Bookish Musings: How to Listen to eBooks with TTS (and Why It’s Great!)

 
 

About a year and a half ago, I developed this nerve problem in my head, and ever since then, I haven’t been able to read much with my eyes without getting headaches. But the thing is, I still love books! Sure, I can read small amounts and take painkillers, but I could never read 100+ books a year like I normally do. Audiobooks are a great option, and thankfully I have access to many through my library, but that’s not the case for every book. And this is just my story. There are lots of reasons that people may not be able to read much or at all with their eyes, why they may need both visual and audio for their best reading experience, or why they may simply enjoy listening to books.

Luckily there is another option for everyone who likes or needs to listen to books: Text to speech!

I’ve been wanting to write this post for a while because TTS (text to speech) and screen readers as a way of consuming books is underrated. So I thought I’d use this post to talk about both how I listen to books with TTS and also some of the pros and cons. Hopefully it will be helpful to other readers, especially those who need it!


How to Listen to eBooks with TTS

Smart phones, Kindles, and probably most other tablets and reading devices have some form of TTS accessibility. Each device might have something a little different though, which means you’ll have to figure it out or find instructions for your specific device. The methods below are ones I know of, which make use of Android phones, PCs, and Kindles. If you have any other knowledge or suggestions you want to leave in the comments, feel free!

Smart Phones

On my phone, under Settings -> Accessibility, there are two options. One is “TalkBack,” which makes the whole phone accessible. Once it’s turned on, I can go to my Kindle app, and it will do continuous reading. It may also work with other apps (for example, whatever app your library uses), but I haven’t tried any others except Hoopla, which it doesn’t work well on. The drawback is that, if you don’t normally use TalkBack, it’s more work to navigate the phone with TalkBack on. So this is only good if you normally use TalkBack or are planning to listen for a while.

The other option on my phone is “Select to Speak,” which adds a little icon in the bottom right corner of my phone, and whenever I want something read aloud, I click the icon and then click or highlight the text. The drawback for this is, to read a Kindle book, you have to click the icon and the page for every page of the ebook. This is generally better for reading shorter things (for example, a short story you find online). It works on the Hoopla app though, if you don’t mind going page by page.

Kindles

Kindle devices have their own TTS. You have to enable it first, then you can click the middle of the screen once a book is open, and there’s a “play” button in the bottom right corner. There’s also a speed adjustment button with a few options. The drawback is that there aren’t many voices options or settings you can adjust, at least not on the Kindle I have. Here’s the Kindle TTS Amazon help page with further instructions.

Amazon Echo

This isn’t one I’ve really tested myself, other than accidentally when I was trying to get my Echo Dot to do something else. But it’s possible to listen to Kindle books with an Echo device, as long as they are on the same Amazon account. I believe this includes Kindle Unlimited books, though I don’t know if authors get paid that way. (If anyone knows, I’d love info on that.) It seems you can only use the standard Alexa voice though.

Computers

Updated versions of the Kindle for PC software are supposed to work with certain screen readers. Here is one how to article about Kindle for PC (though it’s from 2018), and here’s Amazon’s Kindle for PC help page.

If your computer has an app store, you may also be able to find a TTS reading app for non-Kindle books (more on non-Kindle books below).

You may also be able to use your regular screen reader with any websites that have their own ebook readers (for example, whatever sites your library uses). The Hoopla reader works with screen readers, but only on Chrome browser (and from what I could tell, it doesn’t actually save your spot when you stop). If you need a free screen reader, check out NVDA.

TTS Reading Apps

If you have the actual file (mobi, pdf, maybe certain other types) for a book and can get it onto your phone or device, you have more and better options. If you have a file but it’s the wrong format, you can convert certain types of files using Calibre, which is a free software!

There are numerous apps available in app stores that you can find by searching, “TTS reader,” “ebook reader,” or something similar. The one I use on my Android phone is “@Voice”. I like it because you can choose from free Google TTS voices or use voices from a variety of other free and paid options (which includes different genders and accents), adjust speed and pitch, and input pronunciation for specific words. It’s also free, though the free version has ads.

