How-To Geek

How to turn any ebook into an audiobook.

If you have some eBooks, you can make them into audiobooks.

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Why turn text ebooks into audiobooks, what you'll need, how to listen to any ebook.

While not as tactile as a book or e-reader , there's no denying the convenience of audiobooks. You can "read" while driving, walking the dog, or doing dishes. We'll show you how to turn any eBook into an audiobook.

Audiobooks are a pretty locked-down medium. You're kinda stuck committing to one platform , such as Audible, and making all of your book purchases there. But what if you get your eBooks from other places, or you already have an existing library of eBooks?

The advantage of platforms like Audible is the audiobooks are read by actual people, oftentimes the author themselves. We can't replicate that, but with a handy app, you can listen to any eBook you want---even ones that aren't available as audiobooks.

Related: How to Cancel Your Audible Subscription

The app we're using is called "NaturalReader." It's available for the iPhone , iPad , and Android devices. The app is completely free. For the best experience, you'll want to sign up for an account. You can easily do so with a Google account or Apple ID.

Lastly, you will need an eBook of some sort . The app we're using supports a wide variety of file types, including EPUB, MOBI, and PDF. NaturalReader cannot read  DRM-protected eBooks from iBooks, Kindle, Nook, or Adobe OverDrive.

Related: How to Find Thousands of Free Ebooks Online

First, install the NaturalReader app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. The first thing we'll do is select a voice. There are free and paid voices to choose from, pick one and tap "Next."

Select a voice and tap

Next, decide the speed at which you want the book to be read using the + and - buttons. Tap "Next" when you're ready.

Select speed and tap

Now you should sign up for an account. Open the app and tap the hamburger menu icon in the top left, then select "Sign Up."

Open the menu and tap

The easiest way to sign up is with a Google account or Apple ID, although you can also manually create an account. Follow the steps until you're returned to the main screen.

Sign up with an account.

Tap the floating + button in the bottom right corner to import an eBook, then select the file from your device.

Tap the + button and select an eBook.

A progress bar will show the upload progress. When the eBook has finished uploading, tap the open icon.

Open the eBook.

With the eBook open, there are a number of things to point out. First, the big "Play" button at the top will start reading whatever page you're on.

Tap the play button.

During playback, you can pause, stop, or skip ahead and backward. The app highlights the text that is being read out loud.

Playback controls.

The gear icon in the top right corner opens a menu with a bunch of options. From here you can change the voice, reading speed, theme, and more.

In-book settings menu.

That's all there is to the reading experience. You can leave the app and it will continue reading in the background just like a music player.

To return to the book after leaving the app, tap the hamburger menu icon and select "Documents and Audio." You'll see the eBooks you've uploaded here.

Go back to a book.

You can now listen to any of your eBooks as audiobooks! This is a great way to make use of your eBooks without signing up for a walled-garden platform such as Audible.

Related: How to Borrow eBooks from a Library on a Kindle for Free

Bona Fide Bookworm

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Add Audible Narration: How to Add Audible to Kindle Books at a Discount

Have you heard about Kindle books with Audible narration ? There’s a spectacular Amazon feature called “add Audible narration,” which allows you to get both the ebook and audiobook versions of books for amazing prices. This is a deal you won’t want to miss knowing about!

But what does Audible narration mean? And how to add Audible to Kindle books? Read on to learn everything you need to know about Audible narration and how to use it to get amazing audiobook deals on both new purchases and ebooks you’ve already bought!

Phone, headphones, and book laying on wooden surface

What is Audible Narration?

Audible Narration is the term Amazon uses to refer to the audio version of Kindle books. If you own a Kindle ebook, then sometimes the “Audible narration” (aka audiobook copy) is also available to buy for a discounted rate. And yes, the Audible narration is the exact same audio as buying the audiobook through Amazon or Audible …so this can be a great deal!

So what is “add Audible narration” and what does it mean? Essentially, it means you have the option to upgrade and buy the audio version when you are purchasing your ebook (usually at a steep discount). This offer is not available on every book, but when it is available (aka “audible narration ready”) it is wonderful!

Buying the add on Audible narration can be an excellent way to get audiobooks for less, so it is worth keeping an eye out for this feature.

How Does Audible Narration Work?

So how does Amazon’s Audible narration work? It’s not that complicated, and it has some pretty cool features you will love to use!

Since the add narration option gives you exactly the same audio as the audiobook/Audible version, you can use the audiobook in the same way as you would any other audiobook.

But when you get the Audible version of Kindle books you are buying or already own, one of the coolest features is that the two formats (ebook and audiobook) can sync so they both know where you are in the book. This means you can switch back and forth between reading and listening, and the audio and ebook will both sync to automatically pick up where you left off. It’s a pretty amazing technology, and you’ll always know your place in your book no matter whether you are reading or listening!

When you have both the Audible and Kindle ebook versions, you can also listen while you read. If this is something that you enjoy, then adding Audible narration to Kindle books is something you should definitely consider.

How to Find Audible Narration Ready Books

When you purchase Kindle ebooks on Amazon, you may find that you are lucky and just happened to stumble across one of the Audible narration ready books. But what about if you are wanting to actively hunt for the ebooks with this upgrade available?

If you want to find books with this upgrade, you should check out the Kindle books with narration page . Alternatively, if you are looking for classics with this upgrade available, you can check out their list of classics with narration upgrades .

Another way you can be sure the ebook you are purchasing includes the upgrade offer is to look for the book and headphones symbol on the listing:

Screenshot showing the Audible Narration ready symbol of a book and headphones

When you see this symbol and the word “Available,” you know you can access the Kindle add Audible narration feature. Even better, hovering over the symbol shows you the price of the audiobook upgrade…so you know exactly what it will cost to get both the ebook and audiobook together!

So while browsing the page of narration-ready ebooks can be useful, this last method where you look for the book and headphones symbol is probably your best bet if you’re searching for a specific book and want to know if add on narration is available.

How to Add Narration to Kindle Books When You Buy

So now you may be wondering: “How do I add Audible narration to a Kindle book?” The answer is simple, and you have two options. The first option is to add it to your cart when you buy the ebook version.

To do this, you will first have to click to purchase the ebook. After you click to purchase, a thank you page will appear with a button you can use to access your newly-purchased ebook. Below this button, there will be a box that looks something like this:

Screen

So if you’re wondering how to get audio versions of kindle books, all you need to do is purchase the ebook. Then, if the offer is available, you will see the “Get the Audible Audiobook for this Kindle book” box pop up and you can click to buy.

If you choose to purchase the audio upgrade, the Kindle Audible narration will become immediately available alongside your Kindle ebook.

How to Add Audible to Kindle Book Already Purchased

But what happens if you decide not to take the upgrade when it is offered? Or what if you have purchased a lot of ebooks in the past and want to see if there is an audio version for any of them? People often wonder if you can add Audible narration after purchase, and the answer is YES!

So how to add narration to Kindle books after purchase? All you need to do is go to the “Scan My Library” page . When you open this page, it will automatically scan your entire Kindle ebook library, and it will let you know which books are eligible for the upgrade. Not all ebooks will be eligible (as some do not have audiobook versions, and others may not participate in this program), but I am sure you will find quite a few that have the upgrade offered!

Once Amazon finishes scanning your library, you’ll see a page that looks like the following if any ebooks are eligible for an upgrade:

Screenshot of the Scan My Library page with the books available to add narration to

Then, you can simply scroll through the offers available and decide whether or not to add Audible to Kindle books already purchased.

As you can see from the screenshot above as well as the screenshot of adding narration when you first purchase an ebook, the price for the Pride and Prejudice audiobook costs $7.49 whether you choose to purchase it at the time you purchase the ebook or later.

Since both are the same price, there’s no rush to purchase it when you first get the ebook if you aren’t sure you want the audio version. But if you do know you want it, there’s no reason not to buy it right away!

Why Should You Use Add On Narration?

So now you know what Kindle with Audible narration is, but why should you use this feature instead of just purchasing the audiobook or instead of going through a service like Audible?

Well, if you look at the Pride and Prejudice example we used earlier, you’ll see that the add on narration feature costs $7.49. The listing price for this audiobook is $24.95. And guess what? In this particular case, the ebook is free since it is a classic. So to own BOTH the ebook and audiobook, you can pay only $7.49 . That’s a savings of $17.46! So I think you can see why it can be a far better deal to buy the audiobook as an add-on rather than purchasing it by itself.

But why not use an Audible subscription to get the audiobook? Well, in some cases you might find that it is cheaper to use Audible…but in others, you’ll find that buying the ebook and then upgrading to add Audible narration to Kindle books will be a better deal.

Take again our Pride and Prejudice deal: Kindle with Audible narration together costs $7.49 for this book. Meanwhile, using your Audible subscription you pay $14.95 per month for just ONE audiobook. No ebook included. So if you buy the ebook and upgrade to the audio version, you are getting both the ebook and the audiobook for about HALF of what you would pay through Audible to get just the audiobook.

The only case where it’s for sure cheaper to go with Audible? It would be cheaper to go with Audible if you haven’t used Audible before and decide to get a free 30-day trial ! With a free trial of Audible, you can get two audiobooks completely free …so this would definitely be cheaper than using the add on narration upgrade!

Audible vs adding Audible narration can be a bit tricky, so how do you know which one to use? All you need to do is add the cost of the Kindle ebook to the cost of buying the add on narration (in the case of Pride and Prejudice , $0 + $7.49). If the sum is less than what you pay for Audible every month, then you should buy through the add on narration feature instead of using your Audible credit.

Ebooks with Audible narration can be a great way to save money, even if you never end up using the ebook and only use the audiobook. So this is a great feature to keep an eye on!

I also like to keep an eye on Kindle Daily Deals to find ebooks for super low prices or even for free. Then, if the books are eligible for an audio upgrade, you can add the audio and get both for less than you would pay otherwise! Little hacks like these can help you save a lot of money, no matter whether you want both the ebook and the audiobook or just the audiobook version.

Have questions about adding Audible narration and want to talk with a live Amazon representative? This step-by-step guide will help you easily get in touch with Amazon customer service!

36 thoughts on “ Add Audible Narration: How to Add Audible to Kindle Books at a Discount ”

Is a purchase of Audible Narration required for ea. e-book? Or can a one-time purchase of Audible Narration suffice to listen to any/all e-books that a person might have/purchase?

Good question! Audible Narration is essentially just Amazon’s way of saying “audiobook.” So if you have two ebooks that you want to listen to in audiobook form, then you will need to purchase the “Audible Narration” (aka audiobook) for each one. So no, a one-time purchase of an Audible narration is not sufficient to give you access to the audiobook version of all the ebooks you own.

This term of “Audible Narration” gets a bit confusing because Amazon also has a subscription service called Audible, which does give you access to lots of ebooks when you pay a monthly subscription fee. They have just this year started something called Audible Plus , which gives you immediate access to borrow/listen to any of the audio versions in their Plus Library (I believe this library currently contains around 11,000 audiobooks). There is also an Audible subscription plan that lets you listen to all of the Plus Library books as well as getting a “credit” you can use to permanently purchase any one audiobook you want each month.

If you want to know more about how Audible works, you can learn all about it here . You can also read about all the pros and cons of buying an Audible subscription if you would like. And last but not least, if you haven’t used Audible before, I definitely recommend you start a 30 day free trial and get two free credits that you can use to permanently purchase any two audiobooks you would like for free! After all, who doesn’t love free books? 🙂

I went to Amazon and it scanned the books in my library and one of them appeared in the results. Does this mean that Audible and/or Audible Narration will not be possible to use for those other books ?

Hi Lisa! If you scanned the books in your library using Amazon’s library scanning tool and only one title showed up in the results, then that is the only book you currently own that is eligible for the audiobook upgrade program (meaning you can get the audio for a discount if you own the Kindle version). However, it is possible that other books in your library do have Audible narration but don’t show up on this page because they do not offer a discount off the audiobook. To find if there is an Audible version available, I recommend searching specific titles you are interested in through an audiobook search on Amazon . If there is an audio version available, it will show up here and then you can pay full price or use an Audible credit to buy it. I hope this helps!

So I have already purchased an audible and a kindle book separately and now I cannot connect them together.

The audible was purchased a few years ago and the ebook was purchased on Kindle a few months ago.

