We aim to support as many people as possible. Those eligible for membership include people with dyslexia, arthritis, stroke, multiple sclerosis, ME, glaucoma, macular degeneration, cataracts, autism, Asperger's syndrome, ADD, ADHD, amputations, Down's Syndrome, cystic fibrosis, diabetes, head injuries, muscular dystrophy, cancer, emphysema, cerebral palsy, heart conditions, motor neurone disease, neurological conditions, paralysis, Parkinson's disease, paraplegia, quadriplegia, polio, spinal injuries, frailty and manual dexterity problems.
If you are unsure if you qualify, please contact our membership team at support@listening-books.org.uk or on 020 7234 0522
You can join online, by telephone or by post.
We frequently help members in this position. Please email our Membership and Recruitment Administrator at info@listening-books.org.uk, or on 020 7407 9417, who will discuss the options with you.
Listening Books is a charity for people with print impairments. If you do not have an illness, disability, learning or mental health condition which makes reading difficult and/or you are not a resident in the UK, you are ineligible for membership.
Unfortunately Listening Books incurs a fee for payments via PayPal. If you apply and are ineligible for membership, we will refund the unexpired period of your membership payment minus £5 to cover the fee paid to PayPal and as a contribution to our administration charges. Please contact us if you are in any way unsure.
If you decide that Listening Books isn't for you, as long as you contact us within 2 weeks of joining, you will be entitled to a full refund of the membership fee. Those who wish to cancel their membership after 2 weeks from the joining date but within 4 months of the membership period will recieve a refund minus the expired period of their membership. Unfortunately we cannot offer refunds after 4 months.
Yes of course, if you would like to manage the membership for your family member, please let us know.
Once a year when you renew your membership, you will automatically be given the option of changing your service option. However, if you would like to change it during the year, please contact us on 020 7407 9417 or via emial at info@listening-books.org.uk.
If you would like to set up a Direct Debit for your Listening Books membership, please contact our Bookkeeper Jenny at jlewis@listening-books.org.uk or on 020 7407 9417.
Unfortunately, our service is only available for those in the UK.
An MP3 CD looks just like a standard CD, but can hold up to 12 hours of audio.
MP3 CDs will play on most DVD players, computers and modern CD players. We can send you a sample MP3 CD to see if your machine is compatible.
You can request the titles online through your account, or you can make requests by post or by telephone. Contact our membership team on 020 7407 9417 or at support@listening-books.org.uk.
When you receive your CDs, please don't throw the packaging away, as you will need the plastic wallet and envelope to return them to us. Once you have finished listening, place the walleted CD back into the envelope and follow the instructions for return. If you have accidentally thrown away your envelope, please contact the membership team at support@listening-books.org.uk, or return the CD/s in a padded envelope to: Listening Books, 12 Lant Street, London, SE1 1QH.
You can listen to our CDs on any computer with a CD drive. The internet streaming works using Chrome on most devices, with the exception being the Kindle Fire and the Nook. You can download to most portable devices. Please follow this link to find out more about OverDrive Listen, our streaming service and this link for more information on our download service, device by device.
Every child in the school that accesses the audiobooks must fit our membership criteria.
If you are in anyway unsure, please contact our membership team at support@listening-books.org.uk.
Yes, we support the National Curriculum from Key Stage 2 to A-Level, providing set texts and study guides for English, as well as support for numerous other subjects. If there are any books that we do not currently have in the collection, please contact us at support@listening-books.org.uk or on 020 7407 9417 and we will do our best to get them.
Yes, we welcome suggestions from members of titles and authors they would like to see added to the collection. Contact our Copyright Manager Amy at aflinders@listening-books.org.uk.
Please visit www.listening-books.org.uk/volunteer for more information about volunteering, or contact cbell@listening-books.org.uk
If you are an actor and would like to volunteer to read our educational titles, please contact our audio producer at studios@listening-books.org.uk. Please include audio samples of your voice.
Please email production@listening-books.org.uk and our audio producer will be in touch to discuss your requirements.
Thank you very much for thinking of us, however we have to have permission from publishers to provide the books in our collection, and therefore cannot accept donations of books on tape or CD.