Is it worth the effort to produce audiobooks?

[arjaybe]

There are apps that are ebooks?

[Xenodragon7]

Yup I has been create ebook app from my pdf ebook and publish my ebook app on google play.

you can use software like Kotobee Author to convert your pdf or epub ebook as android and ios app. Then you can sell your ebook app on google play or apple app store. but the software is expensive.

Or you came make free ebook app with admob, so you can earn money from free app with google ads.

Ebook then Print Books then Audiobooks and the last one is Ebook Apps.

Billion people is use android, Ebook Apps is New Growing Market

If you interested I can convert your pdf ebook into android app, just pm me.

[arjaybe]

My books are free to download from my website. Take one and give it a try.

[Steven Lake]

Originally Posted by arjaybe

Thank you, Steven. I will go and sample your readings.

By tags, I mean the metadata on the audio files. Title, Album, Performer, etc.

edit: the mechanical one is better than Stephen Hawking, but still not great. Probably fair value given no return. (Not everyone has the time or inclination to commit the hours I do for no return, obviously.)

The human ones are better than the mechanical one. The voices sound better and their inflections are better. No better than me, though, which I find encouraging.

Thanks again.

I tried at one time to narrate my own books, but I just don't have the voice for it. I sound like I'm either mumbling or I have cotton in my mouth. So for me, mechanical or someone else doing it was better. I'd like them all professionally read at some point, but for now I'll settle with what I'm able to do. Also, as for the one that was done mechanically, that's actually done by a Firefox plugin, believe it or not. I'd give you the name, but the Firefox devs mercilessly and unceremoniously killed it off when 57 came out, and they've pretty much made sure with every ounce of their being that it never comes back. Why, I don't know, but they apparently don't like 3rd party text to voice plugins. o_0;;

[Barbara1955]

Do it for the Blind that Cant read & Do it for the Readers that have the 1st & 2nd books in audio. I HATE it when only a few of the books are on Audio in a series. So at least finish this series.

[GrannyGrump]

@arjaybe -- Thank you so much for providing your audiobooks. Your narration is VERY nice, bravo!

On using Calibre to convert epub to old Mobi --- I have done so easily, and use the Kindle Previewer https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1003018611
to review appearance in several emulated devices. Not 100% foolproof, but gives a pretty good overview. If necessary you can go back and tweak the source epub (yay Sigil) and convert again until you get pleasing results.

[Xenodragon7]

What is your websites?

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Xenodragon7

What is your websites?

If you mean arjaybe, simply click on his photo signature.

He didn't post a link in this forum because he knows that self-promotional activity is NOT allowed. We consider that to be spam.


Don
(Moderator)

[RobertDDL]

Originally Posted by gmw

(...)
It's worth pointing out that the additional - per voice - cost is (at least partly) because the premium voices come from other companies. (...)

Problem is, most of those companies sell their vioces at a resonable price, but only for your own private use. Take Cereproc, for instance:
https://www.cereproc.com/storesapi
a voice costs £25.99.
But:
"Please note these voices are for personal use only, e.g. a home user on their own PC. For commercial use of CereProc voices, or if you wish to distribute audio to third parties, please see our Commercial Use/Audio Broadcast Voices page."
And there you pay £299.99 for one voice, and:
"This version of the voice is licensed for commercial users and/or audio redistribution. Users are permitted to generate and distribute an unlimited quantity of audio to an unlimited number of end users. Please note that the price is an annual charge."
Annual charge!

Also, the result will depend on your writing style. Short and simple sentences, and it may be astonishingly good. Complex syntax and nuances of meaning that demand attention to prosody, not so good. Poetry, and you're lost.

