Ebook with TTS

[gallimaufry]

Hi all,

I read a lot of books on Kindle but I find the text to speech feature really useful to keep a book going when I'm cooking, cleaning etc. Sadly, Kindle replaced it with the awful and hard-to-use VoiceView years ago and so I've been buying second handle Kindle keyboards the last couple of times a Kindle needs replacing. Audiobooks with Whispersync aren't much use to me as even if cost weren't an issue, a good chunk of the books I read don't have audio editions anyway.

Do I have to resign to just endlessly getting new versions of the Kindle keyboard or is there another way?

The thing is, I have hundreds of books on Kindle so I'd want to be able to access all of those and this is what has always kept me from exploring non-Amazon ereaders but it looks like Pocketbook do one which has TTS and can access Kindle via an app (?). Can you use TTS on the Kindle app?

Any advice would be really appreciated!

Thanks

[Sirtel]

You can remove the DRM from your Kindle books and convert them to epub. Then you can read them on whichever device you want natively, not needing the Kindle app.

[Michal Jancik]

I am of the opinion that buying a Pocketbook just because of TTS makes no sense.
As for TTS, I would recommend the mobile phone application: "EVIE", or "Voice Dream" if you have an iPhone.

EVIE for Android : https://play.google.com/store/search...ps&hl=en&gl=US,
VoiceDream : https://apps.apple.com/us/app/voice-...er/id496177674

TiP : Depending on the phone brand, it is also possible to start the function (the name may be different depending on the phone) of reading text from the screen.

Turn on Select to Speak :https://support.google.com/accessibi.../7349565?hl=en
Just start the KINDLE application, open the book you want to read and select → read text on screen.

[gallimaufry]

Thank you both.

Sirtei: Thanks. I kind of want the convenience of being able to click on a book and then read it though without having to convert them. And frankly I wouldn't know where to start downloading and converting my library. Also, I have lots of notes and highlights on Kindle and would want to keep these if possible.

Michael: Thanks for these TTS apps. I prefer an e-ink display and size really. 95% of the time I want to actually read but I also like to turn on the speech function every now and then but there's no way to easily toggle between on modern Kindles.

I guess what I want is just another version of the old Kindles: an ereader with text to speech on Kindle books at a click when you want it (and preferably with built-in speakers).

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by gallimaufry

Thank you both.

Sirtei: Thanks. I kind of want the convenience of being able to click on a book and then read it though without having to convert them. And frankly I wouldn't know where to start downloading and converting my library. Also, I have lots of notes and highlights on Kindle and would want to keep these if possible.

Michael: Thanks for these TTS apps. I prefer an e-ink display and size really. 95% of the time I want to actually read but I also like to turn on the speech function every now and then but there's no way to easily toggle between on modern Kindles.

I guess what I want is just another version of the old Kindles: an ereader with text to speech on Kindle books at a click when you want it (and preferably with built-in speakers).

There are many Android-based eink readers on which you can install the Kindle app. I don't know if the Kindle app supports TTS, though. I don't see the option in the Kindle app on my phone, but I've never explored further, not being interested in the feature.

[Tarana]

If you have an Echo or Dot, you can now have Alexa read your book for you provided you bought it from Amazon. It started off kindof clunky in 2020, but the commands are responding much better now. Voice is great. Another option, particularly for books that are non-Amazon, is a Fire. It has a native text-to-speech option.

I'm very disappointed with the TTS on the Signature. I can only get bluetooth to connect to a single Echo and it's not the one in the kitchen. My basic 8 connects to all of the speakers.

[tomsem]

The simplest thing would be to get an inexpensive Echo, and just follow along in the text on your Kindle. If you abandon the requirement that it be an e-ink device, Fire tablet does TTS, and they're very inexpensive, particularly if you wait for one of the several sales (Prime day, Black Friday etc.).

Of course, if you are prepared to leave Kindle platform, there are a number of other options.

[Quoth]

Echo is a spy on your home as are all Amazon Ring Products.
Should be possible to use Kindle App on Android and any of the OS level Android Accessibility tools for TTS, depends on version of Android and may involve Google copying what's read unless you download offline TTS.

