% |
$9,000 |
| 18 CDs |
20% |
$13,500 |
| 24 CDs |
20% |
$18,000 |
| |
| 2 CDs |
15% |
$800 |
| 3 CDs |
20% |
$1,100 |
| 6 CDs |
20% |
$2,200 |
| 8 CDs |
20% |
$2,950 |
|
Most Popular Plan:
4 cassettes/month
20% Discount
$2,450 Estimated Yearly Cost |
 BOOKS ON CD® |
Most Popular Plan:
4 CDs/month
20% Discount
$3,000 Estimated Yearly Cost
|
Listening Library® |
Most Popular Plan:
3 CDs/month
20% Discount
$1,100 Estimated Yearly Cost |
|
Please call our friendly customer service representatives or local B-O-T representatives for complete details.
| 
button. You have the option to delete any or all of the titles you have stored in your basket at any time.