MP3 Audio Books on the Zumo 550

After a couple of years of listening to XM or MP3 music on the Zumo, I'm thinking it would be nice to hear a book or two this upcoming season. I'm always skipping over the Zumo book page as I go between XM and MP#'s.

I don't want to pay for the audible.com subscription. I'm simply not going to be listening to that many books. Google searches reveal the Zumo can play MP3 audio books. There's a bunch of free audio book MP3's on the web.

I've copied two MP3 chapters of a book to the Zumo's SD card as a test. They appear as MP3 music I can play. Is there a way I can have these two chapters appear as books to browse/select when I'm on the Zumo's book page? To the Zumo they are music files and I need to wade through long MP3's listings to find them.

I know I'm being picky, but if before I resign myself to having MP3 books appear only as a song, thought I'd see if anyone knew how to have these MP3 books appear as books to the Zumo. Thanks much!

Audible is a special format that is only subscription based. You have to buy the book and 'authorize' the garmin, via your pc or mac, as an audible player. I have been a member for years and get the annual subscription. You can do just one if you like but the cost is a bit higher. What I find is that, unlike music (that can just fill up free white noise space without much concentration and be pleasurable) listening to a book requires some level of concentration that detracts from the attention needed to drive a motor. I am sure some can do it just fine. I can't. But, I do surely enjoy sitting on the deck while listen to a good book.

After looking into it some more decided to join audible.com. Will give it a try. Thanks for the thoughts.

sfarson, I went through an Audible sub and could not stand it. Then I used mp3 books.

Download free MediaMonkey, it's like iTunes but works better. In it, I can code my mp3 audiobook chapters as audiobooks and rename each 1-N. I also code all music as Rock. Then I pick what I want by genre in the Zumo, audiobooks or Rock. Next.

AZ... Thanks for the tip. Will give Audible the three month trial, but it is nice to know there is a working alternative.

No problem, been using MediMonkey since my Zumo 550 (an original BMW Zumo), and now with my 660 Zumo. I have 4 leftover Audible books, 6 mp3 books, and well over 400 songs, all track leveled up (another MediaMonkey trick) for play good enough to 85 mph or so. I can always adjust the sound down on the Zumo but once it reaches max up, there is nowhere else to go.

Audio books at the library

Hope you don't mind me butting in here; You can "borrow" audio books from your local library - no charge.

Audible Works Pretty Well

Been with them for about three years. Books worked well on the Zumo last riding season. No problems at all. As stated above, you do have to authorize the Zumo (and it has to be on a Windows machine), but after that, you can drag and drop from any machine.

Did about 30,000 between the bike and the truck with the Zumo reading to me last year.