[gallimaufry]

Thanks everyone. An Echo isn't quite as convenient to take with me - I do like the inbuilt speaker - but does sound like an interesting solution and might be the best. The Fire is okay but I much prefer e-ink.

Happy to download a TTS product onto an Android app if this works. Between this, the way they ruined ComiXology and the appalling quality of the desktop apps (I've tried both Mac and PC and they both crash near-constantly) I'm actually very ready to move away from Amazon but I've got hundreds of books and notes on there and the ease of accessing books on different devices is so great (as a teacher, I often show books from my Kindle on the screen at school) so I'm apprehensive about moving away.

If TTS is available on the Pocketbook's Kindle app this still sounds the closest although I'll have to look into other Android apps.

[Sirtel]

Originally Posted by gallimaufry

Thanks everyone. An Echo isn't quite as convenient to take with me - I do like the inbuilt speaker - but does sound like an interesting solution and might be the best. The Fire is okay but I much prefer e-ink.

Happy to download a TTS product onto an Android app if this works. Between this, the way they ruined ComiXology and the appalling quality of the desktop apps (I've tried both Mac and PC and they both crash near-constantly) I'm actually very ready to move away from Amazon but I've got hundreds of books and notes on there and the ease of accessing books on different devices is so great (as a teacher, I often show books from my Kindle on the screen at school) so I'm apprehensive about moving away.

If TTS is available on the Pocketbook's Kindle app this still sounds the closest although I'll have to look into other Android apps.

Yeah, notes can be exported, but there's no way to put them back in the converted books. Also few brands besides Kindle offer syncing your sideloaded (i.e. not purchased from their store) books between different devices. Kobo doesn't (only books purchased from Kobo are synced this way). Pocketbook apparently does, I've heard.

Myself, I prefer Kobo readers at the moment, as they have the best customization options and the best integration with Calibre. But then I'm a nerd who uses Calibre for library management and sideloads everything, no direct downloads from a store. By your description you're not much of a tinkerer, so our needs are very different.

[slkissinger]

Just my opinion... Like you, I loved the TTS on the KK3. Still do. It was imo the easiest to use TTS, and built-in speakers. and if you wanted an external speaker, there was the jack.

I've tried various things over the years to find 'my personal sweet spot'. What did help, in my case, was about 4 years ago I finally transitioned from Amazon Kindle devices to other devices...I've tried multiple 'other' devices. Sony (sadly no longer in the market), Boox, Kobo, Pocketbook...

I keep changing my mind and trying new devices, but "at this time"...

- On Android, while bluetooth-connected to the car, if I want a book read to me, I use "Moon+ Reader" (the paid version). It works decently enough for me. (again, just in the car... and I'll have my android phone with me, so I don't have to remember to bring an additional device).

- for an actual 'e-reader' device, where I don't need TTS...
1. Pocketbook <I've tried different models>, with and without KoReader (depends if I want Night mode or not at the time)
2. Kobo <tried different models>

- New purchase of a Pocketbook Era. Literally had it less than 24 hours so it is too soon to tell if it'll be "the perfect compromise"... but right now, initial reactions
1. Things I like

7"
has speakers for TTS
TTS works well, and can easily get new voices.
has physical buttons
flush screen

2. ONE (mildly) annoying thing (I think I just need to figure something out??)

If I want NightMode / white on black, need to use KoReader--which I don't think does TTS (or at least, if it does I can't find it)

If I want to use TTS, need to use built-in reader--which I don't think has a nightmode / white on black (or at least if it does I can't find it)

Therefore... need to 'switch' between reader apps depending upon what I want to do. and that doesn't sync location for where I am within the same book.

[gallimaufry]

Thanks both of you. Sounds like there are no perfect solutions still although the Pocketbook sounds most promising.

[Tex2002ans]

Originally Posted by gallimaufry

I read a lot of books on Kindle but I find the text to speech feature really useful to keep a book going when I'm cooking, cleaning etc. [...] a good chunk of the books I read don't have audio editions anyway.