Since purchased separately I have no option to connect them together.

Can you please help me?

Hi Tom – I’m not sure what you’ve tried already, but here are a couple of things you can try if you haven’t yet:

1. Restart your device as a first try. If this doesn’t work, try the methods below.

2. Confirm that Whispersync is enabled. To do this, go to Manage Your Content and Devices , click “Preferences”, and then check that “Device Syncronization (Whispersync Settings)” is turned on.

3. If neither of the above worked, then one more thing you can try is deleting both the Audible and Kindle versions from your device (not from the cloud…just from your phone, tablet, or whatever device you are using). Then, re-download the Audible version. After the Audible book is downloaded completely, then re-download the Kindle ebook version. At this point, when you open the Kindle version you should see the “play” icon there as you do with other synced books.

If none of the above works, I suggest reaching out to Amazon’s Customer Service . They should be able to further troubleshoot and help you figure this out!

Thank you for your help, unfortunately it still isn’t working. The book I have bought on both audible and Kindle is Sapiens, A brief history of human kind which I am 99% sure you can connect together.

I will go through customer service on Amazon and see what they suggest. Thank you for your help anyway, any other suggestions feel free to comment again it would be much appreciated 🙂

I’m sorry to hear it still isn’t working! Hopefully customer service will be able to help you out or at least help you figure out what is going on!

Did you ever get a resolution to this? I am having the same situation.

Bravo Abi! This was a very informative/helpful article. I had already known about the “add audible narrative’–which, I agree, can be a big money-saver! However, I used your link to the Amazon “matchmaker” to quickly scan my Kindle eBook collection for those title eligible for this add on, as it wasn’t immediately obvious in finding it from the Amazon website. So thanks!

You’re welcome, Duane! I’m so happy to hear that the link to the matchmaker was useful. Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, and for letting me know my article was helpful for you! 🙂

I recently did this, but the book doesn’t show as available on the audible app. Can I not listen to it that way?

Hi Dawn – You definitely should be able to listen to it through the Audible app. My first recommendation would be to refresh your Audible app, if you haven’t already. You can find instructions on how to do that here for iOS or here for Android .

If that doesn’t work, then one other thing I tried when this happened to me was playing a few minutes of the audiobook through the Kindle App (since it’s synced with the corresponding Kindle ebook so you can play it there). Then, after playing a few minutes on the Kindle app, I head back to my Audible app, refresh it, and the audio shows up there. I’m not quite sure why this glitch happens every now and then, but I hope this helps you fix it! However, if none of the above steps help, I recommend reaching out to Amazon’s customer service and they should be able to help you figure out what is going on.

If you own both the ebook and audiobook can you now sync the two to get narration so I can read and listen at the same time

Hi Shelley – Yes, if you own both the ebook and the audiobook versions you can read and listen at the same time. To do this, you’ll need to open the ebook you want to read in the Kindle app. Then, tap on your screen and at the bottom an option will pop up to download the audible book. Once it’s downloaded, you should see a play icon appear at the bottom of the screen and when you hit this button the audio will begin playing and the words will be highlighted as they are read aloud so you can follow along.

Perhaps because I am in the UK but I followed the instructions paid for the ebook of a kindle book bought quite a long time ago, it doesn’t appear in my ‘library’ the receipt email has a start reading tab, that just sends me to my library, where as I said, it is not there. I seem to have paid for nothing. Very frustrating.

Hi June! I’m sorry to hear you’re having issues with finding your ebook. That sounds very frustrating! One thing you could try (if you are on a phone, tablet, or Kindle device) would be going into the settings or “more” tab and hitting “sync”. This should refresh your Kindle app and hopefully bring up your new purchase! If that doesn’t work, I suggest reaching out to Amazon’s customer service . They should be able to help you figure out what is going on!

Nope, even with the order number they can’t find it.

That is so strange! Did you check to see if you were definitely charged for it? If so, did they offer a refund? Since it sounds like they tried to find it and couldn’t find it either, I would 100% suggest asking for a refund so you can try to repurchase it and see if it will work this time!

Hubby bought an e book. He added audible narration to it. Now that he’s synced the two, he is unable to read the ebook. Only the “play” screen comes up. Help?

Hi Angela! I’m sorry to hear he’s having trouble with this. The only thing I can think of is that maybe he’s trying to open the book with the Audible app instead of with the Kindle reading app? That would be something to check, as those are two separate apps…you can listen to Audible audio through the Kindle app when you have both the audio and ebook versions, but you can’t read the ebook through the Audible app. But if this isn’t the case and he’s still having issues, definitely reach out to Amazon customer service and they should be able to help you figure out what is wrong!

Thank you for these easy-to-follow instructions. So clear, organized and well-written! When I clicked on the link you provided to scan my Kindle library, it did it faster than I could say “Audible.” And it was just like you said… It gave me the price to upgrade, I clicked, and each book was on my phone in seconds. Thanks again!

I’m so happy to hear these instructions were helpful for you, Noel!

Is there a difference when it says audio book available and add audible narration? I have a book I have from kindle unlimited and then downloaded the audio version with an audible credit and they won’t sync together. I’ve tried all the above suggestions with no resolution. I have a ticket out with amazon customer service, but thought I would try here also. Thanks so much.

Hi Melissa! Since you’ve already tried all of the above, it is possible that the Kindle ebook and the audio versions you downloaded are two different editions of the book…which might make them incompatible for syncing. Or the fact that they aren’t syncing might mean that the publisher/author has made changes to the book, and in that case you could try checking if there’s an update for the ebook that would make them compatible again.

To check, you can go to the Your Content and Devices page and make sure you have “View: Books” selected. Then, scroll to the title you’re having difficulties with and click the “More Actions” dropdown menu. If there’s an update, you should see the option to “Update this title.” Then, go to your Kindle reading app and tap “Sync” from the menu.

If you don’t see the option to update, it’s likely you already have automatic updates turned on and/or are updated to the latest version. In which case, it’s possible that the ebook and audio versions simply don’t pair…or it’s possible that Amazon support will have more ideas for you to try. I hope you’re able to figure it out and get them synced together!

If you utilize Amazon Unlimited, and borrow a book, you also get the audible narrative offer on that borrowed book. If you buy that audible narration @ 7.49, do you own the narrative (after returning the kindle unlimited borrowed book?

Hi Sherel – If you borrow a Kindle Unlimited book and there is an Audible narrative offer you buy, you will own the Audible narrative of that book even after the borrowed book is returned. Of course, once the borrowed book is returned you won’t have access to the ebook version (unless you re-check it out) but you will retain access to any audiobook narratives you paid for.

This was precisely the question I had, thanks to you both for the info!

Thank you so much for this!

You’re welcome, Carlton!

Great article! I’m still unclear if you purchase the Kindle ebook and then also purchase the Audible narrative, by purchasing the narrative does that automatically force you to “subscribe” to the Audible monthly subscription? I would just like to purchase the ebook and Audible narrative and NOT be enrolled in the $14.95/monthly Audible subscription. Is that possible?

Hi Michelle – Good question! If you purchase a Kindle ebook and then purchase the upgrade for the Audible narrative, that will NOT subscribe you to Audible. It is a standalone purchase of an audiobook. So yes, purchasing the Audible narrative is possible without being enrolled in the subscription.

This feature was working great for me up until today. Now any books I purchase or try to purchase no longer have the option to add audible narration for a discount. Is this also your experience?

Hi Syleste! I just checked, and the scan my library page is still working perfectly for me today. It is possible that the books you have purchased recently don’t offer Audible companion audiobooks, and in that case no upgrades would show up for them.

If you have specific books you want to check for audio companions while the scan page isn’t working for you, you can go to each audiobook’s listing on Amazon. Alternatively, chat with Amazon’s customer support and hopefully they’ll be able to help!

Do you know why some books have the add narration and some don’t? I have a recent ebook that isn’t showing the option. It’s a book by a favorite author and I’ve been able to do this on all his other books. Just curious why it wouldn’t be available for this latest release? Thanks!

Hi Lisa! I don’t know for sure – there could be many reasons. If it’s a new or recent release, it’s possible that the audiobook either hasn’t been created yet or at the least hasn’t been linked with the audiobook yet (this might be the case, especially if all his other books are available with Add Narration). You might try reaching out to Amazon Customer Service to see if they can give you any helpful information about why or let you know if it will be available soon!

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Unlocking the Magic: Turn Your Kindle Books into Audiobooks

Introduction:.

I love to read but find that I rarely have time to sit down with a good book. I read at night but typically fall asleep within minutes – making books take FOREVER to read. Audiobooks help me to keep up with reading while still getting things done. I thought it would be great to turn Kindle books into audiobooks. In this post, I’ll show you how!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, please review my disclosure policy.

I listen to audiobooks while driving, while painting, and while cleaning my house. Although I love using Audible for audiobooks ( try Audible here ), I wanted to find a way to read my Kindle books while multitasking.

I’m super excited because I learned the Alexa app can read Kindle books, including the “free” books from your Kindle Unlimited membership. The books are read by Alexa herself, and she does a pretty decent job.

Sometimes she cracks me up because she gets randomly angry – I’ve come to love that.

In this blog post and video I’ll show you how to use the Alexa app to have your Kindle books read to you. If you prefer to learn by seeing, you can watch my YouTube video here:

Step 1: Linking Your Alexa App with Your Kindle Account and Turn on Kindle Assistive Reader

To get started, make sure you have the Alexa app installed on your smartphone or tablet. If you haven’t done so already, you can easily find it on the App Store or Google Play Store. Once you have the app up and running, open it and sign in with your Amazon account credentials. Ensure that you use the same account linked to your Kindle books.

Open the Alexa app and go tot he menu at the bottom of your screen. Press More. Next go to the settings menu. Select Accessibility. Turn on “Kindle Assistive Reader.”

Step 2: Select Play at the Bottom of Your Screen

Please note that I have an iPhone. This may be different on other types of phones.

Once in the app, there is a menu at the bottom of your screen. Click on “Play.”

Scroll Down until you reach “Kindle Library.” This shows recent titles, but you can also click on “See All” to view more titles in your Kindle Library.

Step 3: Select the Book You Want to Read

Tap on the book you want to read and then select where you want to read it from on the pop-up screen. I typically choose “This Device” so that I can read it on my phone.

You can also select to have your book read through an Alexa device ( like the Echo Dot ).

You can also talk to Alexa while in the app. For instance, you can say “Alexa, read my Kindle book [title].” You can instruct her to move throughout the book, such as “Alexa, go back to the beginning of the chapter.” And my favorite: you can ask Alexa to read at up to 2X speed.

I have not been successful at getting her to rewind 30 seconds though. Typically, if I want to go back a bit, I’ll open the book on Kindle and go back to the section I want reread and then restart the Alexa app.

Yes, Alexa and Kindle sync with each other. 🙂

Sync Your Books

I don’t know if this is necessary but one thing I do is open the Kindle app version of the book quick before going to the Alexa app to listen to a book. This helps me to make sure that my phone is up to date on what spot I am on in my book. I read in bed using my Kindle Scribe ( see my review of the Kindle Scribe here ) so I like to just make sure before starting to listen to my book.

Bonus Tip: Kindle Unlimited – A World of Unlimited Reading

If you’re an avid reader who wants to explore a vast library of books, I highly recommend checking out Kindle Unlimited. With Kindle Unlimited, you gain access to over a million titles, including some bestsellers, classics, and a wide range of genres. I find it to be a great way to discover new authors. People in Facebook groups often recommend books that are available on Kindle Unlimited.  Click here to learn more about Kindle Unlimited  and embark on an extraordinary reading adventure.

Bonus Tip 2: Use Libby and Listen To Your Library Books

Another cool tip is to download the Libby app and connect to your local library. There, you can check out ebooks (and audiobooks actually). Most ebooks have a link to the Kindle version. If the Kindle version is available you can add it to your Kindle Library and then have Alexa read it to you!

Conclusion:

The ability to have the Alexa app read your Kindle books is a game-changer for bookworms and busy individuals alike. Whether you’re cooking, painting, working out, or simply relaxing, Alexa can be your reading companion, bringing stories to life and sometimes making you laugh with her random anger. By following the simple steps outlined in this blog post, you can unlock this fantastic feature and enjoy the magic of hands-free reading. Remember to make the most of your reading experience by exploring the extensive collection of books available through  Kindle Unlimited . Start your reading adventure today!

