What do you do when you don’t have an audio textbook and need one? Luckily, you can make your own with an audiobook converter. Let's break it down.

Textbook audiobook converter

One of the biggest challenges for students is studying from textbooks. Constant reading is often tiring and leaves your eyes fatigued.

A great way to get past this issue is to use audiobooks, but what to do when you don’t have an audio textbook? Luckily, you can make your own with an audiobook converter.

The benefits of audiobooks for studying

Students can gain a lot from audiobooks:

Improved vocabulary

You can gain a new perspective on the subject matter by introducing an audiobook in your classroom. Having your content read aloud lets you move past decoding and focus on learning only. The more words you learn, the easier you’ll access grade-level materials.

Increased background knowledge

Students enter their classrooms with different experiences, but you may be less prepared if you have a learning disability.

You can use human-read audiobooks to bridge this gap. They expose you to academic language to help increase your background knowledge. This helps you evolve as a student and grasp complex subjects.

Pressure-free learning

Decoding unknown words can trigger anxiety, meaning you’re no longer open and eager to learn. You need something to immerse you in text meaning and that something is audiobooks.

They eliminate the need to decode unfamiliar vocabulary, which is especially important as your content becomes more rigorous.

Converting textbooks into audiobooks – the key technologies

Audiobooks aren’t always readily accessible. As a result, you sometimes need to convert the audio format from textbooks. That’s where text to speech (TTS) software comes into play.

These platforms allow you to create your own audiobook from any textbook. Here are the best solutions:

Balabolka

Balabolka is a TTS platform based on Microsoft’s native API. It comes with numerous features to streamline articulation, audio quality, and clarity.

By default, Balabolka relies on Microsoft Anna for its text to speech conversion. Balabolka also has robust speech functionalities to proofread your content with online spell checkers.

This is one of the most flexible and efficient audiobook platforms around. It generates high-quality speech you can configure to understand the text better. Plus, there are many features in the settings section to optimize clarity and playback quality.

Configuring your audiobook with Balabolka should be straightforward. You can change the skins, colors, and fonts of your platform to adjust the app to your learning needs. Moreover, the “Tools” section provides a large number of tools that split files, convert them, and perform many other useful tasks while preserving original quality.

If you want to check the meaning of your audiobook text, you can access the “Panel of Dictionaries.” It contains spellings, definitions, and errors.

Balabolka saves audiobooks in multiple formats:

• MP3
• WAV
• OGG
• WMA
• Mobi
• AAC
• MP4

Additionally, the program reads documents and clipboard content saved as HTML, PDF, RTF, EPUB, DOC, ODT, and FB2 files. Although it detects TTS voices on your device automatically, you can find more voices on the internet.

NaturalReader

NaturalReader is another excellent textbook-to-audiobook converter. Its interface is straightforward, making it perfect for students of all ages. You can download it from Google Play or use it on your Mac PC.

The program features a panel in the middle of your display that lets you paste, drag and drop, or upload documents from compatible files.

If you use the platform online (e.g., on your Google Chrome), you can install an extension that highlights text on your website. You can later transfer this content for transcription.

NaturalReader is ideal for listening to audiobooks at different reading speeds. A convenient top bar controls playback, delivery rate, and the voice you wish to use. In addition, the left menu contains extra options, such as editing pronunciations.

The output audio and converted mp3 files are available in 10 languages:

• English
• Spanish
• French
• Italian
• Portuguese
• German
• Swedish
• Italian
• Japanese
• Chinese

Audio Book Maker

Audio Book Maker is an app specifically designed for converting textbooks into audiobooks. It provides many features to streamline your study.

For instance, you can use the platform to read your text aloud in different languages and voices. It quickly converts text into audio files (mp3, FLAC, WAV, etc.), and you can adjust various speech parameters:

• Pitch
• Volume
• Speed

If you want to keep track of your text while it’s read, you can use the automatic text scrolling features. It makes the words more visible and can highlight spoken text with any color.

Furthermore, it comes with easy-to-add pronunciation dictionaries to streamline the experience in a convenient mp3 format. These help you adjust the pronunciation of certain words, phrases, and abbreviations.

Here are a few other valuable features of Audio Book Maker:

• Compatible with HTML and Microsoft Word files
• Reads large files and supports mp3 players
• Remembers opened documents and preferred parameters
• Built-in-scheduler for automatic shutdowns
• Reducing monotone speech
• Multilingual interface

Speechify

No discussion about textbook-to-audiobook conversion is complete without Speechify. This optimized software is chock-full of exceptional features.

Primarily, it can read and scan text from physical books, so you don’t have to type your text. Instead, you need only to photograph the textbook and Speechify will do the rest. In addition, it produces immersive content thanks to its AI-powered voices.

While listing to your audiobook on Speechify, you can have the platform highlight your text. This makes the subject matter easier to follow and makes you more productive, whether you’re reading an Amazon or Audible audiobook or a custom one.

Natural-sounding voices are another impressive factor. Unlike robotic platforms, Speechify inspires you to listen to your Audiobooks closely with female voices (e.g., Gwyneth Paltrow) and other renowned people. The recordings are available in more than 60 languages.

Best of all, you can use Speechify on any platform, including iPhones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, and Android smartphones. It also works great with major operating systems, like Windows, macOS, iOS, and Linux.

Finally, you can turn any file into an interactive audiobook. The app lets you import PDFs, docs, and many other formats.

Try Speechify for free

Speechify guarantees a seamless audiobook experience, even when you start from a physical textbook and create your own audiobook. Find out more about how the software can improve your studying by trying the platform for free.

FAQ

How do I turn a textbook into an audiobook?

The standard way of converting textbooks into audiobooks requires finding the right cover, buying equipment, providing narration, editing files, and enhancing the final look with graphic design. However, using a text to speech platform, like Speechify, is much easier. With Speechify, you simply need to scan your textbook's pages, and the platform turns your pages into audiobooks.

How do I convert a PDF to an audiobook?

You can convert a PDF to an audiobook with a convenient TTS app. If the software is convenient, it’ll perform most of the process with minimal input on your part.

What are the benefits of converting a textbook to audio?

Converting textbooks to audiobooks increases vocabulary exposure and background knowledge and allows you to listen to your history book while working on other projects.

Where can I download audiobooks?

There are several websites for downloading audiobooks and podcasts, such as Loyal Books, Audible, Open Culture, and Overdrive.