Are you cleaning your house but wish you could read your favorite book? You think it's impossible, but I have a solution for you: have you ever thought about creating audiobooks? You can make your own audiobooks, too. Read on, and I'll explain how.

Creating an audiobook using Biblos is quite simple. Could it be any other way? The first step—only required the first time—is to configure the type of voice you want to use for your audiobooks and set some basic options. The easiest way to do this is by using the Guided Configuration window.

If you're installing Biblos for the first time, a setup window appears during the initial launch to help you configure basic settings, including those for audiobook creation. If you skipped or canceled that setup, you can always return to it via the menu: Voice/Guided Voice Configuration....

Step 1: Choosing the Voice Synthesizer and Voice

The most essential step is choosing the type of voice synthesizer and voice to use. If you've worked with audiobooks before, you might already be familiar with this terminology. If not, here's a quick explanation.

The synthesizer type identifies the technology you want to use. Each synthesis technology has its own synthetic voices. Biblos supports two technologies: ETI Eloquence and Microsoft SAPI 5. The first is familiar to visually impaired users who rely on screen readers—it's the classic voice of Jaws. The second technology offers high-quality, human-like artificial voices.

> Note: Biblos does not provide voices for audiobook creation.

> Voice synthesizers must already be installed on your operating system, and Biblos will simply use them. The catch is that most of the better synthesizers are paid. However, if you're using Windows 10, the operating system includes a good Italian voice synthesizer based on Microsoft SAPI 5 technology. Alternatively, if you're using the Jaws screen reader, you can utilize its ETI Eloquence synthesizer, though many people find it too robotic.

Once you've selected the synthesizer type, you'll need to choose the voice and adjust its characteristics. The on-screen suggestions are clear enough to guide you through these settings. There's also a Test button that allows you to try out the selected voice. Feel free to experiment with tone and speed to familiarize yourself with these parameters.

After making your selections, click OK to proceed to the next window, where you'll configure how the audiobook files will be created.

Step 2: Configuring Audiobook File Settings

The second window of the guided setup is straightforward, with tips explaining each option. The most important choice here is how the audio files will be created. From the list, select the method you prefer. There are eight options, all clearly labeled. For example, if you choose to create files of 20 minutes each, every MP3 file in your audiobook will be about 20 minutes long. Splitting a book into multiple files makes it easier to manage and listen to. Alternatively, if you want a single large file, simply select the corresponding option.

Other options in this window allow you to add an initial title to each file and apply text substitution or transliteration rules before the text is converted by the voice synthesizer. These features can generally be left as they are, as they are already set to optimal defaults.

Click OK to complete the voice setup. Now you're ready to create your first audiobook.

Creating an Audiobook

Creating an audiobook is one of the easiest things to do:

1. Open a book or document;

2. Use the menu: Voice/Convert to MP3 Audiobook...;

3. In the window that appears, if you're happy with the destination folder for the audiobook, click OK;

4. The audiobook conversion will begin—just wait for it to finish;

5. Once the conversion is complete, your audiobook will be in the folder suggested by Biblos.

Was that easy? Haven't tried it yet? Okay, give it a shot and let me know how it goes!

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