Breaking Free from Audible: Embracing Self-Hosted Audiobooks with Libation and Audiobookshelf

Embracing Self-Hosted Audiobooks with Libation and Audiobookshelf

In today’s world of digital media subscriptions, there’s a hidden risk: content you’ve purchased can be altered (read: censored) or even removed from your library without warning. For audiobook enthusiasts who cherish ownership and flexibility, self-hosting is a powerful way to protect your collection and regain control over how you enjoy the media you already own. (Just a reminder to always obtain your audiobooks through legitimate channels.)

Why Move Away from Audible?

Audible remains a giant in audiobooks but comes with significant drawbacks. For one, your library is locked on the Audible platform with DRM (Digital Rights Management) that restricts where you can listen to your library. Do you really own the digital assets that you bought if you cannot freely play them on any device you own? What if some of your devices have no access to the Audible app? What then? What if Audible stops supporting a particular hardware?

Subscription models can feel restrictive. Audible's subscription price is not cheap. I fell into a pattern of suspending my subscription when I finished with the books I wanted to listen to. I can just reactivate it again when there's a compelling enough reason to do so. I would go through this hoop every time.

For listeners prioritizing control, archiving, and a customized listening experience, self-hosting alternatives offers compelling benefits.

Why Self-Host?

The appeal of self-hosting lies in preserving your library indefinitely and customizing playback experiences beyond the limitations of traditional platforms like Audible. Instead of relying on cloud services that may revoke access, self-hosting lets you store your audiobooks on your own hardware and choose how and when you listen. Switching to a self-hosted ecosystem involves effort upfront but yields long-term rewards: you own your audiobooks outright, free from DRM or platform lock-in, and can share your library with family. If you’ve ever worried about losing access to Audible content when unsubscribing, this is your roadmap to freedom.

Your NAS: A Reliable Audiobook Vault

Audiobooks typically take up relatively modest amounts of storage compared to high-resolution videos or large photo libraries, so they don’t place heavy demands on disk space. Still, having a robust, always-available place to keep your collection is important, and that’s where a NAS (Network Attached Storage) system like UnRaid or TrueNAS really shines as a solution.

Using a NAS gives you centralized storage that sits right in your home network, acting as a dedicated hub where all your audiobooks can be stored and accessed by any device connected locally. This setup means you’re not scattering files across individual devices or relying on internet speeds and cloud servers to fetch your audio files; instead, everything is securely housed on your own hardware.

Moreover, these NAS systems typically support RAID configurations. RAID essentially combines multiple physical drives into a single logical unit designed to provide redundancy, which protects your data against hardware failure. So if one hard drive crashes, your audiobooks won’t be lost because the RAID array keeps copies or stripes data across drives in a way that safeguards your files.

Another major advantage of NAS solutions like UnRaid or TrueNAS is that they offer built-in options for backup and remote access without depending on third-party cloud services. You can set up scheduled backups to external drives or other NAS devices to ensure your collection remains safe even in extreme scenarios. Additionally, with proper configuration, you can remotely stream or download your audiobooks from anywhere, giving you convenience without sacrificing privacy or control over your data.

What About Buying New Audiobooks?

My current setup doesn’t fully replicate the full Audible experience. I still purchase audiobooks separately - there are a lot of options out there from Audible, Kobo, and others (Note: Libation works exclusively with Audible, but tools like Kobodl serve similar purposes for Kobo audiobooks). Streaming is currently limited to my home Wi-Fi network, which works fine since I download audiobooks beforehand for offline listening. I do not plan to extend this access beyond this due to security concerns.

Free, Non-DRM Audiobooks Are Also Available

If you want to explore free content, Librivox (https://librivox.org/) specializes in public domain audiobooks with no DRM restrictions, great for expanding your library legally without cost. Don't expect the polish of an Audible title, however. This site is maintained and rely on the work of volunteers.

Meet Libation: Taming Your Audiobook Chaos

Organizing a large audiobook library can be overwhelming. Enter Libation, an audiobook metadata management and renaming tool that:

Extracts, scans, and organizes audiobooks from Audible and other sources (for metadata organization).
Interacts directly with your Audible profile (requiring Audible credentials).
Runs cross-platform on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Why Use Libation?

Organize Backlogs: Tame years of downloads with cryptic filenames into neat folders.
Fix Metadata: Auto-fill missing cover art, correct narrator details, and unify tags.
Prep for Streaming: Formats libraries cleanly for servers like Plex, Jellyfin, or Audiobookshelf.
Convert for Portability: Join multi-file audiobooks into a single .m4b file with chapters.

Introducing Audiobookshelf: Your Self-Hosted Audiobook Server

Think of Audiobookshelf as the Plex tailored specifically for audiobooks and podcasts. It’s a self-hosted media server that focuses on long-form listening and offers:

Personal audiobook libraries streamed across devices.
Multi-user support with individual progress tracking and bookmarks.
Offline download capability via companion Android and iOS apps.
Metadata management with cover art and chapter support.
Podcast integration for subscribing and auto-downloading shows.

How to Integrate Libation with Audiobookshelf

Install Libation on Your Desktop or VM: Since it uses a GUI, run it on your primary machine or a lightweight virtual machine.
Mount Your NAS Audiobook Share: Connect your NAS via SMB/NFS, e.g., \\NAS-IP\Audiobooks (Windows) or /mnt/audiobooks (Linux).
Process Files with Libation: Point it to your mounted NAS directory. It will rename files, fetch metadata, and optionally convert to .m4b.
Organize Output for Audiobookshelf: Arrange audiobooks as Media/Audiobooks/Author/Series/Book Title/ for seamless indexing and streaming.
Install Audiobookshelf on your NAS via Docker: In the settings menu, point Audiobookshelf to the output directory of Libation.

Beyond audiobooks, Libation and Audiobookshelf offer a surprising bonus: organizing your podcast collection and audio notes. Paired with tools like Notebook LLM, you can even create podcast-style audio files for long drives or commutes, enriching your listening landscape.

Limitations of the self-hosting approach

Replacing Audible with a self-hosted setup like Libation and Audiobookshelf offers privacy and control, but it comes with trade-offs that are easy to overlook. Unlike Audible’s cloud-based infrastructure, Audiobookshelf doesn’t natively support streaming over mobile data unless you configure remote access yourself, meaning you’re tethered to your home Wi-Fi unless you layer in additional tools like a VPN or reverse proxy. There’s no automatic sync across devices, no seamless resume between phone and desktop, and no built-in cloud backup. Every aspect of the system, from organizing metadata with Libation to ensuring your NAS is online and secure, is now your responsibility. If something breaks, if a drive fails, or if an update causes issues, there’s no help desk to call. You become the architect, sysadmin, and support team for your audiobook library. For some, that’s empowering. For others, it’s a reminder that convenience often comes at the cost of control.

Extra bonus: Audiobookshelf handles eBooks too

Though designed for audio, Audiobookshelf supports several ebook formats with handy features:

Compatible with EPUB, PDF, CBR/CBZ (for comics), and limited support for AZW3 and MOBI.
Reads ebooks directly in browser or mobile apps.
Saves reading progress and allows you to combine audiobook and ebook in one library item.
Currently limited in EPUB 3 support (no synced audio-text), but this is actively improving.

Audiobookshelf’s ebook support is a welcome addition, but it doesn’t fully replace the depth and flexibility of Calibre.

Audiobooks: A Different Way to Enjoy Literary Works

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