Products

Audiobooks

Turn written content into studio-quality audio with an end-to-end workflow

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Overview

Audiobooks provides an end-to-end workflow for turning written content into studio-quality audio.

You can paste or upload your manuscript, generate lifelike narration using ElevenLabs voices, and structure your project with chapters. Enhance your audiobook with music and sound effects, and edit and refine narration directly in the editor.

Once complete, you can export your audiobook or publish it directly to listening platforms such as ElevenReader and partner marketplaces.

Audiobooks also supports dynamic narration, a mode that allows listeners to choose their preferred voice during playback.

Guide

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1

Create a new audiobook

Click Create new book from the Audiobooks page to start a new project.

After opening the editor, you can begin by:

  • uploading a document
  • pasting text directly
  • importing content from a URL
2

Add and organize chapters

Use the Chapters panel to structure your audiobook.

  • Click the + button to add new chapters
  • Rename and reorder chapters as needed
  • If you upload a document with chapters, they will be detected automatically
3

Generate narration

Select a chapter and click the Play button to generate narration.

  • Audio is generated for the entire chapter
  • Each paragraph shows its generation status:
    • Dark indicator — generated
    • Light indicator — not yet generated
  • You can pause generation at any time

You can adjust voice and playback settings from the editor before or after generating audio.

4

Enhance your audiobook

You can enrich your audiobook with additional audio layers:

  • Voices — choose or update the narration voice
  • Sound effects (SFX) — add effects from the library or generate custom sounds
  • Music — select from the Music Marketplace or generate new tracks

To add music or sound effects:

  • Click the + icon to import them into your project
  • They will appear as separate tracks on the timeline and play alongside narration
5

Choose narration mode

Audiobooks supports two narration modes:

  • Original audio — narration is pre-generated using a selected voice
  • Dynamic narration — listeners can choose their preferred voice during playback

To switch modes, open the project status panel from the top right of the editor and click Change mode.

In dynamic narration mode, music, sound effects, and external audio are not included in playback.

6

Export your audiobook

To export your audiobook, click Publish in the top right corner and open the Export tab.

You can configure:

  • Export scope — full project or individual chapters
  • Media type — audio, timeline data (AAF), or subtitles
  • File structure — single file or chapter-based ZIP
  • Audio format — MP3 or WAV

If some sections are not yet generated, they will be completed during export.

7

Publish and distribute

To distribute your audiobook, click Publish in the top right corner and stay on the Publish tab.

You can publish directly to:

  • ElevenReader — for in-app listening and distribution
  • Partner platforms such as Spotify and InAudio
  • ElevenLabs Video or Audio Native for additional formats

Publishing allows you to share your audiobook with listeners and, on supported platforms like ElevenReader, start earning from distribution.

8

Publishing to ElevenReader

When publishing to ElevenReader, you will go through a submission flow to prepare your audiobook for distribution.

This includes:

  • Creating or selecting an author profile
  • Adding book metadata (title, subtitle, cover image)
  • Providing distribution details
  • Setting up payouts and agreements
  • Reviewing and submitting your audiobook

After submission, your audiobook will be reviewed before becoming available in the ElevenReader app.

Editing and playback

Once your content is added, you can generate and preview narration directly in the editor.

  • Use the Play button to generate narration or play already generated audio
  • Generation happens at the paragraph level within each chapter

The status of each paragraph is shown by a bar to the left of the text:

  • Dark bar — narration has been generated
  • Light grey bar — narration has not yet been generated

You can edit text, adjust voice settings, or change timing, and then regenerate specific sections as needed.

The timeline allows you to review how narration, music, and sound effects play together and make adjustments before exporting.

Chapters

Audiobooks are structured into chapters, which can be created manually or detected automatically when importing a document.

You can:

  • Add new chapters using the + button
  • Rename or reorder chapters
  • Generate narration per chapter

Chapters help organize longer content and make exporting more flexible.

Narration modes

Audiobooks supports two different narration approaches depending on your goals.

Original audio

Audio is generated in advance using a selected voice and remains fixed for all listeners.

This mode is best when you want full control over:

  • Voice selection
  • Timing and delivery
  • Music and sound design

Dynamic narration

Instead of using a fixed voice, dynamic narration allows listeners to choose their preferred voice during playback.

This mode is ideal for:

  • Accessibility
  • Personalization
  • Listener preference

Music, sound effects, and external audio are not included in dynamic narration playback.

Export options

Audiobooks provides flexible export options depending on how you want to use your content.

Export scope

  • Full project
  • Individual chapters

Media types

  • Audio
  • Timeline data (AAF)
  • Subtitles

File structure

  • Single file
  • Chapter-based ZIP

Audio formats

  • MP3
  • WAV

Exporting will automatically generate any remaining sections before downloading.

FAQ

No. If some sections are not yet generated, they will be completed automatically during export.

Generated narration produces a fixed audio file using a selected voice.

Dynamic narration allows listeners to choose their preferred narrator’s voice during playback.

Yes. You can distribute your audiobook across multiple platforms, including ElevenReader and supported partner marketplaces.