2 thoughts on “Unlocking the Magic: Turn Your Kindle Books into Audiobooks”

I’ve just discovered a bit Alexis ability to read some of my Kindle books which is good as I have 500+. However I have not yet succeeded in getting her to read from the place I want her to EG page 17. Nor have I found out how to make her stop reading by voice alone. I wonder if you have any thoughts at my help ?

To play at a certain page I would open the book in the Kindle app first and go to that page. Then open the Alexa app and it should start reading at that spot. I just tried saying Alexa stop with the app open on my phone and it worked. If you play it in an Echo device you have to say alexa stop to the echo device instead of the app. I hope that helps!

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How to Listen to Kindle Books on Audible (in 4 Easy Steps)

Last Updated: April 24, 2021

This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Darlene Antonelli, MA . Darlene Antonelli is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. Darlene has experience teaching college courses, writing technology-related articles, and working hands-on in the technology field. She earned an MA in Writing from Rowan University in 2012 and wrote her thesis on online communities and the personalities curated in such communities. This article has been viewed 22,535 times. Learn more...

This wikiHow will teach you how to listen to Kindle books with Audible audio. If you already have the Kindle book purchased , you need to go to the page that will scan your library for any Kindle books without audio; however, you can also browse the Kindle store for books that have Audible narration.

Step 1 Open the book in Kindle.

  • The thumbnails of books with Audible narration have an icon of headphones in the top right corner.

Step 2 Tap or click the screen.

  • Words will highlight as the narration progresses so you can read along. [1] X Research source

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  • ↑ https://help.audible.com/s/article/how-do-i-read-and-listen-to-a-book-in-the-kindle-app?language=en_US

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Darlene Antonelli, MA

1. Open the book in Kindle. 2. Tap or click the screen. 3. Tap or click Audible Narration (if it isn't downloaded already). 4. Tap or click the play button (if you've downloaded it already). Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Home / Book Publishing / How to Narrate Your Own Audiobook

How to Narrate Your Own Audiobook

For an author, a great way to connect with your readers and save money is to record your own audiobook. For some, this will be too much of a hassle, but for others, it’s a great opportunity.

As someone who has spent a lot of time working with audio for podcasting and YouTube, I can tell you that it is a lengthy process, but it gets much easier with experience, and the rewards can be incredibly high.

  • The pros and cons of recording your own audiobook
  • The equipment and software you need
  • Tips for a great narration
  • Editing and mastering steps

Table of contents

  • To Record or Not to Record
  • Step 1: Get the Right Equipment
  • Step 2: Create Your Soundproof Setup
  • Best on a Budget
  • Best Overall
  • Step 4: Test it Out
  • Listen to Audiobooks
  • Get the Character Voices Right
  • Be Careful in Voicing Opposite Genders
  • Breath Normally
  • Drink Plenty of Water
  • Speak Slower Than You’re Comfortable
  • Speak More Dramatically Than You’re Comfortable
  • Step 6: Organize Your Files
  • Step 7: Edit Your Audio Files
  • Step 8: Master Your Audio
  • Step 9: Publish Your Audio
  • The Bottom Line

This is not an in-depth article debating the pros and cons of recording your own audiobook. We recommend this article discussing some of the pros, and the cons are self-explanatory. Here’s a brief summary of why you might want it one way or another:

  • You save costs
  • You can connect personally to readers
  • You stand out
  • It can help you improve your writing skills
  • If you are not professional, it will sound horrible and turn away listeners
  • It takes a lot of time, effort, and equipment
  • There is a steep learning curve

However, for the purposes of this article, we’re going to assume that you want to record your own audiobook, so let’s dive into exactly how you do that.

Step 1 : Get the Right Equipment

I’m going to let you in on a little secret: you don’t have to have the most expensive equipment to record an audiobook.

In fact, even a cheaper Blue Yeti microphone will be enough to get by Audible’s standards if you do it right.

Most of the really expensive equipment has uses beyond vocals, such as music. If you were recording an album, you would want more expensive microphones and other equipment.

But you’re not recording an album, you’re recording an audiobook.

Instead, spend a little money on your equipment, but more time in the editing/mastering stage which we’ll get to later.

Here are a number of things you should probably have.

  • A microphone: podcasting microphones are a good place to look here. The Blue Yeti is good, and I also recommend the latest Rode podcasting microphone.
  • A computer: laptops are better because they make less noise.
  • Headphones: you’ll want something that you can use to listen in on what you’re recording. I found that a pair of wireless earbuds work fine, especially if they’re the kind that fit into your ear like earplugs.
  • A pop filter: this is one of those cheap options that will increase your sound quality by a mile. I highly recommend getting one of these.
  • Sound proofing: I’ll talk about this more in the next section, but you might want to invest in some sound proofing equipment, though the type of soundproofing equipment will vary wildly.

Once you have these, it’s time to move onto the next stage.

Step 2 : Create Your Soundproof Setup

Now it’s time to select your setup. What this looks like will depend on your circumstances.

Do you have a dedicated office? Then this may work for you with some modifications.

If you don’t have a dedicated office, do you have a walk-in closet or small room that you could temporarily use as a recording studio?

The most important step here is to create sound absorption , which eliminates a tinny echo that can happen in your audio. Here are some things that create sound absorption:

  • Clothing on hangers
  • Bookshelves
  • Lining the walls with curtains
  • Putting a mattress up on its end against the wall

The point is that you don’t want a lot of flat walls. The more flat surfaces you have, the more that sound is going to just bounce right back at you.

Turns out, walk-in closets are great, because the clothing acts as a sound absorber, increasing the quality of your audio narration.

If you’re recording in an office or other non-closet, you might want to invest in some sound pads (these are very cheap to get).

Next, you’ll want to make sure you get your space as quiet as possible.

Here are some things to avoid:

  • A desktop computer if you can, but you can muffle the sound otherwise
  • A noisy laptop
  • Fluorescent lights
  • Air conditioner, internal heating. You can just turn these off if you need to
  • Other noisy appliances, i.e. the refrigerator
  • Outside noises like dogs barking, traffic, airplanes, etc. You can’t avoid these, but be sure to listen for them and pause recording

Here are some things that are okay to have:

  • A quiet laptop or an iPad to record the sound
  • A mouse and keyboard
  • A computer monitor
  • A tungsten or LED-based light
  • Your sound proofing equipment

Step 3 : Select Your Software

There are two pieces of software that you need concern yourself about. There’s the best on a budget, and the best overall.

There is no better option for those who are penny pinching than Audacity.

All you need to do is download the software , pull open a few tutorials on YouTube, and get going. Here’s one that I recommend:

Audacity even has a plugin that you can install that will check your audio quality against ACX’s standards. This can be a huge benefit for those who want to record their own audiobooks.

If you want the best of the best when it comes to audio editing, there is no better name than Adobe Audition .

While I do recommend this for those who want the best quality, there is a slight learning curve, and it will cost you money.

Adobe Audition currently costs $ 20.99/month for just the one software, or $52.99/month if you get it with all the other Creative Cloud apps. If you also use Photoshop, Illustrator, or InDesign, this could be a good option for you.

Step 4 : Test it Out

Whatever you do, don’t just start narrating your book right away. You need to run a few tests first to make sure everything is working well.

Pro Tip: Try recording a short story first, running through the whole editing/mastering process and uploading to ACX. If it works, you can have some confidence that you can repeat the process for a full audiobook.

Here are some things to keep in mind when you are recording your first audio clip:

  • Make sure your microphone is plugged in and that your computer is pulling from the correct audio source.
  • Place your microphone close to your mouth, usually within 1-2 inches. This is where the pop-filter comes in handy.
  • Use headphones to listen to the audio you’re recording. This will help you identify background sounds that might be disrupting your audio.
  • Record a minute or so of audio.
  • Go back and listen to the audio.
  • Play around with editing the audio, maybe include a few deliberate mistakes when you record, so you can practice editing them out.

Before you record, you’ll want to sound check yourself. This is making sure that the volume and noise level are adequate before you start recording.

This is why recording a test clip, even before every recording session, can be a good idea.

When recording, you’ll want your voice to be loud, but not so loud that it “clips” the audio, meaning it moves beyond the range that the microphone can handle. Most podcaster mics will be able to handle what you need, but be sure to double check if you need to shout or raise your voice in the recording.

If your voice is too loud, try the following:

  • Lower the volume of your voice
  • Increase the distance between your mouth and the microphone
  • Adjust the “gain” knob on your microphone if it has one
  • Adjust the “recording volume” in whatever software you’re using.

If your voice is too soft, you can just do the opposite of these.

The point is to have your voice be as loud as possible without clipping. If your voice is too soft, then the background noise will be too loud when you bring it up to the right level.

Step 5 : Get the Narration Right

The narration is the one part of the process that is less technical. Good narration can be an art form, and a lot of people will not listen to an audiobook based solely on a bad narrator, even if the book itself is good.

So with this in mind, here are a few tips to really nail that narration so your listeners will love it.

Above all, the best thing I can recommend is to listen to audiobooks. Find out who the best narrators are in your genre, and listen to how they narrate.

And I mean, really listen.

Listen with the intent to emulate them, to learn what they’re doing well. While you may not be a voice actor or professional narrator, there are still many lessons that you can learn just by observing what has been done before.

There are narrators who create separate, distinctive voices for each of the characters in a novel (assuming you’re doing fiction), and there are those who maintain a consistent voice throughout. Some are kind of in the middle.

None of these options are necessarily better or worse than the other. Infusing your characters with their own voices can be a great way to engage the listener, but on the other hand, if you’re not an experienced voice actor, you could make it sound horrible.

I would try to lean towards making your characters dynamic as an audiobook narrator, but don’t feel like you have to overdo it.

Speaking of which…

A common mistake for new narrators, especially if you’re the author, is to voice characters of the opposite gender in a highly exaggerated tone. Men voice women in a high and squeaky register, and women voice men with these gritty, gravely approximations.

Don’t do this.

It’s okay to voice both genders the same, but if you want to keep them distinctive, slightly raising or lowering your pitch can help. It doesn’t have to be dramatic.

Again, listen to what respected narrators are doing, and try to do something similar.

You’ll become self-conscious about your breathing when you’re recording audiobooks, especially if you’ve gone back to have a listen at what you recorded.

Therefore a natural tendency is to try and hold your breath for longer, so you don’t breath as often. This leads to the audiobook narration sounding forced and rushed.

Breath normally, and it will sound the most natural when it’s played back for the audiobook listener.

If you’re in the recording studio for too long, you can get winded, not to mention your vocal chords may need some lubricating.

So make sure that you drink plenty of water, both to keep yourself hydrated and to keep your pipes piping.

This is one I’ve had trouble with, myself, so I’m making a point of mentioning it.

When you’re recording an audiobook, you will need to speak slower and with more distinction than you do in everyday speech.

This can become uncomfortable, and if you’re not careful, you’ll speed up as you record. Always make sure you’re able to enunciate every word carefully.

This is particularly true of fiction, but it can be applicable to high-energy nonfiction as well.

You’ll want to really put some emotion into your words as you speak them. Reading is all about emotions, making people feel things. Going just slightly over the top in your drama will help to get there.

That said, you can easily push the line too far and become overly melodramatic, so only push yourself a little out of your comfort zone.

Step 6 : Organize Your Files

When you’re done recording, you’ll want to have a good system for organizing your files.

First, you’ll need to save your audio, one file for each chapter. This is very important because your audio will be submitted to ACX in chapter by chapter files. So best to start dividing them that way now.

The best format to save your file is as a 16-bit WAV file. This is a lossless (meaning it loses no quality) file type that should be the raw base for your files. And you’ll want to keep working with WAV files until the very end, when you’ll convert your files to an MP3 for uploading to ACX.

Make sure to have a decent naming convention for your files so that you never forget what they are. Something like MyBook-chapterX-RAW, might be a good place to start.

As you edit, you’ll want to keep a consistent naming scheme. So something like MyBook-chapterX-EDITED , MyBook-chapterX-MASTERED , MyBook-chapterX-FINAL .

These are just examples, but you get the picture.

Step 7 : Edit Your Audio Files

The editing stage is where you go through your files to look for actual mistakes in the recording.

