If there’s one thing the Subway Surfer storytelling trend has taught us, it’s that people are willing to endure a game character crashing and burning for a good story they can listen to while multitasking. In fact, over 67% of audiobook listeners say audio is the only way they can fit more reading into their busy lives. With such a strong demand, turning your PDF into an audiobook can be a smart way to bring your stories to an audience eager for quality audio experiences.
In this article, we’ll show you how to convert your document into a professional audiobook. This guide will take you from file preparation to final export. Learn how to create a polished result that stands out from AI-generated content.
Why Turn a PDF into an Audiobook?
There are many benefits to turning your PDF into an audiobook. After all, people value stories and information they can absorb with ease, and audiobooks deliver just that. But what do you get out of it? Well, quite a few things actually. Here are the top three:
1. Accessibility Compliance
Did you know that audiobooks started as an accessible solution for people with visual impairment who still wanted to appreciate good literature? That means there is always a market need for audiobooks. And it’s not just the visually impaired who benefit from audiobooks; people with other reading difficulties, such as dyslexia, also highly appreciate acquiring information without the added struggle. By meeting these accessibility needs, audiobooks open the door to a dedicated audience that traditional print may not fully reach.
2. Convenience and Multitasking
You don’t have to struggle with reading to appreciate audiobooks; you might simply be busy. Audiobooks are particularly perfect for people who don’t have the time to sit down and read a book, but can listen to one as they go about their day. Whether commuting, cooking, exercising, or doing chores, audiobooks can turn otherwise wasted moments into an opportunity to get through a good book. If you already have your manuscript, why not entertain them as they embark on their daily tasks and make some money off catering to a huge portion of the population?
3. Monetization
Converting your PDF into an audiobook can be a great way to repurpose and make money from it at the same time. Whether or not your ebook is doing well, it wouldn’t hurt to open a new revenue stream for yourself by selling your work in a new format that’s rapidly growing in popularity.
For a detailed guide on platforms and strategies, see our article on How to Sell Audiobooks.
Now that you know why turning your PDF into an audiobook can be a smart move, let’s look at how to actually do it. The process has three main stages: preparing your text, creating the audio, and packaging everything into a professional audiobook. Let’s start with the first stage.
Part One: Prepare Your PDF for Narration
Let’s start with this pre-production step, which lays the foundation for your audiobook. Before you can record your audiobook, make sure the text of your PDF is ready to be used as a narration script. A clean, editable version of your content makes the recording process much smoother and helps avoid errors later.
1. Extract the Text
The first thing to do is to extract the text from your PDF file. There are two ways for this to go, depending on whether your PDF contains selectable text or if it is made up of scanned images.
- If the PDF has selectable text: You can start by importing your PDF into an authoring tool, such as Kotobee Author, or a text editor to work with the content directly.
- If the PDF is image-based (scanned pages): You will need an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) software to convert the content into editable text. Once you do that, you can go back to the previous point.
2. Edit and Proofread
Now that you have the text, you need to ensure there are no errors and that it’s suitable for narration. To do that, fully proofread the work and maybe do some editing if there are big changes you’d like to make. Two important things to consider doing at this stage are to:
- Read it aloud: The ideal way to catch awkward phrasing and typos is by reading the text aloud. Sometimes you can miss how long and off things while skimming silently, but hearing it can reveal sentences that are too long, repetitive, or even accidental tongue twisters (unless that’s what you’re going for).
- Check for consistency: You need to ensure the formatting is consistent throughout the book, from uniform headings to proper punctuation. If, for example, there are some existing footnotes, you should look over how you’d want them handled within the book since they won’t appear in the same context and might not be a draw when turning the book into audio.
Don’t forget that the cleaner the text, the smoother the recording process will be. Finding a mistake at this stage is a quick fix to the document. Catching it while recording, however, means stopping, re-recording, and editing again, which is a huge and unnecessary waste of valuable time.
3. Break into Chapters
When importing a PDF into Kotobee Author, it will all go into one document. You will need to divide the document into chapters so they’re easily digestible. This will also help you when creating individual files for each chapter later on.
Part Two: Create the Audio
Once your text is ready, it’s time to record the narration. Depending on your current budget, your audience, and your end goal, you have a few options at your disposal.
