Structure, found for you
Plain text has no structure, so Book2Speech finds it. Blank lines mark paragraphs. Lines like “Chapter 3”, “Part Two”, “Prologue” or a Markdown # heading become chapters. A long text with no headings is cut into even sections you can skip between.
A “Title:” or “Author:” line near the top names the book in your library, instead of the file name.
Listening in three steps
1.
Drop your file above, or choose it. It opens in seconds.
2.
Play a few narrator samples and pick the one that fits the book.
3.
Press play. Sign in or create a free account, and chapter one starts right away.
Tips for a clean listen
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Text hard-wrapped at 70 characters is re-flowed, so sentences aren’t chopped.
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The licence header and contents list of a downloaded classic are skipped. You start at chapter one.
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Save as UTF-8 so accents and curly quotes read correctly.
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Light Markdown is fine. Strip heavy formatting marks first, since they are read as written.
Made for whole books
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265 narrators in 42 languages. Hear the samples, pick one, switch any time.
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Chapters you can jump between, with a suggested start past the title pages.
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Read-along text that follows the narrator sentence by sentence.
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Speed control, a sleep timer and bookmarks.
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Your place syncs across the web, iPhone and iPad, and Mac (Windows coming soon).
Questions people ask
Can I paste text instead of uploading a file?
Save it as a .txt file first (any text editor can), then drop the file here. Narration starts in seconds.
What about RTF or Markdown?
RTF opens directly. Markdown reads well as .txt when it is mostly prose, and # headings become chapters.
Can I turn a transcript or my notes into audio?
Yes. Anything you can save as text can be narrated: lecture notes, meeting transcripts, drafts, fan fiction.
Can I download my text file as an MP3 or M4B?
Yes. Choose Download audiobook and you get one file with chapters, cover and book details, as M4B, MP3, Opus or WAV. English books can be narrated free with Standard voices, and books in every language with Premium voices, from your plan’s Premium hours.
Is it free?
Yes, in English. Standard voices are unlimited on every plan, Free included. Free also gives you 10 minutes of Premium voices, one book of your own and one audiobook download. Listener includes 3 downloads, Premium 15 and Ultra unlimited, along with more books and Premium hours.