Markdown to audiobook
Markdown to Audiobook for Plain Text Writers
You already mark chapters with a # heading. Upload the .md file and the Markdown to audiobook converter splits the book at those headings, casts the narrator and each speaking character, and exports MP3 chapters or a single M4B with chapter markers.
MD files · also EPUB, PDF, DOCX, TXT · up to 30 MB
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AI audiobook samples
View allHow to convert Markdown to audiobook chapters
One .md file in, a chaptered audiobook out. Files up to 30 MB open locally in your browser.
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Mark each chapter with #
Start every chapter with a heading line such as “# Chapter 5: The Ferry”. A line reading “Chapter 5” on its own works too.
- 2
Upload the .md file
Choose the file in the uploader at the top of this page. A title: field in YAML front matter, or a # heading on the first line, becomes the book title.
- 3
Review chapters and voices
Each heading starts a chapter in the list. Speakers found in your dialogue appear with suggested voices you can change.
- 4
Generate and export
Generate chapter one, listen, then the rest. Download one MP3 per chapter, a ZIP with an index or an M4B.
Markdown syntax and what the narrator does with it
Headings set the chapters, and most other syntax is cleaned out before the voice sees it. Here is what happens to each element when you convert Markdown to audio.
| You write | In the audiobook |
|---|---|
| A heading with #, ## or ### | Starts a new chapter, named from the heading |
| A heading with #### or more | Not a break; the hashes go and the words stay as a plain line |
| “Chapter 3” or “Part Two” on its own line | Also starts a chapter |
| YAML front matter at the top | Removed; its title: field becomes the book title |
| A # heading on the very first line | Becomes the book title when there is no title: field |
| Text before the first heading | Skipped if under about 120 words, kept as an Opening if longer |
| Bold, italic and strikethrough marks | Marks removed, words read normally |
| Links, inline or by reference | Only the link text is read; URLs and reference lines are dropped |
| Images, code blocks, HTML tags and comments | Removed before narration |
| Blockquote markers, list bullets, horizontal rules | Symbols removed, text kept |
| Footnote markers, tables, wiki links | Left in as written, so remove them first |
| A blank line between paragraphs | A new paragraph; single line breaks are joined |
Pasting Markdown into text to audiobook splits chapters on the same headings, but this cleanup runs only on an uploaded .md file.
Clean up the file before a Markdown to audio conversion
The import strips most syntax for you. These are the details it leaves alone in a Markdown to audiobook conversion.
Keep
- One #, ## or ### heading per chapter, and none for scenes, because all three levels split
- Scene breaks as a blank line or a *** rule; the rule itself is removed, never read
- Speech in double quotes, attributed with a tag like “said Juno”
- Plain UTF-8 text, so curly quotes and accented names come through intact
- Links, emphasis, images and code as they are, since the import clears them
Remove
- Footnote markers such as [^1]; the note text is dropped but the marker stays in the line
- Tables, which are not converted and read badly row by row
- Wiki links and tags from note apps, which read as literal brackets and hashes
[say with hyped, high energy like a YouTube intro]
Stop scrolling. In the next sixty seconds, I'm going to show you the trick that doubled my channel.
Directions and sound tags for a Markdown to MP3 project
Plain text writers like control, and the studio gives you plenty. Open any line and put a direction in square brackets at its start, such as [whisper], [furious] or [reading a telegram aloud], and the voice performs it.
Sound tags such as [laugh], [sigh] and [breathe] work mid-line with the Standard, Lite and Expressive models. Links are reduced to their words on import, so the only brackets left are the ones you mean: type directions straight into the .md file, or add them in the studio after upload. The audiobook script format guide has more on preparing text for voices.
Writing apps, chapter files and other routes
Any app that saves .md. Obsidian, iA Writer, Ulysses, Typora, Zettlr, Bear and plain code editors all export standard Markdown, so any of them works for .md to MP3 narration. If your app offers a choice, pick plain Markdown over a rich variant, and export the manuscript as one document.
One file per chapter? Combine them first, since one upload makes one book. Name the files so they sort in order (01, 02, 03), make sure each starts with a # heading and ends with a blank line, then join them from inside the chapter folder: cat *.md > ../book.md on a Mac or Linux, or copy /b *.md ..\book.md in the Windows Command Prompt. Writing the result one folder up keeps it out of its own input.
Prefer an EPUB? Pandoc can turn Markdown into an EPUB with a contents list built from your headings. Upload that through EPUB to audiobook if you also want an ebook edition. For narration alone, the .md file is all you need.
Length and cost. At about 155 words per minute, a 70,000 word Markdown to audiobook project makes roughly seven and a half hours of audio. Standard voices cost about $9 to $12 per finished hour, and importing and casting are free. The AI audiobook generator home page has sample casts in every genre.
Markdown to audiobook FAQ
Which Markdown headings become chapters?
Headings written with one, two or three hash marks (#, ## and ###) each start a new chapter, named from the heading text. Deeper headings do not split. Lines that read “Chapter 3”, “Part Two”, “Prologue” or “Epilogue” on their own also start chapters, with or without a hash.
Does the narrator read Markdown symbols?
Very few. A Markdown to audiobook upload drops front matter, code blocks, images, HTML and comments, links keep only their words, and emphasis marks, quote markers, bullets and rules are stripped. Headings up to ### become chapters. Footnote markers, tables and wiki links stay as typed, so remove those before upload.
How do I combine several .md files into one book?
Name the files in reading order, check each one starts with a # heading and ends with a blank line, then join them in order with one terminal command (cat on a Mac or Linux, copy /b on Windows). Save the combined file outside the chapter folder and upload it.
Can I upload my Obsidian vault?
Not as a vault. Upload one .md file per book. Export or merge your chapter notes into a single file first, and strip wiki links, tags and embedded images, because they would otherwise be read as text in your Markdown to audiobook conversion.
What happens to YAML front matter?
It is removed on upload, so tags, dates and aliases are never read, whether or not the file has headings. A title: field inside it becomes the book title. The block has to sit at the very top of the file, between two lines of three hyphens, as note apps write it.
Can I convert Markdown to MP3, one file per chapter?
Yes. Each heading becomes its own chapter, and the MP3 export gives you one file per chapter, or a ZIP of all of them with an index. The same chapters can also be exported as one M4B with named chapter markers.
Your .md manuscript, read by a full cast
Upload one .md file and your short Markdown to audiobook sample can use gift credits.