Costco launches audiobook store, app for members

Costco is getting into the audiobook business.

The wholesale retailer recently started selling audiobooks on its website and released its own app for iOS, where buyers can listen to the audiobooks they purchase.

Though the app is free to download, users need a Costco membership to sign in and listen to their audiobooks, according to the Apple AppStore description.

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Currently, Costco appears to be focused on selling curated audiobook bundles within a variety of genres, including thrillers, romance and children’s books.

The collections include books from authors such as James Patterson, Ayn Rand, Beth Moore and Gertrude Chandler Warner.

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Bundles appear to range in price from under $10 to about $45, depending on who the author is and how many books are included. However, most of the collections appear to be in the $15 to $25 range.

Costco is also selling individual audiobooks. However, those audiobooks do not have their prices listed for non-Costco members.

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It is unclear when Costco launched its audiobook store and app. Based on its version history in the Apple AppStore, it appears the app was released about three weeks ago.

The company did not immediately respond to FOX Business’s request for additional details.

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Digital publishing blog Good e-Reader first reported the news of Costco’s audiobook store on Tuesday. According to the blog, most of Costco’s audiobooks come from Simon and Schuster, though there are also books from other publishers including Recorded Books, Macmillan Audio and Penguin Random House.

Ticker	Security	Last	Change	Change %
COST	COSTCO WHOLESALE CORP.	771.31	+14.86	+1.96%