Book to audiobook converter
Book to Audiobook, Cast and Chaptered in an Afternoon
Bring a book you wrote or a public domain classic, in whatever file you have. The book to audiobook converter finds the chapters, gives the narrator and every speaking character their own AI voice, and exports an M4B with chapter markers or one MP3 per chapter.
EPUB, PDF, DOCX, TXT or MD · up to 30 MB
Read in your browser. Nothing is uploaded until you generate
AI audiobook samples
View allWhich books you can turn into an audiobook
The technology works on any clean text. The rights decide what you may do with the result.
Go ahead
- Your own novel, memoir or guide, at any stage from first draft to published edition
- Public domain classics, from Austen to Conan Doyle (see the public domain audiobook maker)
- Books whose audio rights reverted to you, or that you licensed for audio
- DRM-free copies you own, narrated for your private listening only
Stop and check
- Store purchases locked with DRM from Kindle, Apple Books or Kobo, which will not open
- Library loans that only open in Libby or Adobe Digital Editions
- A book you plan to publish without holding its audio rights (read audiobook rights)
- Printed books with no digital file, unless you scan and OCR them elsewhere first
Which file to start from for a book to audiobook conversion
Every format below opens in the browser, up to 30 MB. They differ in how reliably chapters are found.
| If you have | How chapters are found | Format guide |
|---|---|---|
| EPUB | From the table of contents, the most reliable source | EPUB to audiobook |
| Word DOCX | From Heading 1 and Heading 2 styles, or “Chapter” lines | Word to audiobook |
| Text-based PDF | Reflowed, then split at Chapter, Part or Book lines | PDF to audiobook |
| Markdown or TXT | From # headings or lines such as “Chapter 3” | Markdown to audiobook |
| Only the text | Paste it; headings split it, or it stays one piece | Text to audiobook |
Have more than one of these? Use the EPUB. Its chapter list is explicit, so nothing has to be guessed.
How to convert book to audiobook in one sitting
You can turn a book into an audiobook in four steps. Most of the time goes into listening, not setup.
- 1
Upload the file
Drop it into the uploader at the top of the page. Parsing runs in your browser, so a full novel opens in seconds and nothing is uploaded yet.
- 2
Review chapters and cast
Front matter such as the copyright page and contents is set aside. Check the chapter list, then the suggested voice for each character.
- 3
Generate chapter one
Listen with the text in front of you. Fix names and flat lines by regenerating only those lines, then generate the rest of the book.
- 4
Export the audiobook
Download one M4B with chapters, title, author and cover, or one MP3 per chapter, or a ZIP with an index of every chapter.
Hear the cast a fantasy novel to audiobook project gets
Big casts are where a voice per character pays off. Pick a role to hear it, then imagine your own characters in its place.
Fantasy audiobooks
A narrator built for long quests, a raider who sounds the part and a sorceress with secrets.
Premium voicesTap a role to hear its voice.
Fantasy audiobook narration guideChoosing voices for fiction and nonfiction books
All four voice models work with every file type in a book to audiobook project. Costs assume about 55,000 characters per finished hour.
| Voice model | Credits per 1,000 characters | About per finished hour | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard (Gemini Flash TTS) | 9 | $9 to $12 | Most novels and memoirs |
| Lite (Gemini Flash-Lite TTS) | 6 | $6 to $8 | Drafts and long nonfiction |
| Premium (ElevenLabs Turbo 2.5) | 13 | $13 to $18 | A polished lead narrator |
| Expressive (ElevenLabs v3) | 34 | $33 to $46 | Emotional fiction, laughs and whispers |
Dollar figures depend on your plan. Compare a human narrator for the same running time in the audiobook cost calculator.
What a book to audiobook project takes in time, money and care
Running time. Narration moves at about 150 to 160 words per minute. A 60,000 word novel to audiobook conversion makes roughly six and a half hours of audio, and a 100,000 word fantasy closer to eleven. Long nonfiction is often a good fit for Lite voices, which cost a third less than Standard.
Money. Importing, chapter detection and casting are free. A typical nine hour novel comes to roughly $80 to $110 with Standard voices. Hiring a narrator for the same book often costs a few thousand dollars, though rates vary widely, so compare quotes before you decide.
Time. The audiobook generator voices each chapter in minutes, so the audio for a whole book can be ready the same day. The real work is listening: plan a focused day per nine hours of audio to proof-listen, fix mispronounced names and add a few [directions] to scenes that need them.
Series. Save the cast from book one and reuse it, so returning characters keep their voices across the series. New characters are added as they appear, and you choose their voices before generating.
Publishing. You own the audio you make from text you hold the rights to. Store rules for AI narration differ and change; for now ACX is closed to AI narration from authors (check its current policy), while Google Play Books, Kobo and direct sales are open under their own terms.
From the blog
ListeningThe best Audible alternatives, by how you listenUnlimited apps, credit plans, free library loans and buying outright, compared for heavy, casual and budget listeners.Read
Making audiobooksApps that turn books into audiobooks, testedRead-aloud apps versus audiobook makers: which ones read your book, which ones give you a file, and which cast every character.Read
Book to audiobook FAQ
Does AI narration work for nonfiction books too?
Yes. Memoir, history, self-help and business books suit a single clear narrator, and quotations from named people can still get their own voice. Lite voices cost a third less than Standard and are a sensible choice for long nonfiction, especially for a first listen-through.
What is the best file for a book to audiobook conversion?
EPUB, because its table of contents marks every chapter exactly. A Word file with Heading 1 or Heading 2 styles comes a close second. Text-based PDFs work but need more cleanup, and scanned PDFs do not work at all because there is no OCR yet.
How many hours of audio will my book make?
Divide the word count by about 155 to get minutes. An 80,000 word novel makes roughly eight and a half hours, and a 40,000 word novella just over four. The free length calculator under Tools does the sums for words or pages.
Which voice model should I choose for a novel?
Standard voices suit most novels at about $9 to $12 per finished hour. Premium voices give a more polished narrator, and Expressive voices handle laughs, whispers and big emotional scenes best. Generate the same chapter with two models and listen before committing the whole book.
Can I turn a printed book into an audiobook?
Only once its text is digital. Scan the pages with an OCR app, proofread the result carefully (names and italics suffer most), then paste the text or upload it as a TXT or DOCX file. Do this only for a book you wrote or one in the public domain.
Will every book in my series sound the same?
Yes, if you reuse the cast. Save the voices from the first book and apply them to the next upload, so returning characters keep their voices. New characters are detected from the dialogue and added to the cast for you to approve.
Hear your book with a full cast
Upload the file and hear the short sample of your book to audiobook project free, no card required.