Talking Books
Talking Books has been one of our most loved services for more than eight decades, and we now offer more formats and titles than ever before.
Our Talking Books service is absolutely free. Giving you access to over 40,000 fiction and non fiction books for adults and children in accessible formats that suits you.
Formats available
- You can choose to receive your Talking Books by digital download, and we also have a range of titles available to buy from our online shop.
- Or you can now get your books through an Alexa enabled device such as your smart speaker, tablet or phone.
- You can also get your books on DAISY CD (one book per disc) or USB stick (three books per stick) depending on your personal taste.
Get started
For more information or to sign up to the RNIB Library get in touch:
- Call our Helpline on 0303 123 9999
- Email [email protected].
Product information
- All our Talking Books are unabridged and high quality, giving you the best possible reading and listening experience.
- Borrow up to six books at a time, with no limit on how many you borrow over the year.
- Our speedy on-demand service means your books are delivered to your door free of charge.
- Enjoy access to the rest of our library collection, with access to braille books, as well as music and learning resources.
- Return your books free of charge once you’ve enjoyed them.
- Use our online library catalogue to browse, discover and choose your books.
- Get help choosing books from our experienced library team, or get technology or reading advice in your own home from our national team of volunteers.
RNIB Talking Books on CD – change to service
From Monday 9th January 2023, RNIB is making a change to how its Talking Book on CD service operates. Readers of our Talking Books on CD will no longer need to return their current book to get the next book sent out. Readers can either keep the CD to make a small library for themselves or they can return it to RNIB in the CD sleeve provided for recycling. The return address on the cardboard sleeve is being updated to RNIB Gateshead.
We will continue to send out Talking Books on CD at the reading rate of each reader. An avid reader will continue to receive frequent books and an occasional reader will receive fewer books at the same speed they currently do now.
If a reader wants to change the rate at which they receive CDs, our colleagues on the RNIB Helpline ([email protected] or 0303 123 9999) will be able to increase, decrease or put on hold the flow of books to a level that suits the reader.
Our Talking Book on USB service is unchanged. For a customer to receive the next collection of Talking Books on USB, they need to return the USB in the pouch provided.
Why are we doing this?
We are aware that getting items returned in the post to RNIB can be difficult for some of our readers. Where we can make a change like this we are doing so. We are still happy to receive the CDs back for recycling at a time that is convenient for the reader to post them.
We will closely monitor this change to our service over the coming months and, where necessary, will make adjustments.