Here are a few things you’ll need to look out for:

  • Mouth clicks: These are the most common culprit you’ll need to look out for. Inevitably, you’ll smack your lips without thinking about it, and the audio will record this loud and clear.
  • Long pauses: These are self-explanatory. Sometimes when recording, you’ll end up spending too much time in places. You’ll want to remove those pauses to tighten up the flow.
  • Mistakes/mispronunciations: These are common and will likely require re-recording if you did not do so already.
  • Background noises: This is the place to carefully listen for any dog barking, airplanes, or traffic sounds that you missed while recording.

A note on re-recording: At some point when recording your full audiobook, you will most likely have to re-record something. Going back and re-recording can be jarring, as the audio will probably sound quite different than what was recorded previously.

To get around this, try recording a full paragraph, or better yet, the full chapter. This could end up giving you more work than it’s worth, so only re-record the full chapter if you have more than one mistake that you need to re-record.

And get used to catching as many of these mistakes as you record so you don’t have to go back and redo. However, even master narrators will make mistakes from time to time.

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Step 8 : Master Your Audio

Mastering the audio is perhaps the scariest part of the process for most authors. It’s also the most technical, aside from maybe your initial setup.

By this time, you should have a WAV file for every chapter that is fully edited so there are no mistakes.

But there are a number of technical specifications that ACX requires that you need to make sure you follow. Here are some of the steps you’ll need to take in order to fully master your audio to their specifications:

  • Room Silence: ACX requires that you have 1-5 seconds of “room tone” at the beginning and end of each chapter. This is what it sounds like when your microphone is turned on but you’re not speaking. True silence can actually be a bit jarring.
  • Noise Removal: Both Audacity and Audition have options to remove noise from your recording. While optional if you have a high-quality mic, it’s usually a good idea to remove some of this noise. That said, don’t go overboard, as it can affect the vocal quality.
  • Normalize the Volume: This is a process you can do in Audacity or Audition to bring your volume up to a normal level. You’ll want to do this and also compress it to make sure that your peaks are below the maximum threshold that ACX sets (about -3.5dB).
  • Check: You can run an ACX analysis through Audacity to make sure that it meets their requirements.

This may seem hard, but once you learn how to do it, it’s really not a difficult process. You don’t have to be an audio engineer to do it.

The above steps can take no more than a few minutes per file, though you should definitely listen to each chapter after it’s mastered to do a last check for errors or weird audio issues.

If this process scares you, don’t worry, here are some tutorials to help you get through the process.

For Audacity:

For Adobe Audition:

Step 9 : Publish Your Audio

Once your audiobook production is done, you’ll need to convert your final WAV files to an MP3 with a bit rate of 192kbps. Make sure that each file is either stereo or mono. Do not have some of both.

Then it’s a simple matter of uploading your finished audiobook to ACX or Findaway Voices .

Make sure to choose the correct royalty option when uploading to ACX. If you want to go exclusive to ACX you will receive higher royalties, but cannot upload it anywhere else.

If you go non-exclusive with ACX, you can also upload to Findaway Voices or wherever you want to distribute your audiobook.

While producing your own audiobook isn’t the best option for all authors, it can be a great way to decrease costs and personally connect with your readers if those are your goals.

If you are willing to learn a long and technical process, as well as invest in quality equipment, then it can be a great avenue for you.

Do you have any experience recording your own audiobook? Let us know over on our contact page with any additional information you may have. We’d love to hear from you!

Jason Hamilton

When I’m not sipping tea with princesses or lightsaber dueling with little Jedi, I’m a book marketing nut. Having consulted multiple publishing companies and NYT best-selling authors, I created Kindlepreneur to help authors sell more books. I’ve even been called “The Kindlepreneur” by Amazon publicly, and I’m here to help you with your author journey.

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How to Listen to Audio Books on Kindle

Yes, your favorite e-reader can play your favorite audiobook

In This Article

Jump to a Section

Does Kindle Have Audiobooks?

  • Listen to Audiobooks on Kindle
  • How to Purchase Audiobooks
  • Listen With the Audible App
  • Listen Online on Kindle
  • Extra: Transferring Audiobooks

You can purchase and listen to Kindle audiobooks made in 2016 or later, but it's also possible to transfer audiobooks from your PC to older Kindle models. Learn how to get voice narration for your favorite titles through Audible and how to upload your own audiobooks to a Kindle Fire.

Information in this article applies to most Amazon Kindle e-readers , including the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Oasis .

While all Kindles include text-to-voice narration by Alexa , you can't purchase audiobooks on older Amazon e-readers. However, you can transfer Audible books you've purchased to older Kindles using the Audible Manager for PC and a USB cable. Amazon has a list of Kindles that support audiobooks natively.

On Amazon Fire tablets , it's also possible to sideload audiobooks from outside of the Audible store.

You can make Alexa read to you on any Alexa-enabled device including the Amazon Echo and Echo Show .

Listening to Audiobooks on Kindle

Amazon Audible is integrated into all Kindles that can read audiobooks. Look for the Audible tab in the Kindle store to browse through thousands of available titles. If you download a book with Audible support, you'll have the option to add professional narration for a discounted price. When you purchase audiobooks on one device, you can download them on any Kindle registered to your Amazon account.

In addition to buying audiobooks individually, you can sign up for Audible's subscription service, which gives you one free audiobook of your choosing each month and a 30 percent discount on all audio purchases. If you don't like an Audible book you downloaded, you can trade it for another one. Amazon Prime members can also borrow Audible books through Prime Reading .

Newer Kindles come with VoiceView, which allows you to sync your e-reader with a Bluetooth speaker. You can use the Kindle Audio Adapter to enable VoiceView for older models.

How to Purchase Audiobooks From the Kindle Store

The process for purchasing audiobooks is the same for all Amazon Fire tablets. On other Kindle models, the process is very similar:

Open the Kindle app and tap the shopping cart to open the Kindle store.

Tap the hamburger menu in the top-left corner.

Tap Audiobook Store .

You'll see recommendations based on your past purchases. Tap the magnifying glass to search for titles.

Using the Audible App to Listen to Kindle Audiobooks

To access your audiobooks on an Amazon Fire tablet, launch the Audible app from your home screen or tap the Audible tab at the top of the screen.

When you select an audiobook, a player will open with various controls. For example, you can tap the Clock to set a sleep timer. Tap the three dots in the top-right corner for more options.

The Audible and Kindle apps are also available for iOS and Android devices, so you can read and listen to audiobooks on your smartphone .

Listen to Audiobooks Online on Kindle

If your Kindle has a web browser, you can listen to audiobooks online without downloading any files. Websites with free streaming audiobooks include:

  • Digitalbook.io
  • OpenCulture

Transfer Audiobooks From PC to Kindle

For older Kindles that didn't come with audiobook support, you can download the Audible Manager for your PC and transfer Audible books you've purchased to your Kindle using a USB cable.

In addition to Amazon Audible, there are websites from which you can download free audiobooks . You can listen to any audiobook in a DRM -free format (such as MP3 ) on your Fire tablet using the default media player. Just connect your tablet to your computer and transfer the audiobook file into the device's Music folder.

Use the DRMare Audible Audiobook Converter to remove DRM restrictions from Audible files so that you can listen to them in on any device in any format.

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  • Topic 6 - Introduction to Book Design
  • Topic 7 - Format Your eBook Manuscript
  • Topic 8 - Format Your Paperback Manuscript
  • Topic 9 - Design Your Cover
  • Topic 10 - Upload Your Book Content
  • Topic 11 - eBook Rights & Pricing
  • Topic 12 - Paperback Rights & Pricing

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Before you start

Audio requirements, video requirements.

The following container formats are acceptable:

File Requirements

Multimedia directory, confirm correct mime-type, including an audio and video toc.

This is my video (5:01)

This is my audio (1:10)

Including Audio and Video Assets in NCX File

Text guidelines.

KF8 features are not currently supported in Kindle Edition with Audio/Video content. This includes, but is not limited to:

  • Drop shadow
  • Embedded fonts
  • Floating elements
  • Nested tables and merged cells

Image Guidelines

  • Background images
  • Floating images
  • Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG)

Audio and Video Guidelines

Adding audio.

Streaming audio is not supported at this time. Use embedded audio instead.

To embed an audio file inside a Kindle book, add a standard HTML 5 tag such as the following:

  • src tag: (Required) Identifies the embedded audio file, which must be in MP3 format.
  • title tag: (Optional) Identifies the description of the audio.
  • controls tag: (Required, unless you provide an image for use in starting the video playback) Tells the Kindle application to display controls for the embedded audio.
  • text content: (Required) Devices that do not support audio content display the text between the <audio> and </audio> tags. If users view this eBook on a device that does not support audio, they see this text instead. ( Example: "There is content at this location that is not currently supported for your device. The caption for this content is displayed below.")  id tag: (Optional) Must be unique to the document if it is used.

Adding Video

  • src tag: (Required) Identifies the embedded video file.
  • title tag: (Required) Identifies the description of the video.
  • poster tag: (Required) Identifies the placeholder image file. Users see the placeholder in the eBook before the video is played. The placeholder could be the first frame of the video or a representative frame, depending on your preference. (If this file is not specified, the video will not play.)

Note: The Kindle application may render a play button on top of the poster frame. It appears in the middle of the frame.

  • text content: (Required) Devices that do not support video content display the text between the <video> and </video> tags. If users view this eBook on a device that does not support video, they see this text instead. ( Example: "There is content at this location that is not currently supported for your device. The caption for this content is displayed below.")  id tag: (Optional) Must be unique to the document if it is used.
  • id tag: (Optional) Must be unique to the document if it is used.

Audio and Video Metadata Required

Providing descriptive media captions.

Media captions describe the audio and video files to the user. Here are some general guidelines:

  • Media captions can't include file extensions (.mp3, .mp4, etc.).

Adding Images with Play Controls

Custom sample file required.

Amazon requires that publishers create and supply a custom sample for each Kindle Edition with Audio/Video. The sample file should include a full TOC and an audio/video list, with live links to only the content in the sample file.

The sample file should include at least one of each type of media available in the full file, including both audio and video, if applicable.

The sample file must have a "Buy It Now" link added to the end, or where appropriate.

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How to Become an Audiobook Narrator

August 23, 2021

So, you want to learn how to become an audiobook narrator, but don't know where to start? Say no more—we've come up with a thorough guide on everything you need to know about this type of vocal art. To provide even deeper and hands-on insight, we've enlisted the help of Audible Studios's very own Kat Lambrix, who dives into everything you need to know about being an audiobook narrator. Starting with basic information about how audiobook narration works, you’ll find techniques and skills to build upon, plus practical advice on breaking into the field and finding audiobook narrator jobs. You'll also get some welcome guidance for long-term career planning and resource suggestions, all from one of the foremost experts on the subject. 

So You Want to Be an Audiobook Narrator?

Many people want to become audiobook narrators because they love books and audiobooks, and they like reading aloud. Others are inspired to follow this path because they’re told they have a unique talent and a great voice for narration. While those are both great starting points, it takes a lot more than a pleasant voice and a love of audiobooks to become a successful audiobook narrator.

Listening to an audiobook isn't simply about reading the words on the page: an audiobook narrator must have the skills and empathy to bring a book to life for the listener.

From a business standpoint, many audiobook narrators work as freelancers, so you must be organized, professional, and have the ability to work on your own time, meet deadlines, and keep track of invoices and contracts. While it might not be the most stable career choice at first, if you're passionate about audiobook narration, it can be a dream job.

What Skills Do You Need to Become an Audiobook Narrator? 

It goes without saying that audiobook narration isn't just a hobby; it's a career. And like any career, there are certain skills required to just get started. So, before you dive into the world of narration, make sure that you can confidently say that you possess the following:

Background in Acting

It may seem obvious but having some type of foundational knowledge of acting makes a huge difference when making the transition to narration. "Narration is an acting gig. You're embodying different characters, you're telling stories. So, it's really important to be able to do that," Lambrix stresses. "Lots of people have gone to theater school. Some people have come to us from other parts of the acting world.  But no matter what, being able to act is a foundational skill…you’re telling a story, and it’s not your story."

