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Frequently Asked Questions
General Questions:

Frequently Asked Questions About our Service


  1. How does BOT serve the school market?
  2. Who is listening to audiobooks?
  3. Where are BOT audiobooks produced?
  4. How is a book chosen to become a BOT audiobook?
  5. What literary genres are available from BOT?
  6. Who are your narrators?
  7. How is my order shipped?
  8. What are my options for receiving backorders?
  9. What is your return policy?
  10. What kind of warranty do you offer?

How does BOT serve the school market?

Books on Tape (BOT) is a company you can trust. We pioneered the concept of unabridged audiobooks, and we're celebrating 35 years of offering the greatest variety, the highest quality, and the best service. BOT has been creating partnerships with libraries for over three decades, and together we have provided patrons with a comprehensive selection of titles ranging from Dickens to Obama. Audiobooks have now become a multi-billion dollar industry, further validating the concept behind BOT.

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.

As audiobooks continue to increase in popularity, BOT and Listening Library will continue to publish more bestselling and beloved titles. Audiobooks also play an important role in developing literacy. To learn more about how audiobooks can be used in the classroom, click here.

Who is listening to audiobooks?

According to the Audio Publisher's Association (APA) 2008 survey, 28% of Americans are listening to audiobooks and 72% of those listeners are listening for an average of 5 hours a week. In audiobook households, 63% of children are also listeners! Entertainment on long drives and trips is the number one reason for listening to audiobooks.

Where are BOT 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 top-of-the-line studios allow us to engineer the finest sound quality recordings.

How is a book chosen to become a BOT 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.

What literary genres are available from BOT?

BOT 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 800 titles includes such popular characters like Arthur, Ramona, Amber Brown, Harry Potter, and such beloved authors as Judy Blume, Christopher Paolini, Mary Pope Osborne, Stephenie Meyer, Christopher Paul Curtis, 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!

Our vast collection of adult titles span every genre, including: African American, Business & Personal Finance, Christian Interest, Classics, Current Affairs & Politics, General Fiction, General Non-Fiction, Health & Fitness, Historical Fiction, History, Horror, Humor, Memoir & Biography, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Poetry, Religion, Science, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Self Help & Inspiration, Sports, Travel, Western, Women's Fiction, and Romance.

Who are your narrators?

All of our narrators are professionally trained and accomplished performers. Many have received national recognition for their work, such as Grammy® Awards, AudioFile Golden Voice and Earphone Awards, Audie Awards, and have made Library Journal's Best Audiobooks list. 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!

To learn more about our readers, please visit our narrator page.

How is my order shipped?

Orders are shipped via UPS Ground. We will process your order and have it shipped within 3-5 days. UPS will take 7 to 10 days to deliver your order depending on your location. Overnight and 2-day services are available upon request.

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. Priority Processing: Here at BOT, we know the value of replacements. That's why we built a state-of-the-art digital archive to turn around your replacement orders in one week or less.

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 customers to take advantage of our commitment to provide simultaneous release of bestsellers with the hardcover edition.

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 sent via a traceable method, at customer expense, to our returns 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 warranty do you offer?

Standard Warranty:
FREE replacement of broken CDs, binders, and inserts purchased direct from BOT for 365 days after date of invoice. Please contact Customer Service for additional information.


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BOOKS ON TAPE®, B-O-T® and BOOKS ON CD® are registered trademarks and service marks of Books on Tape, A Division of Random House, Inc.
"Audiobooks" is the generic term for recordings of best-sellers on cassette.
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