I will say, I don’t know if it’s the best app out there for users who cannot see the phone at all. It seems usable, from my testing with TalkBack, but certain things may be a bit frustrating, and there may be better apps. The ads on the free version might be a problem, but there is an ad-free version available for purchase.

Pros and Cons of Listening to eBooks with TTS

Benefits

– You can multitask, listen while doing other things.

– Ebooks are cheaper than audiobooks.

– Some books don’t have audiobooks, or you have access to the ebook but not the audiobook, and now you can listen to those too. This includes ARCs, if you’re a reviewer.

– Some audiobooks have horrible narrators, or narrators who just don’t work for you. No more suffering through them just so you can listen.

– For me, TTS is more similar to reading with my eyes than audiobooks are. I can let the TTS voice kind of sink to the back of my mind and then overlay my own imagined voices, giving the books my interpretation in terms of voices, emotion, inflection, etc.

– Using the TTS app I recommended, you can customize and adjust settings exactly to your liking, which includes choosing the best accent for the book, choosing the best voice from what’s available in that accent, changing word pronunciation, adjusting pitch, and adjusting speed.

– It’s easier to save quotes (depending on visual impairment) because you have the book and can highlight or copy+paste. With audiobooks, you have to listen and then write/type them out.

Drawbacks

– Obviously it doesn’t sound the same as an audiobook. The inflection is not quite as varied and natural, it won’t have different emotion for different lines, it won’t have different voices for different characters, etc. (But if you haven’t tried TTS recently, you might be surprised at how natural some voices sound.)

– Dialogue can get confusing. It’s usually fairly easy to differentiate dialogue and narration, or dialogue from one character vs. another, but there are definitely times when it’s harder. It depends on the book or scene and exactly how it’s written.

– Fantasy can be difficult if there are a lot of made-up words and names. At least for me and the way my brain works.

Overall Thoughts

Listening to books with TTS is something that takes a bit of getting used to at first, but it’s one of those things you get better at the more you do it. I’ve gotten better at parsing dialogue from narration, better at focusing, and better at overlaying my own voices and inflection and emotion for characters in my head.

It may not be for everyone, just as audiobooks aren’t for everyone. But for people who either don’t like or don’t have access to audiobooks, but who still want to be able to enjoy books while doing other things or need audio format for accessibility, listening to books with TTS and screen readers can be a great option!

 
 
 
 

Talk to me!

Have you ever tried, or considered, listening to books with TTS?
Do you have any TTS app recommendations?

 
 
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24 thoughts on “Bookish Musings: How to Listen to eBooks with TTS (and Why It’s Great!)

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  1. Roberta R.

    Some of these options sound like a bit of work, which is a shame – but since they’re what is available at the moment, it’s better than nothing! I’m going to put this post in my next Tooting Your Trumpet installment 🙂.

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah what’s really frustrating is that Amazon, this massive company that definitely has the money, hasn’t invested more in making their TTS better. Maybe newer kindles have better voices and more adjustments, but honestly I doubt it. But yes, these options are better than nothing! Thanks!

  2. Stephanie Jane

    It took me a while to get used to the TTS voice on my kindle because of its lack of emotion, but, like you say, it does leave more space for our own imaginations. I hadn’t realised there were options now to vary than just the speed so I’m keen to look further into the app’s capabilities and see if it is compatible with my tablet. Thank you for sharing this recommendation 🙂

    1. Kristen Burns

      Yeah the kindle voices, at least on the kindle I have, is not great. Maybe new kindles have better ones, idk, but it’s frustrating because Amazon could definitely afford to do better. The app is definitely better, though it won’t work with the kindle reader, unfortunately. You could at least use it for review copies if nothing else!

  3. Tizzy Brown

    I don’t use TTS but I know some of my dyslexic and partially-sighted students do. I’m so pleased that there are so many technology features and apps to make reading more accessible for people who struggle to read print. Hopefully there will be even more available in the future now that accessibility is becoming more of a focus.

    1. Kristen Burns

      It is great that more is become available for accessibility! But yeah, it would be great if it could keep being improved and even better and more made available.