Ability to Differentiate Voices, Accents, and Dialects

This may seem like another given but knowing how to expertly embody characters of different backgrounds is an essential skill that will separate you from other narrators. “Inevitably you'll run into a scene with seven sisters or four women who are in their 30s, and you have to find a way to make their voices all sound distinct for your listener,” says Lambrix. 

Getting through a day of narrating may seem simple: you’re sitting down for a few hours and reading a book you like (hopefully) out loud. But in reality, these hours can chug along and exhaust you in the process, so it’s important to be able to keep up as best you can. “We tend to record about six hours a day. So, you have to physically be able to do it. And it's a lot; it's not just sitting and talking," Lambrix acknowledges. "It's breath control. It's knowing when to be loud. It's knowing when to pull back. Those quiet scenes can be just as fatiguing as the the big loud ones, because you’re handling a lot of emotion and a lot of nuances.”

Research Skills

And finally, research! Now how does this fit in? You’re just narrating a book, right? But what happens when you’re in the studio and you stumble across a word, country name, or anything else you aren't familiar with how to say? Doing your research beforehand can go a long way towards making your narrating skills that much better. “So rather than pretending to know it all, the ability to know what you don't know, and to go out there and do that research is important,” says Lambrix.

Plus, this research may save you from potentially embarrassing situations in the booth. “We were recording a nonfiction book and the narrator watched a video of an interview with this person and used the pronunciation of their name for the book. It turned out the interviewer said the person's name wrong. So, the narrator said the name wrong throughout the entire book.” Needless to say, research goes a long way!

Refining Your Skills as an Audiobook Narrator 

You’ve identified that you have the necessary skills to get started, so how do you further refine those skills? “Practice!” Lambrix emphasizes. “It's a great idea to go to your bookshelf, close your eyes, and pick a random book to narrate. Maybe it's a book you don't like–that's even better. And go and read that and see if you can do it. Because the fact is, you don't always get to read what you want to read.”

Learn from the Pros

Much like anything else, you can get better and learn a lot from experts in the field, so listen to your favorite narrator–a lot! “Listen to people who are best in class at what they do. And then see where you can take those things and incorporate them into yourself,” says Lambrix. “The more you do it, the easier it gets. The more you prepare, the more you can step into the booth and just let go.”

Getting Started as an Audiobook Narrator

Most everyone in the industry recommends that you start by practicing on your own. Read aloud in a quiet, enclosed space where you won't be distracted, and get a feel for reading slowly, clearly, and with distinction. If you mess up, take it from the top. Don't be afraid to mark up your "script" and practice reading aloud while also scanning ahead to know what's coming up. Build up your stamina. Then, record yourself reading, play back the audio, and critique your performance. Identify areas to improve. It helps to identify and practice various vocal patterns, dialects, and accents. There are also voice-over classes you can take to master different narration styles.

When you feel confident in your abilities, consider recording a demo. This is the perfect time to invest in a good quality microphone, noise canceling headphones, and a pop filter (a screen that goes in front of your mic to filter out the sound of your breath and the noises your mouth makes while speaking). Set up a quiet studio area. There's no need to remodel a room in your house to be soundproof, but you want the best possible environment for recording. You'll also need a computer with recording software, such as GarageBand or Audacity, and it won't hurt to know a few things about sound editing in order to put together the cleanest recordings. Most audiobook narrators also read off of a tablet screen, so you might want to invest in something that will allow you to read and scroll ahead without noisily flipping pages. Once you've finished your demo, you can use it on your website or in your profile for one of sites listed below. 

How to Find Work as an Audiobook Narrator

Now you’re ready to start looking for work as an audiobook narrator–where do you begin? Thankfully, there are plenty of routes to enter the world of narration. 

Volunteering to Read

One of the simplest, and likely most rewarding, ways to get into narration is by volunteering to read for the blind. While this method may not pay, it’s a good way to get your foot in the door while doing a service for someone–a winning proposition. “Volunteering to read is a great way to refine the narration skills that you’ve been practicing. But it’s also a great way to meet other people in the space,” says Lambrix.“ A lot of really well-known narrators do volunteer work as a public service, which is lovely.”

Networking In-Person and Virtually

No matter your career path, networking events are always a great place to meet others in your field and potentially find your next job. The same holds true for narrators. You’ll be able to meet other aspiring narrators, learn tips and hear advice from pros, and even pitch yourself for potential gigs. “Networking is really important. You can consider joining the Audio Publishers Association. Pre-COVID, they hosted mixers, and events. But even now, they're actually doing producers speed dating, virtually–which has been awesome,” says Lambrix.

Create a Standout Website to Showcase Your Work

Especially today, being able to market yourself online is key to gaining any traction in the narration space–so having a strong website is essential. You should have a good selection of samples that showcase your talents and abilities. To stand out even more, be sure to highlight some skills that can potentially set you apart, like fluency in another language or a specific topic that you’re an expert in. “When I'm looking for a narrator, or when I'm researching somebody, I will listen to their samples. And it's always better if you have them easily accessible on your website,” says Lambrix. In short, the more you can showcase, the better off you’ll be. 

While this may seem unrelated, it goes back to that old adage of “treat people how you want to be treated.” The narration industry is tight-knit, so if you give off stellar first impressions, this will only benefit you in both the short and long term. On the other hand, if you’re abrupt, dismissive, and rude, you’ll likely find it hard to find work. “People in the industry are nice and really willing to share what they know. So, if you're putting that good energy out there, it's going to come back to you. Because, people are not hesitant to recommend actors,” says Lambrix.

Resources to Find Work

You might want to gain some experience before auditioning for major audiobook publishers, so consider looking for work on Guru, Freelancer, Fiver, or Upwork. You might not find audiobook narration jobs right away, but you can build your portfolio. More audiobook-specific venues for jobs include ACX.com , VoiceBunny.com, and Voices.com, though some of these platforms are looking for narrators with experience.

What to Expect on Your First Day in the (Home) Studio

So you landed your first narrating gig—congrats! Now, what does a typical day look like? Once you’re in the booth, your day will be relatively straightforward. You’ll normally record for about six hours with brief breaks throughout. Be sure to use these breaks to eat, stretch, and do whatever you need to do to stay loose and focused. “I’ll walk through the studio and see people doing pushups or jumping jacks or yoga. So do whatever you do. You want to sound the same at the end of the day as you do at the beginning of the day,” says Lambrix. “Because somebody who's listening isn't going to start and end their day with you. They're going to listen all the way through.”

During the day, be sure to take advantage and connect with those around you if you’re in a studio. Remember the tip above about networking? Here’s your opportunity to do just that, even if you are a bit more conservative in your approach. “Get to know everybody at the studio. Talk with your producer, your engineer. Figure out how they like to work. Let them know how you like to work. And then make sure that you're getting your styles to mesh,” says Lambrix. 

At the end of the day, whether you’re recording on site or at home, you’ll likely finish off with something called “pickups,” which are essentially do-overs for any audio mishaps. Maybe there was background noise or your producer wants you to go back and repeat a line. This will be the time to do it. But don’t worry–just because you have pickups doesn’t mean you aren’t doing a good job. “Everybody has pickups–even Richard Armitage . It’s not a big deal,” Lambrix assures.

Rising Through the Ranks as a Narrator 

For many aspiring audiobook narrators, it’s not enough to work on a single book–you want to work on many! But how do you go from being hired for your first narrating gig to your 20th? 

Find Your Unique Voice

While you may be skilled as a narrator in general, the most successful audiobook narrators typically have found a specific niche that they focus on. Let’s take award-winning narrator Ray Porter as an example. While Porter is an outstanding narrator in his own right, he particularly shines in science fiction and thriller audiobooks. Because of this, he’s the go-to narrator for many high-profile sci-fi and thriller releases throughout the year. “Figure out where your voice fits. If you have a great voice for sci-fi. really dig in on sci-fi. Develop great relationships with your authors, publishers, and producers in that genre and really dive right in,” says Lambrix. 

Harness the Power of Social Media 

Social media platforms can be incredibly useful tools for people across many professions, but particularly up-and-coming narrators. From connecting with other narrators and reaching out to authors and publishers, there are plenty of ways to make social media your best friend during the course of your narrating career. "Put your work on social media. See what people's reactions are—see what people are engaging with. Lots of narrators have social media followings, and listeners find them through their accounts. Sometimes authors even approach narrators through their social accounts," Lambrix says. So, be sure to slowly but surely build out your social media presence. There's a good chance that you'll land your next gig because of your efforts!

Get Better Through Coaching

It's a simple formula: the better you are at one particular skill, the more people will reach out to you for your expertise with that skill. It's the same with narration. So even if you're landing gigs left and right, be sure to consider a dedicated narration coach to help you fine tune your skills. Remember, just because you have a coach doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong or you aren't good. The opposite is true—you're trying to perfect your craft, which is a huge step in the right direction. "Even if you've done 20 books, if there's something that you're just not getting or you really need to get to that next level and it's just not happening for you, reach out and find somebody," Lambrix advises. "There are a ton of great audiobook coaches who can help you. Maybe it's just something that you're not hearing, but somebody else is going to listen and say, 'Here, let me help you make this better . '"

How Much Can You Make?

The amount of money you’ll earn as an audiobook narrator will definitely depend on your experience and the publisher you work for. Some audiobook narrators get paid per hour of finished audio, but keep in mind: payment must also cover the amount of time you prepare, record, and edit your audio. Some publishers may have you come into their studio, where you'll work with a director or producer and a sound engineer, and then you'll be paid by the hour. Some audiobook narrators are members of SAG-AFTRA, which means their rates are subject to further rules and negotiations. Many professional audiobook narrators also have agents to help them navigate negotiations and find jobs. But for someone just starting out, you can expect to earn less than established talent.

It's important that you understand how to manage your time wisely, so that you're working efficiently and getting paid fairly.

How to Build Your Career as an Audiobook Narrator

Once you've polished off your narration skills, gathered the tools you need for a home studio, mastered audio editing, and have a few voice-over and narration jobs under your belt, you can send demos to major audiobook publishers and audition for the opportunity to narrate traditionally published audiobooks. Most major audiobook publishers have a section on their website where potential narrators can submit demos. You might not get your first choice of genre or book when starting out, but this is a career that requires patience, determination, hard work, and lots of stamina. 

You might also consider networking with other voice actors and learning as much as you can about the audiobook industry. Read AudioFile , keep listening to audiobooks, and study different types of narration and performing techniques to grow your skill set. Oftentimes, one opportunity will lead to another, so always be professional, kind, and gracious to anyone you work with.

Resources for Audiobook Narrators

If you want to know about becoming an audiobook narrator from an established pro and an industry insider, we recommend checking out Storyteller: How to Be an Audiobook Narrator by Lorelei King and Ali Muirden . Lorelei King is best known for her work on Janet Evanovich 's Stephanie Plum series , Patricia Briggs 's novels, and many more beloved books that have earned her Earphones Awards plus the distinction of being named Audiobook Narrator of the Year and a member of the Audible Narrator Hall of Fame . Ali Muirden is a producer and director who has been nominated for a Grammy Award. Together, they reveal many of the top secrets in the audiobook narrating industry. King and Muirden offer practical advice on the nitty gritty work of narrating, from preparing for a job, marking up your scripts, and researching before recording, along with tips on expected in-studio behavior and troubleshooting recording issues. They also touch on how to market yourself and future-proof your career, making Storyteller an indispensable guide for anyone who’s passionate and serious about becoming an accomplished and successful audiobook narrator.

This article was updated in August 2021 to include guidance from Kat Lambrix by Audible editor Luis Gonzalez .

Helpful Listens for Aspiring Narrators

Storyteller, rodney saulsberry's tongue twisters and vocal warm-ups, how to narrate books for free and get residual income for life, how to improve your communication skills, the best black audiobook narrators to listen to right now, get starstruck with the best celebrity narrated audiobooks, the best women narrators you have to hear.

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How to listen to audiobooks with an Amazon Kindle

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Your Kindle provides more than one way to devour a good book. If you own a set of Bluetooth headphones or a Bluetooth-enabled speaker, you’ve got everything you need to start enjoying audiobooks streamed from your Kindle eReader (we review the best Kindles ). Let’s get started!

Introducing Audible, Amazon’s audiobook business

If you have even a passing interest in audiobooks, you’ll likely have heard of Audible . If not, here’s your chance to get acquainted.

