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Beta: Audible audiobooks with virtual voice
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Beta: Audible audiobooks with virtual voice
Audiobooks with virtual voice eligibility and troubleshooting
Audiobooks with virtual voice eligibility and troubleshooting
At this time, this is an invite-only beta for eligible KDP eBooks. To learn more about the offering, visit our Help FAQ, Audiobooks with virtual voice beta feature page, and KDP Community topic.
To be eligible for an audiobook with virtual voice, your eBook must meet the required criteria.
Contents
Checking eligibility
After your eBook is Live, we will complete an eligibility check against the criteria below. If Checking eligibility shows in your KDP Bookshelf, please allow an additional 5 hours after your eBook is Live to view your book’s eligibility status. If Checking eligibility shows more than 5 hours after your eBook moved to Live status, please contact us for further assistance.
If your eBook is eligible, the option Add Audible audiobook with virtual voice will appear on your KDP Bookshelf. If you update an ineligible eBook so that it meets the eligibility criteria, the link to create an audiobook should appear on your Bookshelf after the updated eBook is Live and passes the eligibility check.
Note: We reserve the right to determine the types of eBooks that we accept in the beta program. We may choose not to accept your eBook for creation of an audiobook or to remove your audiobook from sale at any time.
Eligibility criteria and troubleshooting
Review requirements for your eBook to be eligible for an audiobook with virtual voice and potential troubleshooting steps below. If your eBook is ineligible, check the reason(s) listed by selecting Why isn't my eBook eligible? on your KDP Bookshelf.
Note: Occasionally we detect an eligibility issue after you’ve created your audiobook. In this case, we’ll let you know on your Bookshelf or in title setup, and you can follow the same guidance outlined in the following troubleshooting table.| Your eBook must | How to correct |
| have a Live status |
Your eBook must be Live before you will have the option to create an audiobook with virtual voice. Your eBook’s status cannot be Publishing. Note that eBooks available for pre-order are not eligible. For more information on publishing timelines, visit Book Status. |
| hold worldwide or U.S. distribution rights |
To be eligible, your eBook must be enabled for either All territories (worldwide rights), or United States must be enabled for individual territories. For more information, visit eBook Distribution Rights. |
| be suitable for an audiobook |
Consider the types of books that are best suited for audio. Your eBook must not be empty or have empty chapters. Books with a lot of picture content that contain images, tables, graphs, or code excerpts may not provide a great listener experience. For example, cookbooks or comic books would generally not provide the best listener experience.
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| be reflowable (not a fixed format) |
To be eligible, your eBook must be reflowable (not fixed format). For more information, visit Creating Reflowable Books. If you're using Kindle Create, visit Prepare Reflowable and Print Books with Kindle Create. |
| have a Kindle Interactive (or NCX) table of contents |
Your eBook must include a Kindle Interactive (or NCX) Table of Contents (TOC) to be eligible, as it's essential for creating audiobook navigation for readers. We recommend using Kindle Create, because it creates an NCX automatically from your manuscript. Visit Create a Table of Contents for more guidance on creating a Kindle Interactive or NCX TOC. If you're not using Kindle Create, refer to Navigation Guidelines for guidance on creating a Kindle Interactive or NCX TOC. |
| not have an existing Audible audiobook |
An existing Audible audiobook includes:
Note: Audiobooks published outside of Audible do not affect eligibility for virtual voice narration. However, if your eBook is enrolled in KDP Select, the KDP Select exclusivity terms apply. |
| have a supported primary language |
Your eBook's primary language must be set as English, Spanish, Italian, or French before you'll have the option to create an audiobook with virtual voice. If your eBook is already published, or has been submitted for publishing, you'll need to create a new edition of your eBook to be eligible. The new edition should have English, Spanish, Italian, or French as the primary language. For more information, visit Book Titles and Editions. For the best reader experience, we don’t recommend language excerpts that aren’t in your book’s primary language as they may not be pronounced correctly in the audio. |
| not be in the public domain | Public domain content is not eligible for audiobooks with virtual voice. |
| have a cover |
To be eligible, your eBook must include a cover. You can use our Cover Creator tool to create an eBook cover in minutes. If you prefer to create your own cover, refer to our eBook cover criteria. |
| meet eBook cover image criteria |
To be eligible, your eBook’s cover must meet our eBook cover criteria. |
| have a title of less than 200 characters |
If your eBook title exceeds 200 characters in length, it is not eligible for an audiobook with virtual voice. If your eBook is not yet published, you can update the title in your Bookshelf:
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| have chapters with less than approx. 240k words each | To be eligible, each chapter of your eBook must be approximately 240k words or less. eBooks that exceed the recommended length are not eligible for an audiobook with virtual voice. |
| have less than 1,001 chapters | To be eligible, your eBook must have 1,000 chapters or less. eBooks that exceed the recommended length are not eligible for an audiobook with virtual voice. |
| not contain HTML in the title | To be eligible, your eBook’s title cannot include HTML. For more title best practices, visit Book Titles and Editions. |
| have supported HTML only in the eBook description | eBooks with unsupported HTML tags such as superscript or subscript in the book description are not eligible for an audiobook with virtual voice. |
| have a primary author or contributor |
To be eligible, your eBook requires a Primary Author or Contributor. You can add authors and contributors by updating your book details.
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| not contain unsupported characters |
To be eligible, your eBook can't include unsupported characters. For example, Latin within a word, or Cyrillic characters used to write in languages such as Russian are not supported. You can remove the unsupported characters and republish your eBook.
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Format and quality troubleshooting
Audiobooks with virtual voice are currently a beta offering, and there are some known issues, which may change throughout the beta. At this time, we’d like you to understand the following guidance:
| Component | Description and impact to listeners | How to avoid or address issue in manuscript |
| Chapter names/numbers | If chapter names and numbers are formatted as images, listeners may not know when a new chapter begins. | Format chapter names and numbers as text in your eBook manuscript rather than images. |
| Footnotes | Numbers or references may be narrated where they are encountered in the text and may interrupt the flow. | Format Footnotes as superscripts/subscripts so they are not included in the narration. |
| HTML/code excerpts | Any sections of HTML or other code may result in unintelligible narration for listeners. | Consider appropriateness for audiobook. |
| Image captions | If you have images with captions in your eBook, the captions may be included in the narration, but the image may be excluded. | Ensure that text captions make sense to listeners who will not be able to see the image. |
| Non-primary language excerpts | Any language excerpts that are not in the book’s primary language may not be pronounced correctly in the audio. | While you can edit one or two words or short phrases phonetically, longer passages are not recommended at this time. |
| Numbers | When two formats are presented, both formats may be narrated. For example, “a six (6) by nine (9) book.” | Consider impact to listeners when many numbers in multiple formats are present. |
| Tables | Tables are narrated row by row (from left to right), which may be hard for listeners to follow. | Consider appropriateness of long tables for the audiobook format. |
If you have feedback on the audiobook setup or Virtual Voice Studio, please complete our survey. The survey is hosted by Qualtrics, so you'll visit their site to fill it out.
For specific guidelines on pronunciation, see the Virtual Voice Studio pronunciation guide.