Option one: Hire a Professional
The first and most expensive option would be to hire a professional narrator or voice actor. This will provide you with the highest audio quality as they usually use professional studios. Since voice actors are well-versed in narration, they can do a tremendous job in bringing your words to life. But they can definitely charge a lot and take time to get the best job done.
Option two: Use AI Voice-Overs
AI tools, such as ElevenLabs or Speechify, have made great leaps in creating voices that sound impressively natural. They let you choose from different accents, tones, and even multiple narrators for dialogue. However, setting everything up can be a bit of a hassle if you’re doing it yourself, especially if you want to fine-tune pacing, intonation, or switch between multiple voices. There’s also a learning curve, and most platforms charge a monthly subscription based on usage. Even so, it’s still a cheaper and more diverse solution than hiring a professional.
Option three: Do it yourself
The last option is to basically do it yourself. With the help of a good microphone, a voice-isolated room, and free audio editor software like Audacity, you can make it happen! Though voice isolation might be difficult at home, a closet full of clothes can do that trick as a makeshift sound booth.
This approach takes the most work to complete the audio, but it is ultimately the cheapest option, especially if you are working on multiple projects. However, you’ll be limited in what you can accomplish without the different voices and vocal skillset.
No matter how you choose to create the audio for your book, the end goal should be clean, edited MP3 files, one for each chapter.
For more tips, make sure to read our article on How to Make an Audiobook.
Part Three: Build Your Audiobook with Kotobee Narrator
After preparing your audio, the final step is to package everything into a professional audiobook. This is where Kotobee Narrator comes in. The software is designed specifically for authors and educators who want to turn recordings into polished audiobooks without needing advanced technical skills.
Here is the step-by-step process on how to make it happen:
1. Start Your Project
Begin by creating a new project and naming it after your audiobook. This keeps your work organized, especially if you’re handling multiple titles.
2. Import Your Audio Files
Add your MP3 files (through drag and drop) into Kotobee Narrator, or use the import button. Each file is recognized as a separate chapter, giving your audiobook a clear structure right from the start and making it easy to see your chapters laid out in order.
3. Organize and Label Chapters
If the chapters appear out of sequence, you can drag and drop them into the correct order. While you’re organizing, it’s also the perfect time to add chapter titles and descriptions. This way, listeners won’t just see “Track 01” or “Track 02”; they’ll see meaningful names embedded into the audiobook’s navigation, making it easier to move between sections.
4. Add Essential Metadata
This step is where you transform basic audio files from a playlist into a real audiobook. Basically, it’s about how to make your book look professional by filling in the details. You can do that by clicking on the “Metadata” or “Book Info” section.
Here is the information you need to add:
- Book Title & Author: This is what will display on your phone, in iTunes, Apple Books, or any other media player.
- Cover Art: Upload a high-resolution JPEG or PNG of your book cover. This is the visual identity of your audiobook in the user’s library.
Step 5: Export Your Finished Audiobook
Your audiobook is ready for the world! Hit export, and Kotobee Narrator will compile everything into a single, ready-to-distribute audiobook file. Now, it’s ready to be shared with your audience in one of three ways. You can:
- Share directly with readers: They can open and enjoy your audiobook using the free Kotobee Reader app (available on desktop, iOS, and Android).
- Add to your Kotobee Library: If you already manage a Kotobee digital library, simply upload the audiobook to make it instantly accessible to your audience.
- Publish on Kotobee Books: If you want to showcase your work to a global audience, this free self-publishing platform makes your audiobook easy to find and enjoy.
If you’d like to see real-life examples of audiobooks created using Kotobee Narrator, you can check out the ones below:
Conclusion
There you have it! As you have seen in this article, you don’t need a studio or a professional team to turn a PDF into an audiobook. You just need your manuscript, a bit of hustle, and Kotobee Narrator to pull it all together.
It’s time to ditch the AI-rendered content and give people audiobooks worth listening to. So stop letting your PDFs gather digital dust, convert them to audio, and finally share your voice with the world.
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Read More
How to Sell Audiobooks in 2025: A Complete Beginner’s Guide
What Is a Digital Library? A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating One
How to Make an Audiobook in 5 Steps (and the Best Types of Books to Start With)