Also, blind users will use their own TTS systems or software, which offer some advantages over playing audio files (for instance, you can navigate more easily, you can select voice, pitch and speed, you can have words spelled out, the files are much smaller, etc.). A human-read audio file will usually offer a far more rewarding experience (still have to listen to yours), but I don't see much point in a pre-recorded speech synth output.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by RobertDDL

Problem is, most of those companies sell their vioces at a resonable price, but only for your own private use. Take Cereproc, for instance:
https://www.cereproc.com/storesapi
a voice costs £25.99.
But:
"Please note these voices are for personal use only, e.g. a home user on their own PC. For commercial use of CereProc voices, or if you wish to distribute audio to third parties, please see our Commercial Use/Audio Broadcast Voices page."
And there you pay £299.99 for one voice, and:
"This version of the voice is licensed for commercial users and/or audio redistribution. Users are permitted to generate and distribute an unlimited quantity of audio to an unlimited number of end users. Please note that the price is an annual charge."
Annual charge!

Also, the result will depend on your writing style. Short and simple sentences, and it may be astonishingly good. Complex syntax and nuances of meaning that demand attention to prosody, not so good. Poetry, and you're lost.

Also, blind users will use their own TTS systems or software, which offer some advantages over playing audio files (for instance, you can navigate more easily, you can select voice, pitch and speed, you can have words spelled out, the files are much smaller, etc.). A human-read audio file will usually offer a far more rewarding experience (still have to listen to yours), but I don't see much point in a pre-recorded speech synth output.

My uncle used a reading machine that the library for the blind loaned him.
Of course, this was before computers were common household items.

[arjaybe]

Originally Posted by Barbara1955

Do it for the Blind that Cant read & Do it for the Readers that have the 1st & 2nd books in audio. I HATE it when only a few of the books are on Audio in a series. So at least finish this series.

If you mean my recordings, I have completed the reading of the third book in the trilogy. No abandonment here.-)

[arjaybe]

Originally Posted by GrannyGrump

@arjaybe -- Thank you so much for providing your audiobooks. Your narration is VERY nice, bravo!

On using Calibre to convert epub to old Mobi --- I have done so easily, and use the Kindle Previewer https://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1003018611
to review appearance in several emulated devices. Not 100% foolproof, but gives a pretty good overview. If necessary you can go back and tweak the source epub (yay Sigil) and convert again until you get pleasing results.

Thank you for your kind words.


I checked out the link and it looks very nice. Unfortunately it's only for Windows and Apple, and I can't even use Virtualbox because it's only for W7 and up. I have XP on VB for cases like this. If I do it, I guess I'll have to find a volunteer to test it with their Kindle. Or maybe there's an Android app ...

How hard can it be?-)

[arjaybe]

Originally Posted by Xenodragon7

What is your websites?

As Dr. Drib said. Roll over the picture in my signature.

[arjaybe]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

If you mean arjaybe, simply click on his photo signature.

He didn't post a link in this forum because he knows that self-promotional activity is NOT allowed. We consider that to be spam.


Don
(Moderator)

Darn rights! I've had my knuckles rapped more than once, and I want no more admonishment from this site's brave and intelligent moderators.

[arjaybe]

Originally Posted by RobertDDL

Problem is, most of those companies sell their vioces at a resonable price, but only for your own private use ...

Also, the result will depend on your writing style. Short and simple sentences, and it may be astonishingly good. Complex syntax and nuances of meaning that demand attention to prosody, not so good. Poetry, and you're lost.

Also, blind users will use their own TTS systems or software, which offer some advantages over playing audio files (for instance, you can navigate more easily, you can select voice, pitch and speed, you can have words spelled out, the files are much smaller, etc.). A human-read audio file will usually offer a far more rewarding experience (still have to listen to yours), but I don't see much point in a pre-recorded speech synth output.

It does seem to militate (as Danny Gallivan used to say) against commercial text-to-speech. Especially since I give it away. I would hesitate to pay the equivalent of at least $50 for personal use, and positively balk at over $500 to let others hear it.

My novels are around 80 on the Flesch Reading Ease scale, so very easy. A machine could probably do a pretty good job on them, but I've got so much good feedback here that I am greatly encouraged to continue doing the readings myself.

Please do give my audiobooks a listen. Let me know what you think. Drop a comment on my blog. Post a review somewhere ... Okay, I'm getting carried away.

Thank you for the help.