Fantastic! Text-to-Speech (and podcasts) are how I've been absorbing most of my information the past few years.

While I brush my teeth, clean around the house, put the dishes away, boom, I can have the phone reading to me.

Like others have said, it may be best to use Calibre to:

• DeDRM your Kindle books.
• Convert them to EPUB.

This will allow you to use a much wider range of apps/programs.

On Android, I use the fantastic:

• PocketBook Reader

After opening an EPUB, all you have to do is click on the screen + click the TTS button, and it will use the built-in Android speech. (Same exact voice that speaks when you're using Google Maps and stuff like that!)

Originally Posted by gallimaufry

I kind of want the convenience of being able to click on a book and then read it though without having to convert them. And frankly I wouldn't know where to start downloading and converting my library.

Do you have/use Calibre?

https://calibre-ebook.com/

It is made by the great Kovid Goyal, and there's a whole section on MobileRead dedicated towards it:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/fo...play.php?f=166

It's pretty user-friendly, and you pretty much just:

• Drag/drop your files onto there
• Right-Click > Convert

and it will help change any file format (like Kindle) into any other format (like EPUB).

Originally Posted by gallimaufry

Also, I have lots of notes and highlights on Kindle and would want to keep these if possible.

This is a little more problematic...

Notes/Highlights are pretty much locked into the Amazon ecosystem.

- - -

Technical Side Note: I recently wrote about transferring notes/highlights across devices:

• 2022: "Standardizing ePub annotations"

Depending on the device, you might be able to pull notes OUT of an ebook, but it's extremely hard/impossible to then transfer notes INTO a different format/book/device.

It's a whole mess, and pretty much every single company/app has their own little silos that don't mix well with others.

- - -

Originally Posted by gallimaufry

Michael: Thanks for these TTS apps. I prefer an e-ink display and size really. 95% of the time I want to actually read but I also like to turn on the speech function every now and then but there's no way to easily toggle between on modern Kindles.

Yes, I love reading on e-ink as well!

Sadly, there's not a good way to keep everything in sync while also having the TTS.

Personally, I just do:

• EPUB on e-ink. (Kobo)
• EPUB on phone. (Android + PocketBook app)

Every time I read on my Kobo, let's say an entire chapter/subchapter, I just go into my PocketBook app and manually "sync" it up:

• I read Chapter 12 on my Kobo?
• Open book on phone + click to Chapter 13.

Opposite if I read TTS on my phone:

• Read Chapter 13 via TTS on my phone?
• Open Kobo and jump to Chapter 14.

Takes less than a minute to keep things in sync, and if you do it consistently, your device/phone shouldn't be too far off.

(Plus there's always search—one of the amazing advantages of ebooks!)

Originally Posted by gallimaufry

Any advice would be really appreciated!

Technical Side Note: If you want more in-depth discussion about Text-to-Speech + audio listening, I recently wrote lots of stuff in:

• 2021: "Telling a text-to-speech reader how to pronounce things?"

I described:

• The apps I use.
  
  • PocketBook = EPUBs
    
  • NewPipe = Youtube videos
    
  • AntennaPod = podcasts
    
• Productivity boosts.
  
  • Listening slightly faster + cutting silence, etc.
    
  • I can listen to 60 minute speech in ~20 minutes.
    
• Latest bleeding edge Text-to-Speech stuff.
  
  • Like "breathing", "mood", "emphasis", [...].
    
• Common/Hard problems in TTS
  
  • Math, Units, odd names, different languages, [...].
    
• (Extremely technical) CSS3 Speech + HTML/SSML + the latest EPUB specs.

- - -

Complete Side Note: And, if you want to help Text-to-Speech (and Speech-to-Text), I highly recommend checking out:

• Common Voice

It's a project by Mozilla (the same people who make Firefox).

You can help:

• Read sentences.
• Verify sentences.

The more people that join up, the better and more accurate this will become.

[CAFlanny]

Alexa can also read your Kindle books from the Alexa app on your smartphone. No need to have an Echo.

[JSWolf]

Pocketbook on iOS does a pretty good job of TTS.