How to Get Into Audiobooks: A Complete Beginner's Guide

1. Pick a Book That’s Easy to Follow

Your first audiobook shouldn’t feel like homework. Skip dense fantasy worlds with 40 characters, business books packed with jargon, or anything you already struggled to finish in print. Start with something conversational, fast-moving, or familiar. Memoirs read by the author work especially well because they sound like someone telling you a story directly.

Think about where you already focus naturally. If you binge true crime videos, try a thriller or investigative nonfiction book. If you like comedy clips on TikTok, pick something funny and personality-driven. Your goal isn’t to impress anyone. Your goal is to finish your first audiobook without forcing yourself through it.

2. Use Listening Time You Already Have

The biggest mistake beginners make is treating audiobooks like a replacement for sitting down with a physical book. They work better when you attach them to something your body already does automatically. Walking, cleaning, commuting, grocery shopping, and folding laundry are perfect because your hands stay busy while your brain listens.

Start small. Pick one daily activity that lasts at least 15 minutes and turn it into audiobook time. Morning walks work well because your brain hasn’t filled up with notifications yet. Driving works too, as long as the book isn’t so complicated that you keep rewinding at red lights.

Because consistency matters more than marathon sessions, aim for daily listening instead of long weekend catch-up sessions. Twenty focused minutes every day beats two distracted hours once a week.

3. Change the Playback Speed Immediately

Most audiobook apps default to normal speed, and normal speed often sounds painfully slow. That’s why so many first-time listeners think audiobooks feel dull or sleepy. Bump the speed to 1.2x or 1.3x before you decide the format “isn’t for you.”

You’ll probably need a few minutes to adjust. Stick with it. Your brain adapts faster than you expect, and slightly faster narration keeps your attention locked in because there’s less empty space between thoughts.

Don’t go overboard on day one. Listening at 2x speed might sound impressive online, but if you spend the whole time mentally buffering, you’ll quit. Find the pace where the narrator sounds natural but energetic.

Pro Tip: If your mind keeps wandering, increase the playback speed by one small step instead of restarting the chapter. Faster pacing often fixes attention problems immediately.

4. Test Narrators Before Committing

A bad narrator can ruin a great book. And a great narrator can make an average book impossible to stop listening to. Before you commit to a 12-hour audiobook, listen to the sample with headphones.

Pay attention to rhythm, tone, and clarity. Some narrators sound flat and robotic. Others overact every sentence until the whole thing feels exhausting. You want someone whose voice disappears after a few minutes because you’re focused on the story instead.

Accents matter too. If you’re struggling to understand the narrator during the sample, don’t assume it’ll magically get easier by chapter six. Pick something you can follow comfortably from the start.

5. Stop Rewinding Every Time You Drift Off

New audiobook listeners panic when they miss a paragraph. Then they rewind constantly, replay the same section four times, get frustrated, and stop listening altogether. Physical books don’t work that way either. You’ve skimmed pages before and still understood the story.

If your attention drifts for a minute, keep going unless you missed something genuinely important. Most books repeat ideas naturally, and context fills in gaps faster than you think. Rewinding every few minutes trains your brain to treat listening like a test instead of entertainment.

But if you realise you’ve mentally checked out for ten straight minutes, pause the audiobook and switch activities. Audiobooks work best when your body is occupied but your brain still has room to pay attention.

6. Create a “Low-Effort” Listening Queue

You don’t want to spend 20 minutes deciding what to listen to every time you finish a book. Momentum matters. The easiest way to keep the habit going is building a short backup list before you need it.

Pick three different moods. One light and funny, one gripping and plot-heavy, and one short nonfiction book you can finish quickly. This gives you options depending on your energy level instead of forcing yourself through something you’re not in the mood for.

Short audiobooks are underrated here. Finishing a four-hour book feels good, and that sense of progress keeps you listening. A lot of beginners accidentally kill their momentum by starting with a 35-hour fantasy epic they’re too intimidated to continue.

7. Use Sleep Timers Instead of Falling Asleep Mid-Chapter

A lot of people listen to audiobooks in bed because it feels relaxing. Then they wake up seven chapters later with no idea what happened. You can avoid this completely with the sleep timer built into most audiobook apps.

Set the timer for 10 to 20 minutes when you’re listening at night. That gives you enough time to unwind without losing your place. And if you realise you’re replaying the same sentence because you’re half asleep, stop there instead of forcing yourself to continue.

Night listening works best with calmer books, memoirs, or familiar stories. Fast-paced thrillers usually keep your brain too alert, which defeats the point.

Common Mistake to Avoid

Most beginners choose audiobooks they think they “should” listen to instead of books they actually want to hear. That usually means dense self-improvement books, classic novels they hated in school, or serious nonfiction they never would’ve picked up otherwise. You don’t build a listening habit through discipline alone. You build it by making the experience enjoyable enough to repeat tomorrow.

If a book bores you after an hour, drop it. Seriously. Finishing bad audiobooks out of guilt is the fastest way to convince yourself audiobooks aren’t for you.

Now you’re ready to turn dead time into reading time without forcing yourself into a brand-new routine. Once audiobooks click, walks feel shorter, chores feel easier, and long commutes stop feeling like wasted hours.