Founded in the mid-1990s, Audible is, arguably, one of the largest purveyors of audiobooks and other aural consumables in the world. While there are a number of ways to enjoy Audible content, including smartphone and tablet apps or on your computer via Audible’s website , this guide focuses on how to do so with your Amazon Kindle eReader.

Amazon’s found a way to make switching from reading an eBook to listening to an audiobook a nearly seamless experience. Thanks to Whispersync for Voice , many of the books available to buy via the Amazon Kindle Store can be synced with their audio iteration, purchased from Audible. So, when you stop reading your Kindle to head to work, Amazon’s Whispersync for Voice service will ensure that the Audible version of what you were reading picks up where you left off. Of course, you’ll have to pay for this privilege by investing in both the eBook and the audiobook from Amazon.

Buying Audible books with your Amazon account

While it’s still possible to buy narrated books and other narrated content directly from Audible’s website, Kindle owners can use their Amazon account to buy Audio books via Amazon’s web store. There are a few ways to do this.

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The choice to invest in an Audible subscription or to buy your audiobooks without one should be dictated by how much you read and how much you want to listen to.

The first is to navigate to the Audible section of Amazon’s website. After signing into your Amazon account, click the Departments button, located underneath the search bar at the top of your Amazon homepage. A drop-down menu will appear. Halfway down, you’ll see the Books and Audible option. Scrolling over this option will open up a submenu. At the bottom you’ll find two options: Audible Membership and Audible Audiobooks .

At the time that this guide was written, an Audible subscription cost $14.95 per month, with one free month up front. During this trial period, Amazon will hook you up with two free audiobooks. If you decide to cancel your subscription at the end of the one-month trial, the audiobooks are yours to keep.

An Audible subscription will net you one free audiobook per month, regardless of its cost. In addition, you’ll receive a 30% discount on any audio content you buy from Audible. Finally—and this may be the best membership perk of all—Amazon will let you swap out any Audible books you’re not enjoying for free. If you listen to books less frequently, it’s also possible to buy Audible books and magazines a la carte.

No matter which of these two options you choose, you can expect the price of the audio content that Audible offers to vary widely in price, 

If you like the idea of being able to sync the books you read on your Kindle via Whispersync for Voice with its Audible audiobook counterpart, Amazon makes it easy to do so. You’ll be encouraged to buy the audiobook version of eBooks you buy from Amazon’s Kindle Bookstore (if one is available) before finalizing your purchase. Once you own an Audible audio product, it’ll be wirelessly delivered to your device (providing you own a compatible Amazon Kindle), where you can load it up, use it, or archive it, just as you would a Kindle eBook.

Which Kindles are compatible with audiobooks?

If you’re an old-school eBook aficionado, you’ll be pleased to know that Audible content can be used on first and second-generation Kindles, Kindle Keyboard and the Kindle DX. If you own one of these devices, you needn’t read any further. Simply plug a set of headphones into your device’s 3.5mm jack and you’re in business. Depending on the operating system version these older devices are running, you may also be able to listen to sideloaded MP3 files or Audible .aa and .aax audio files. We’ve reviewed all the available models and made our recommendations in our roundup of the best Kindles .

If you haven’t listened to audio content with your Kindle in the past, you should know that doing so, will cause your device’s battery to drain faster than you may be accustomed to seeing—especially older devices, whose batteries are starting to poop out. 

If you own an eighth-generation Kindle (aka 2016’s All-New Kindle,) or an eighth- or ninth-generation Kindle Oasis (released in 2016 and 2017 , respectively), you’ll be able to use your eReader to listen to audiobooks purchased from Audible. Unfortunately, at the time that this guide was written, these more recent devices don’t allow users to sideload audio content. If you want to listen to an audiobook using any of these three devices, they’ll have to be bought from either the Amazon or Audible website and transferred to your Kindle via Whispersync.

You may have noticed that, unlike older Amazon Kindles, such as the DX or the Kindle Keyboard, these latter-day devices don’t come equipped with a headphone jack. So, let’s talk Bluetooth.

How to pair a Bluetooth speaker or headphones with your Kindle

To pair Bluetooth headphones or a speaker with your 2016 Kindle, or your eighth- or ninth-generation Kindle Oasis, start by placing the audio device you want to pair with your eReader in pairing mode. Next, tap the top of your Kindle’s display to open the e-Reader’s tool bar. Then, tap the Quick Actions icon: It’s the one that looks like a gear. Now, select All Settings . One of the options on your Kindle’s Settings page should be Wi-Fi & Bluetooth . Select it.

After ensuring that your Kindle isn’t set to Airplane Mode , tap the on-screen toggle next to Bluetooth . Below this option, a new option, labeled Bluetooth Devices , will now become available. Tapping Bluetooth Devices will open allow you to pair your Bluetooth headphones or speaker with your Kindle When you see the name of your audio device appear on your Kindle’s display, select it to complete the pairing process. Your speakers or headphones should be ready to use with your Kindle.

bluetooth

After pairing set of Bluetooth headphones or a speaker with your Kindle, you’ll be ready to kick back and listen to a good book.

If your Kindle failed to pair with your audio device, make sure that your speakers or headphones are still in pairing mode and tap Rescan , located in the bottom right of your Kindle’s Bluetooth pairing interface.

Listening to Audible content

To listen to your any of the Audible content that you’ve purchased, ensure that your paired audio device is powered on and download the content that you’d like to listen to. Just like with your Kindle eBooks, any Audible content you download to your Kindle will be accessible via your device’s homescreen.

Tap the audiobook to open it. You’ll have a number of control options: play/pause, the ability to advance or reverse the audio track by 30 second; speed, volume, and chapter controls, and the ability to create a bookmark. All that’s left to do now is press Play and enjoy. 

Kindle Audio Adapter

If you own a Kindle Paperwhite or the recently discontinued Kindle Voyage, you won’t be able to use them to listen to Audible content. However, it is still possible to have your Kindle read to you. This $20 Audio Adapter Remove non-product link  was designed by Amazon to help the visually impaired use their line of Kindle eReaders. By plugging it into the micro-USB charging port of your Kindle, you’ll activate VoiceView, Amazon’s audio-based user interface. Plug in a set of your favorite headphones, or a cable attached to the Aux output of your stereo, and you’ll be ready to listen to a text-to-speech conversion of millions of compatible titles from the Kindle Store.

The audio you’ll hear won’t be of the same quality as you’ll get with the talented voice actors that Audible employs to narrate its audio content, but it’s certainly better than nothing.

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Kindle Paperwhite – Yes, You Can Listen to Audiobooks. Here’s How!

By trae jacobs ,.

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Almost every voracious reader that has tried using a Kindle for some reason knows how convenient and seamless it makes reading. However, sometimes busy hands prevent us from being able to read. This is where audiobooks come in.

Thankfully, you can use your Kindle Paperwhite to listen to audiobooks by following the steps in this piece. So be sure to keep reading!

How to Listen to Audiobooks on Kindle Paperwhite

There are two things to consider. The latest 10th generation Paperwhite is the only one that supports Audible. The previous versions, on the other hand, do not support Audible.

To use your Kindle Paperwhite 10th gen to listen to audiobooks, you first need Bluetooth headphones or Bluetooth-enabled speakers. This is because the Kindles themselves don’t have speakers, so you need help to get audio output. On the other hand, the only way you can get audio output with the previous versions is by using an Audio Adapter with Voiceview, a feature made for visually impaired persons.

Listen to Audiobooks on Kindle Paperwhite 10th Gen

The Kindle Paperwhite 10th gen is the only one in the family that supports Audible. You can listen to audiobooks on your Kindle Paperwhite in these simple steps:

  • Put on your Bluetooth and connect to the speaker or headphones: As the Kindle Paperwhite has neither an inbuilt speaker nor an audio jack for earphones, the only way to achieve audio output with it is by using a medium that will give you the voice output with a Bluetooth connection to the Kindle. Now, to put on your Bluetooth, go to your Kindle homepage and click on the three dots at the top right corner of the screen. This will take you to a menu, and here you go to Settings. In the settings screens, you’ll find various options, and the one you have to zero in on is “WiFi and Bluetooth”. There, you’ll go to Bluetooth and tap on it to enable your Bluetooth. Afterward, put on your speakers or headphones and put them in pair mode if it isn’t there already. Go to Bluetooth devices and select the device name to connect.
  • Now you can listen: After the connection is done, you can just go to Audible to search for the audiobook you want to listen to. Of course, you need an Audible subscription to do this.

Listening to Books on Kindle  5th, 6th, and 7th Gen with Audio Adapter

The audio adapters are made for visually impaired persons to access. As Kindle Paperwhite 5th, 6th, and 7th generations don’t have audio access; you need to use an audio adapter to listen to audio. Additionally, they can’t use audible, so you can only get the text-to-speech reading of the book, not the professional narration you would get with proper audiobooks.

It is, therefore, best to upgrade to the tenth-generation Paperwhite to enjoy audio benefits. However, using text-to-speech technology, you can still use the Voiceview feature to listen to books. You should note that not all books support the feature, so you’ll have a limited pool to select from.

To use Voiceview, you only need to connect the audio adapter to the Kindle and plug in your headphones to the adapter.

Can You Read and Listen to a Book at the Same Time on Kindle? 

Sometimes, you might want to listen along as you are reading, say, a classic. If you already have your audio device connected via Bluetooth, this is quite easy to do with the immersion app.

  • Confirm that the book has an audiobook on Audible. The way to do this is to check the top right of the book on the Kindle app.
  • Open the ebook and tap the screen. You’ll see a tray that says “Audible narration.”
  • Download this by tapping on the tray. After the download is done, tap the play icon, and you can begin reading and listening simultaneously.

While the audiobook is playing, the words on the screen will be highlighted along so you can always follow the audio. Also, you can always pause the audio and come back. However, the feature doesn’t work on Kindle for certain reasons, such as highlighting requires a very high refresh rate for the screen akin to that of mobile devices. It is rather unfortunate that the design of Kindles ensures that they can not use the feature, at least with current technology.

You can only read while listening to the audiobook version by playing the audiobook in the background while reading. However, you won’t have the additional benefit of the words being highlighted.

You can use the Kindle to listen to audiobooks when you’re so inclined. As Kindle Paperwhites neither have built-in speakers nor jack to headphones, the only way to get audio output is by connecting them to speakers or headphones via Bluetooth.

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Can You Have Your Kindle Read To You? Yep, Here's How

A s book lovers know, there's nothing worse than having to step away from your current read in the middle of the action. But sometimes, life calls, and you have to close the pages on your steamy romance or that addictive thriller readers are obsessing over . You need to go do some laundry, pick up your kids, or attend to any number of other daily responsibilities. In these frustrating, willpower-testing moments, wouldn't it be nice if your book could keep narrating itself while you multitask?

For Amazon customers, the brand has already offered one clever solution: WhisperSync allows Kindle users to switch between their e-book and the equivalent audiobook from Audible. But apart from occasional deals, this usually means buying two copies -- one digital, one audio. If you'd rather not shell out for the same book twice, there's another, less advertised option: using text-to-voice features. Amazon devices like the Fire Tablet have built-in accessibility features for the visually impaired. In addition to being helpful for those who need such assistance, text-to-voice provides a free, audiobook-less way to have your e-book read itself to you.

Are these accessibility features of the same fluent, human-voice quality as getting an actual audiobook? Generally speaking, no. So if you're looking for a theatrical performance, you're better off turning to services like Audible after all. But if stilted speech doesn't bother you, text-to-voice features can be a useful and inclusive way to maximize your Kindle reading time and experience e-books in a new dimension.

Read more: 18 Famous Dreams And What They Really Mean

How To Activate Text-To-Speech On A Fire Tablet

Want to keep the adventure going? Kindle users who read their e-books on a Fire tablet running FireOS 5 or higher can benefit from a feature known as Text-to-Speech, which will read the text of your Kindle purchases aloud. Plus, it's relatively easy to use. If you want to give Text-to-Speech a try on your Fire tablet, here's how to turn it on.

