Welcome, fellow audiobook lovers!

I'm delighted to announce that the audiobook release of The Hard Edge of Magic is now available in online stores. The audiobook version of the prequel novelette, The Renegade: A Prequel to The Hard Edge of Magic is already available.

All titles in The Stone Cycle series are now available as audiobooks.

My audiobooks are available at Audible, Apple Books, Amazon, Spotify, Chirp, Kobo, Barnes & Noble / Nook, StoryFair, and Everand / Scribd, among many other online sites. Click on one of the links below to go to the venue of your choice.

The audiobooks are also available in many libraries through Overdrive, Hoopla, and others. If you don't see them at your library, ask library staff to order them for you.

See below for Promotional Pricing.

Availability

Audiobooks are also available for sale from a wide range of online audiobook stores, including Amazon, Audible, Apple, Spotify, Google Play, Chirp, Barnes and Noble, and others.

You can also borrow audiobook versions from libraries and listen to them for free!

Follow the links below to find available audiobooks at a selection of audiobook stores and libraries:

Ratings and Reviews

Ratings and reviews of the audiobooks can be found at online audiobook websites, most notably Chirp. Average ratings typically exceed 4 out of 5 stars.

Here are some review comments from Chirp:

"This is a very enjoyable book to listen to." (The Stone of Knowing, Book 1)
"This was one of the best stories I have ever heard!" (The Stone of Knowing, Book 1)
"I thoroughly enjoyed this tale. Packer writes vividly, with realistic, likable characters. This is a fun story I’d highly recommend." (The Stone of Knowing, Book 1)
"This listen maintained the excellence of the first book…This book is fast-paced and quite dramatic." (The Cost of Knowing, Book 2)
"Very good story and well read by the reader." (The Cost of Knowing, Book 2)
"Well written, well read & great character development!" (The Stone of Authority, Book 3)
"Excellent!!! Could hardly put this audiobook on pause. Highly recommend this series. The narrator was perfect for each of the characters he voiced. I will be re-reading this series as it is so very captivating!!!" (The Stone of Authority, Book 3)
"Love this series." (The Stone of Authority, Book 3)
"Great stuff." (The Struggle for Authority, Book 4)
"I'm really enjoying the series." (The Struggle for Authority, Book 4)
"Good, engaging story and well read." (The Stone of Vitality, Book 5)
"The story has really grown on me as I have progressed through it. Very much looking forward to the final book." (The Stone of Vitality, Book 5)
"As with all the books in this series the story is gripping and entertaining." (The Hope of Vitality, Book 6)
"Full of adventure and action and fascinating characters! Fabulous storyline. Could hardly put the audiobook down. Loved the narrator's rendition." (The Stone of Knowing Complete Set)
"Love this whole story package, such an incredible story that keeps me on the edge of my seat. Such incredible characters in these stories!" (The Stone of Authority Complete Set)
"This entire series and the narration have been amazing! I read it years ago, and purchased the audiobooks recently. I highly recommend all of this series, and rereading them a 2nd time, as you will pick up even more !!!" (The Stone of Vitality Complete Set)

Another listener says, "The narrator speaks with great clarity, energy and emotion."

Check the audiobooks out for yourself!

Promotional Pricing

Big discounts are currently available on my audiobooks at StoryFair.

Visit StoryFair now while the promotion lasts!

Some sites notify members when promotional prices become available for authors they follow. Chirp is an excellent example.

Selling Audiobooks - A personal note

You might be surprised to learn that I typically receive roughly the same earnings from the sale of an ebook and a paperback. People might pay a lot more for a paperback, but costs are higher because the product is physical—you have to print the book and ship it.

On that basis, you might expect me to receive more earnings from a typical audiobook sale than an ebook sale. Both use a digital delivery model, and audiobooks typically cost quite a bit more than ebooks. Sadly, that isn't the case at all. My average return from an audiobook sale is considerably lower than for an ebook sale. The simple reason is that almost all online sellers keep most of the retail price. Then the distributor needs to extract their share.

Don't get me wrong. I recognize the benefit I receive from Audible and the like. They have a lot of drawing power, largely because many listeners find it simpler and easier to deal with a single supplier of choice. And even though these sellers keep the lion's share of the selling price, authors like myself do get a return from both sales and subscription listens.

Some authors have turned to direct sales to increase their share of the selling price. I haven't headed in that direction. The sad truth is it's both complicated and time consuming. I'd sooner spend the time writing. 😀

The good news is that, for audiobooks, the next best option (by a large margin) is StoryFair, a recent entrant to the field. Their webpage puts it simply:

"On StoryFair, authors and publishers earn better royalties than anywhere else. They also get to set their own prices. If you love your author and want better prices for audiobooks, shop on StoryFair!"

All of my audiobooks are now available on StoryFair. Since I have complete control over pricing there, I am planning to offer promotions from time to time on that platform.

Release History

Available from libraries and online audiobook stores:

The Seer: A Prequel to The Stone of Knowing — February 5, 2021
The Stone of Knowing — March 4, 2021
The Cost of Knowing — March 11, 2021
The Rending: A Prequel to The Cost of Knowing — April 8, 2021
The Stone of Knowing Complete Set — June 3, 2021
The Stone of Authority — August 9, 2021
The Struggle for Authority - December 31, 2021
The Struggle for Authority Complete Set - April 4, 2022
The Stone of Vitality - June 7, 2022
The Stone of Vitality Complete Set - November 14, 2023
The Renegade: A Prequel to The Hard Edge of Magic - April 1, 2024
The Hard Edge of Magic - June 28, 2024

The Narrator

The stories are narrated by Greg John.

Here is a brief bio for Greg:
Greg John, now retired, has spent his working life in Australia teaching children aged 5 to 18, mainly in the Performing Arts. He has been involved in school and amateur drama and music theatre as principal performer, musical director, director, and producer. Professionally, he has performed in many mainstage operas and major festival productions, including as Narrator in the concert version of Guys and Dolls.
The novels of Allan N. Packer’s fantasy series are his first serious foray into audiobook narration.

An Audio Sample

Click on the following image for a short sample from the audiobook version of The Seer.

Allan Packer