  4. Greg

    I’m so glad these options exist, frankly. One of the benefits of modern technology! I’ve never used it but I imagine it’s a godsend if you have trouble reading, like you point out. Great point too about narrators, and about being able to visualize the story in your head.

  5. Karen

    I don’t have eye strain but I do have wrist problems so audio has been a big help for me.

    You made a great point about the cost of audiobooks though and that this would be a great option if you still needed audio for some reason but can’t afford that.

    I’ll have to give it a go because I have a lot of problems with narrators so I wonder if this would work for me or be worse lol

    Karen @ For What It’s Worth

    1. Kristen Burns

      Oh wow, I totally forgot that I used to have arm pain when I would read! That’s definitely another good reason for audio.

      It takes a bit of adjustment, so you might have to try it for at least a few books. But maybe it’ll work out well for you! I’m picky with narrators too, and this has really saved me since I just would not have been able to get through some audiobooks.

  6. Lorna

    I’m sorry you are having problems being able to read. I love listening to books-maybe even more than reading. I enjoy the different voices and my imagination fills in the rest. I’m not sure I could get used to text to speech due to my addiction to audiobooks and all my favorite narrators. But I think it’s a great idea for books that don’t have audiobooks.

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  9. Marie Seltenrych

    Thank you for sharing. It is such a great way to get books to hearers instead of readers.
    Creating audiobooks is time-consuming and very expensive, even if the author does the work herself.
    I have tried and it is very difficult if you do not have a sounc-proof studio, or noises from the road drift by.
    Yesterday, I finally found out how to do TTS on a Mac with Automator.
    The information out there was very convoluted and confusing, and I could barely relate to it.
    I finally realized that all I needed was my Text Edit App (already on the computer), paste the text into it. (That took some time as I did it in chunks) With Automator it brings up a small window to enter a name and where to save.
    I did have to go to Accessibility and find spoken text, and tick the box. Also, I got to choose a reader. I found Ava and Tom were very natural. I also slowed down the speech level. I found the book in Music where it is now staying. I still have not worked out if I can edit without going through the process again. For me this was a high moment. Now I see ACX clearly does not accept TTS. Smashwords goes to another service, etc. I am thinking of adding this book to my own website to see what happens next. I listened to it and was quite impressed and found it easy to listen to.

    1. Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight)

      I can only imagine how expensive it must be, and I would never be able to do it myself. So I agree it is great to have other options for people who need to listen, when audiobooks are not an option. And some people may still struggle trying to figure out how to listen via TTS on their own, so having something that’s downloadable to easily listen to, the way audiobooks are, would also be great. So I love that you’re trying to figure it out. And thanks for sharing your experiences here, maybe they’ll be able to help others!

  10. Christina

    I agree entirely that tts is superior to traditional narrated audio books. I also do not prefer to have the text interpreted by a human narrator.

    For the Kindle Ereaders (not the Kindle app) does the tts work for its menus, too, or just reading book content?

    I’m asking as a blind person who needs everything voiced, not just the book. Doesn’t help if I can’t navigate the book list/library!

    I use the Kindle app on my phone, but have been wondering whether it’s worth getting a proper Kindle device; I believe their battery life is better than my phone’s, and my phone has other jobs to do. And I’d like my sighted kids to be able to read it, but I need to ultimately be able to control it.

    Thanks, and your post here is very detailed and helpful, I would think, for the average person not familiar with tts as an option–but it’s here for anyone. The more people who use it, the more it may be considered a necessary part of any new device…I hope.

    Nice work!

    1. Kit (Metaphors and Moonlight)

      Kindles apparently have something called VoiceView that’s supposed to make them accessible for blind users. As far as I can tell, some versions (like Kindle Fire) can use it with just the tablet whereas other (like Paperwhite) need a speaker or something. I’m really not sure though, you’d have to check out info for whichever specific Kindle you’re thinking of getting.

      I do like to think talking about accessibility spreads more awareness and thus means more stuff will be made with that in mind in the future. And yes, the more people who use something, the better the chance companies will get on board, which is sort of sad that that’s what it takes, but true. Anyway, all we can do is try!

      Thank you, I’m glad you like the post!