First, open the book or document of your choice and navigate to the page where you'd like Text-to-Speech to begin its reading. Once there, tap the center of your screen to bring up the header menu, and either tap the "Aa" menu icon or the three vertical dots. Using the former, select "More," or for the latter, select "Additional Settings." Scroll to the "Text-to-Speech" option and move the toggle from "Off" to "On." Return to your e-book and tap the middle of the screen to bring up the progress bar at the bottom. Press play beside the progress bar, and voilà! Your tablet should begin reading the text aloud. You can also highlight a specific word or passage to be read if that's all you need.

This feature works on most Kindle content and even some personal documents. Not sure whether your next book is an eligible candidate? Just check its product page. Beneath the "Product Details" section that lists elements like the publisher and page count, you should see a note marking it as "Text-to-Speech: Enabled."

How To Activate VoiceView On A Kindle Paperwhite

What if you're not using a Fire tablet? Are you out of luck? Happily, there is a similar equivalent for Amazon e-readers like the Kindle Paperwhite. This feature is called VoiceView — but since these Kindles don't have their own built-in speakers, using it will require an external sound device like a Bluetooth speaker or wireless headphones. Note: You'll need to have your Bluetooth setting turned on and your audio device registered on the Kindle before beginning.

To activate VoiceView, navigate to your Paperwhite's settings, then select the "Accessibility" menu. Tap the option for "VoiceView Screen Reader" and — ensuring that your desired speaker or headphones are turned on for pairing — shift the VoiceView toggle from "Off" to "On." A window may pop up to help you connect it to your Paperwhite. If the window doesn't appear, instead press "Bluetooth Devices" at the bottom of this menu to choose your audio device. From the VoiceView menu, you can also adjust details like volume and reading speed. After that, simply navigate to your e-book, where VoiceView will automatically begin reading aloud from the displayed page.

Right now, VoiceView can only read in English, and its cadence is robotic at best. As such, it's no replacement for well-acted audiobooks. But it is still a handy accessibility feature for vision-impaired readers, multitaskers, and anyone who wants to make the most of their Kindle libraries without repurchasing titles via Audible.

Using Speak Screen To Narrate The Apple iOS Kindle App

Even if you don't own an Amazon tablet or e-reader, many people still access their digital libraries on other devices through the Kindle app. This app doesn't have Text-to-Speech or VoiceView built in, but if you're using an Apple device like an iPhone or iPad, it turns out that there is a workaround already available in the operating system.

To get your Apple device to read aloud from the Kindle app, go to the device settings. Scroll down to select the "Accessibility" menu, and then tap on "Spoken Content." Here, you should see an option for "Speak Screen." Toggle this from "Off" to "On." On this same menu, you can also scroll down to change the default language — that's right, it can handle more than English! — and even change the voice that will read to you. There's also a convenient "Speaking Rate" slider that lets you change the reading speed along a scale from slow turtle to quick hare.

Once this is set up, open your Kindle app, choose a book, and navigate to the page you want to read. To activate Speak Screen, drag two fingers downward from the top of your screen. A pop-up should appear with reading controls and your selected voice will immediately begin orating the visible text. Like VoiceView, the voice options are fairly robotic, but Speak Screen is still a useful hack to get your Kindle app to read to you.

Read the original article on Glam .

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Audiobook Addicts

How to Listen to Kindle Unlimited Audiobooks

how to make kindle books audible

Kindle Unlimited, often referred to as KU, is a monthly Amazon subscription service that offers unlimited access to millions of Kindle ebooks, thousands of audiobooks, magazines, and more. I used Kindle Unlimited many years ago, mainly for ebooks before I was really into audiobooks. It wasn’t until recently, after receiving a free 3-month trial with a new Kindle, I became curious about listening to audiobooks with Kindle Unlimited. How can I listen to Kindle Unlimited audiobooks? What are the differences with Audible? Is Kindle Unlimited worth it for audiobooks? With these questions in mind, I dove back into KU to find some answers.   

How to Listen to Audiobooks with Kindle Unlimited

Discount purchases on some audiobooks, is kindle unlimited better than audible, is kindle unlimited better than scribd, quick summary.

Kindle Unlimited promises unlimited access to millions of books, audiobooks, magazine subscriptions, comics, and podcasts for one monthly fee you can cancel anytime.

Overall, I think Kindle Unlimited is a solid choice for audiobooks and ebooks, especially if you’re both a Kindle reader and an audiobook listener.  This is also a great option if you enjoy switching between listening to the audiobook and reading the book. With a 30-day free trial, you can test it to see how it works for you.

Click here to try Kindle Unlimited free for 30 days.

What is Kindle Unlimited?

What’s included in kindle unlimited .

A Kindle Unlimited subscription includes access to over 4 million digital titles, over 5,000 audiobooks, a range of podcasts, comic books, and 3 digital magazine subscriptions per month. 

How much is a Kindle Unlimited membership? 

Kindle Unlimited offers a 30-day free trial with a monthly subscription of $11.99.

Is Kindle Unlimited really “unlimited”? 

Yes, you can listen to and read as many titles as you want monthly. The main limits to Kindle Unlimited are that you can only have 20 titles in your library at one time, and not every audiobook or ebook is available through Kindle Unlimited. If you want to download something else, you will have to return one of the 20 titles you currently have. But you can always get a book again if you want. There are no due dates on the titles, and you can keep them as long as your subscription is active. 

When you join Kindle Unlimited, you get access to thousands of ebooks that include a “free audiobook companion” that you also have access to, including thousands of Audible audiobooks.

You can find audiobooks in several ways. Any ebook with a “kindle unlimited” label and a pair of orange headphones next to it indicates that audio narration is included. You can do a broad filter to only show books with narration, and you can also filter an author or title to show audiobooks only. For example, I can search by author “Robert Dugoni” and then filter to only include books with narration.

how to make kindle books audible

A quick search of all audiobooks shows over 5,000 “books with narration in kindle unlimited.” 

You can browse the catalog of Kindle Unlimited audiobooks here:  Books with Narration in Kindle Unlimited .

Kindle Unlimited Features

Easy to find audiobooks.

I found it very easy to find books that included narration and access the audiobook. You can easily filter to find books with narration or scroll through curated sections such as “most popular ebooks with audible narration in kindle unlimited” or “top-rated ebooks with audio narration in mystery, thriller, and suspense,” among other categories.

how to make kindle books audible

Syncing Audiobooks and eBooks

While Kindle Unlimited isn’t the only service to offer this, it does make it incredibly easy to switch between listening to the audiobook and reading the Kindle book. When listening, you can either look solely at the audiobook interface or have the ebook open, and it will track along with what is being read aloud. The only part I found mildly annoying is that when you open the Kindle app, it defaults to the ebook rather than the audiobook interface, even if that is where you left off. Not a deal breaker by any means, but it is one more step to click back into the audiobook once you open the app. 

Audiobook Interface 

The audiobook interface within the Kindle app is very basic, which may be appealing for some and less so for others who like lots of options with their settings. Basic options include skipping ahead and back 30 seconds, a sleep timer, speed adjustment, and a table of contents. 

how to make kindle books audible

For me, the biggest downside to the interface was the listening speed, with variables only offered in .25 increments (.75x to 1x to 1.25, up to 2x speed max).

However, the upside of both Kindle Unlimited and Audible being Amazon services is that if the book narration is also an “audible audiobook,” you can download and open the audiobook in the Audible app and use all of the audiobook settings available within the Audible, including many options for listening speed.

This is a great option if you’re just listening to the audiobook with no plans to switch between the audiobook and the ebook. If you are listening in the Audible app, it will not sync with the Kindle book.

Another great feature of Kindle Unlimited is the ability to purchase some Kindle books and their audiobook companions at a deep discount. When I looked at several new and popular books, I had the option to purchase the Kindle book at a discount and then add the Audible narration for $1.99. There was also an option to purchase just the Audible audiobook for $14.95. 

how to make kindle books audible

Even with the monthly Kindle Unlimited fee, depending on the price of the Kindle book, it could be cheaper to buy both the book and the audiobook version rather than buy just the audiobook through Audible. So, if there was a book you really loved and wanted to own rather than rent through Kindle Unlimited, this is a nice option.

Kindle Unlimited vs. Audible

Given that Kindle Unlimited and Audible are Amazon services, you may wonder how they are different and which is best. Ultimately, the answer depends on your listening habits, budget, and what you’d like from an audiobook subscription service. 

Unlike Kindle Unlimited, which is $11.99 monthly, Audible does offer different membership plans. For $7.95, you get Audible Plus, which includes access to their catalog of audiobooks, podcasts, original content, and more. For $14.95, you get Audible Premium Plus, which includes all the Audible Plus content plus 1 title per month that you can keep, even after your subscription ends. There is also an Audible annual plan which gives you 2 credits per month to use on audiobooks you want to purchase. 

In terms of sheer audiobook content, it is hard to beat Audible. With hundreds of thousands of titles available, you’ll likely find almost any book you want on Audible. Kindle Unlimited offers over 5,000 “books with narration,” with over 2,000 Audible audiobooks. 

Audible also offers a lot of other audio content, including podcasts, Audible original content, sleep tracks, and meditation programs. Audible is likely the better option for you if you’re looking for a wide range of audio-only content.

If you want to mix audio content with ebooks, Kindle Unlimited is a great choice. With Kindle Unlimited, you get a wide variety of content, including audiobooks, ebooks, magazines, and comics. If you’re looking just for audio content, an Audible membership is likely a better option.

Kindle Unlimited vs. Scribd 

Kindle Unlimited and Scribd are similar in many ways, including the ability to switch between ebooks and audiobooks and that you’re renting titles, not keeping them. So which one is better? 

After a recent price increase for Kindle Unlimited, both subscriptions are $11.99 and offer a 30-day free trial. 

Content 

Kindle Unlimited and Scribd are similar in that they offer a variety of content, including ebooks, audiobooks, and magazines.

By volume, Scribd has far more audiobook content than Kindle Unlimited, making it much more likely you can find a specific title you are looking for. Scribd also has well-curated collections allowing you to explore new titles and authors. 

The biggest downside to Scribd seems to be that while it claims unlimited titles in the monthly subscription, many users run into a “throttling” issue where some titles will be unavailable until the next month. In other words, based on your activity, you may hit a limit on what you can listen to, whereas this doesn’t appear to be an issue with Kindle Unlimited. 

If you’re interested in finding specific titles on either ebook or audiobook, Scribd is likely the subscription service for you. For the same price point, Scribd has a larger selection of audiobook titles and well-curated collections.

If you prefer to read almost exclusively on a Kindle e-ink device , like a Paperwhite, and would like the option of available audiobooks in addition to unlimited content for your Kindle, Kindle Unlimited is probably better for you. On other Kindle tablets like the Fire , you can download the Scribd app.

You can read our full Scribd review here .

Verdict: Is Kindle Unlimited Worth It for Audiobooks?

I think Kindle Unlimited is a great option for audiobook listeners who are also avid readers on Kindle devices, especially e-ink readers like the Kindle Paperwhite.

Kindle Unlimited makes it extremely easy to find audiobooks, the interface is simple and easy to use, and it’s extremely convenient to switch back and forth between the audio and ebook. 

If you want to purchase Kindle content or add an audiobook purchase to keep, your Kindle Unlimited membership can provide you with some deep discounts for purchasing both.

Ultimately, I think Kindle Unlimited is the best value for audiobook listeners who are also looking for content for their Kindles. If you’re looking for audiobook content alone, you’ll find a greater selection with both Audible and Scribd.

If you’re unsure, I recommend taking advantage of the 30-day free trial. Since both Audible and Kindle Unlimited are Amazon services, remember that if you want more options for your audiobook settings, you can download Audible audiobooks included in Kindle Unlimited in the Audible app.

You can access titles in your Kindle Unlimited library as long as your subscription is active. If you end your subscription, you’ll lose access to any ebooks and audiobooks you rent through Kindle Unlimited. If you cancel and then later resubscribe, all your bookmarks and notes will return.

Kindle Unlimited audiobooks can be accessed on Kindle Fire HDX tablets and Android or iOS phones or tablets using free Kindle or Audible apps.

Kindle Unlimited through Amazon.com is currently only available to customers in the U.S. You can sign up for Kindle Unlimited through your local Amazon marketplace if you live in the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, India, Japan, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, and Australia.

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How to buy and listen to Audible Audiobooks on the Kindle

3 April 2021 By Michael Kozlowski 4 Comments

how to make kindle books audible

All of the modern Kindle e-readers have the ability to purchase and listen to Audible audiobooks, in select markets, such as the UK and US.  In order to listen to digital content, you need to connect up wireless headphones or an external speaker. If you ever wondered how you go about browsing for audiobooks on your Kindle and listening to them, we have a great video tutorial.

If you have never used Audible before, you can just buy them directly from Amazon. If you already have an Audible account and you wish to merge your existing collection into your Amazon Audible library for use on your Kindle,  you can link the two accounts from the accounts merge page  on the Audible website. Once completed, you’ll then login to your Audible account with your Amazon credentials and your existing Audible audio book collection will be available in your Amazon Audible library ready to download from the cloud.

how to make kindle books audible

In order to browse for audiobooks, you need to click on the Store, on the main navigation bar and there are two options, Kindle and Audible. If you click on Audible, you can browse and search and it will just display audiobooks. You can search by genres, bestsellers and editors picks. Once you have purchased an audiobook, all of the content is housed in your library. Audiobooks will have a little headphone option on the top right corner, giving them a distinction between ebooks and audiobooks. If you have a large audiobook collection or if you have an existing audiobook account you can click on sort, and sort by audiobooks in your library.

how to make kindle books audible

Once you click on it the built in audiobook player will open and it is tremendously robust. You can skip forward or ahead fifteen seconds or change the pitch level from a number of preset options.  While listening to an audiobook, the Paperwhite displays how much time is left in a chapter and has software driven volume button. There is a bluetooth notification on the bottom of the screen that tells you what device you have paired it  with. If you have not connected a pair of headphones or wireless speakers with it yet, it will walk you through the setup process.

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Michael Kozlowski

how to make kindle books audible

Buy an audiobook

Oct 3, 2023 • knowledge, information.

In this article: 

How do I buy audiobooks in the Audible app?

How do i buy audiobooks on the audible desktop site, how do i buy audiobooks on the audible mobile site, how do i buy audiobooks with alexa, how do i buy audiobooks on amazon.

  • Can I buy a title that's being shared in my Amazon Household?
  • Can I keep titles marked as "Buy for $0.00"?
  • Pick a title you want to buy and go to its detail page.
  • Select  Buy with 1 credit.

From search results

  • Search for the title you want.
  • Select  Add to Wish List  next to the title you want.

From the title’s detail page

  • Buy with 1 credit
  • Buy for $X.XX
  • Add to cart

From your cart

  • Choose whether to apply  1 credit  or  pay cash .
  • Select  Proceed to checkout.
  • Select  Confirm purchase .
  • Go to the title’s detail page.
  • Choose a purchase option:
  • Make sure voice purchasing is on in the Alexa app.
  • Say "Alexa, buy [Name of Book]".
  • The title will be available for you to play.

Purchase an Audible audiobook

  • If you're not an Audible member, select  Try Audible Free  or  Buy with 1-Click .
  • If you're currently an Audible member, select  Buy with 1 Credit  or  Buy with 1-Click . 

Purchase a narration with a Kindle E-book

  • Go to the  Kindle books with Audible audiobooks page .
  • Select the  Kindle  option.
  • Select  Add Audible narration .
  • Select  Buy now with 1-Click,

Can I buy a title that’s being shared in my Amazon Household?

Can i keep titles marked as “buy for $0.00”.

how to make kindle books audible

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How to add an Audible audiobook to a Kids Kindle

If your child has a Kids Kindle , here’s some good news for you!

You can add Audible books to their profile and they’ll be able to listen to them on their Kindle (and you can add only the audiobooks you want them to have access to, not every book in your Audible library).

Even better it’s really easy to do it!

audible audiobooks on kindle

Before I share the directions for how to add an Audible audiobook to a kids Kindle, here are three things you need to know:

  • In order to listen to an audiobook on a Kindle, you’ll need Bluetooth headphones. Kindles don’t have an outlet to plug in headphones, so Bluetooth are the only option. My favorite Bluetooth headphones for kids are here .
  • You cannot add Audible Plus titles to a Kindle. Only Audible books you actually own can be added to a Kindle, so anything in the Audible Plus library won’t work. (I know, it’s a bummer!).
  • Only Audible audiobooks work on a Kindle . While you can add Libby ebooks to your Kindle ( directions for that here ), you can’t add library audiobooks to a Kindle. Not Libby, not Hoopla, not Libro.fm.

With those caveats out of the way, here’s how to add an Audible audiobook to your child’s profile.

Go to Manage Your Content and Devices on Amazon.

Choose “Audiobooks.”

audiobooks on kindle

Scroll down (or use the search tool) to find the audiobook you want to add to your child’s Kindle.

On the right side, click “More Actions.” When this box pops open, scroll down to the bottom and click “Manage family library.”

audiobooks on kindle

It will show all your libraries, including any FreeTime libraries associated with a Kids Kindle. Click “Add to Library” next to your child’s name that has the Kids Kindle and . . .ta-da! The audiobook is added to their Kindle.

The next time they sync their Kindle, the audiobook will pop right up in the “Added for You” section of their home screen on their Kindle.

Any other questions about adding Audible audiobooks to a Kids Kindle? I’m happy to help!

if you liked this post about how to add audible audiobooks on a kindle, you might also like these other posts:

  • Everything there is to know about WhisperSync (the best way to read and listen to a book)
  • Everything you need to know about Amazon Matchmaker (does your ebook have a audiobook companion?)
  • What You Need to Know About the Kindle Kids vs the Basic Kindle

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  1. How to Add Narration to Kindle Books

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  2. How to Make and Publish an Audible Book

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COMMENTS

  1. How to Turn Any eBook Into an Audiobook

    First, install the NaturalReader app on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device. The first thing we'll do is select a voice. There are free and paid voices to choose from, pick one and tap "Next." Next, decide the speed at which you want the book to be read using the + and - buttons.

  2. Add Audible Narration: How to Add Audible to Kindle Books at a Discount

    Last updated on October 26, 2022 by Abi Johnson This article may contain some compensated links. Learn more. Have you heard about Kindle books with Audible narration? There's a spectacular Amazon feature called "add Audible narration," which allows you to get both the ebook and audiobook versions of books for amazing prices.

  3. How To Make An Audiobook

    Home / Book Publishing / How To Make An Audiobook: Publishing on ACX and Audiobook Marketing By Jason Hamilton 82 Last updated on June 16th, 2023 Question: Which of the following book formats has the highest year over year growth in the last three years? Audiobooks Paperback books eBooks If chose A, you're absolutely correct.

  4. Unlocking the Magic: Turn Your Kindle Books into Audiobooks

    Step 1: Linking Your Alexa App with Your Kindle Account and Turn on Kindle Assistive Reader To get started, make sure you have the Alexa app installed on your smartphone or tablet. If you haven't done so already, you can easily find it on the App Store or Google Play Store.

  5. How to Listen to Kindle Books on Audible (in 4 Easy Steps)

    1 Open the book in Kindle. Tap or click to select which book you want to read. If you only purchased the book without the Audible narration, you'll first need to scan your library and buy the narration. The thumbnails of books with Audible narration have an icon of headphones in the top right corner. 2 Tap or click the screen.

  6. Audiobooks Through ACX

    Use ACX to produce a digital audiobook edition of your book using our marketplace of professional audiobook producers and earn royalties of up to 40%. ACX provides access to thousands of talented audiobook producers, and both actors and studios, available for hire for a fee or for a no-cost, royalty-sharing partnership.

  7. Amazon.com: Whispersync for Voice: Kindle Store

    Kindle Books with Audible Audiobook. Add an audiobook to your Kindle books and switch seamlessly between reading and listening. Best of all, you'll never lose your place. Whether you're commuting, at the gym or doing chores around the house - listen to your books when you can't sit down and read. Browse

  8. Switch between reading and listening with Audible audiobooks

    1 Get the Kindle App and Select Your Book First, download the Kindle app for iPhone from Apple App store. Then, tap the Kindle book you would like to read and listen to. If you don't see your Kindle book, tap the menu icon at the top left, then tap the Sync button. 2 Download the Audible Audiobook

  9. How to Narrate Your Own Audiobook

    First, you'll need to save your audio, one file for each chapter. This is very important because your audio will be submitted to ACX in chapter by chapter files. So best to start dividing them that way now. The best format to save your file is as a 16-bit WAV file.

  10. Whispersync for Voice

    You can use Whispersyc for Voice a few ways. Seamlessly switch between devices to either listen or read - whatever the moment calls for. Or listen and read at the same time to enjoy the benefits of immersion reading. Absorb every word on another level and immerse yourself in your story while you follow along with highlighted text.

  11. How to Listen to Audio Books on Kindle

    Open the Kindle app and tap the shopping cart to open the Kindle store. Tap the hamburger menu in the top-left corner. Tap Audiobook Store . You'll see recommendations based on your past purchases.

  12. How to Make and Publish an Audible Book

    I"ll show you my process for creating and publishing a book on Audible! I turned my Kindle/CreateSpace book into an Audible book. My newsletter: http://eepur...

  13. Creating Kindle Editions with Audio/Video Content

    Including an Audio and Video TOC. All Kindle Edition with Audio/Video content must have a TOC that begins with "List of Audio and Video." This line should be bold. On the next line, begin an indented list of hyperlinks to each audio and video file. The text of the link should include the file description, with the file duration in parentheses.

  14. How to Become an Audiobook Narrator

    Getting through a day of narrating may seem simple: you're sitting down for a few hours and reading a book you like (hopefully) out loud. But in reality, these hours can chug along and exhaust you in the process, so it's important to be able to keep up as best you can. "We tend to record about six hours a day.

  15. Listen with Whispersync for Voice

    When you purchase a Kindle eBook on Amazon, check the box with the option to "Add Audible narration to your purchase." Note: Since this is a 1-Click purchase on Amazon, you can only purchase the eBook and audiobook together with your credit card. How do I know if a title has Whispersync for Voice?

  16. How to listen to audiobooks with an Amazon Kindle

    The first is to navigate to the Audible section of Amazon's website. After signing into your Amazon account, click the Departments button, located underneath the search bar at the top of your...

  17. How to: Switch from Reading to Listening to Audible ...

    If you own both the Kindle ebook and Audible audiobook, here's how you can switch from reading to listening without losing your place on your Kindle (Gen 8) ...

  18. Kindle Paperwhite

    Of course, you need an Audible subscription to do this. Listening to Books on Kindle 5th, 6th, and 7th Gen with Audio Adapter. The audio adapters are made for visually impaired persons to access. As Kindle Paperwhite 5th, 6th, and 7th generations don't have audio access; you need to use an audio adapter to listen to audio.

  19. Can You Have Your Kindle Read To You? Yep, Here's How

    Once this is set up, open your Kindle app, choose a book, and navigate to the page you want to read. To activate Speak Screen, drag two fingers downward from the top of your screen.

  20. How to Listen to Kindle Unlimited Audiobooks

    Unlike Kindle Unlimited, which is $11.99 monthly, Audible does offer different membership plans. For $7.95, you get Audible Plus, which includes access to their catalog of audiobooks, podcasts, original content, and more. For $14.95, you get Audible Premium Plus, which includes all the Audible Plus content plus 1 title per month that you can ...

  21. How to: Simple Steps to Access and Listen to Audible ...

    Listening to your audiobooks on your Kindle (Gen 8) or Kindle Oasis (Gen 8 and 9) is simple, just connect with Bluetooth to start listening. Learn more about...

  22. How to buy and listen to Audible Audiobooks on the Kindle

    In order to browse for audiobooks, you need to click on the Store, on the main navigation bar and there are two options, Kindle and Audible. If you click on Audible, you can browse and search and ...

  23. Home

    Purchase a narration with a Kindle E-book With Whispersync for Voice, you have the option of purchasing an Audible audiobook narration with select Kindle E-books. Go to the Kindle books with Audible audiobooks page. Go to the title's detail page. Select the Kindle option. Select Add Audible narration. Select Buy now with 1-Click,

  24. How to add an Audible audiobook to a Kids Kindle

    Choose "Audiobooks.". Scroll down (or use the search tool) to find the audiobook you want to add to your child's Kindle. On the right side, click "More Actions.". When this box pops open, scroll down to the bottom and click "Manage family library.". It will show all your libraries, including any FreeTime libraries associated with ...