I regularly have to prepare .FLAC audio files for distribution as audiobooks on 37-38 platforms, including retailers and libraries. Those files must comply with strict technical requirements set by these platforms. Most of the platforms want the chapters or sections as separate audio files. I chose the .FLAC format distribution to upload to those platforms since it is compressed yet lossless (like a .ZIP file), so (since the platforms will likely recompress before delivery), by uploading the files in a lossless format, there will be a total of single lossy generation, rather than two, for the absolutely best quality and fidelity. I was looking for a solution to use those same .FLAC files I had been creating to author a single .M4B audiobook file (per book title) for direct distribution on the books’ dedicated ecommerce websites I create for myself and clients, including the cover art and proper navigation of chapters or sections. I found the solution with Audiobook Builder, a sub US$10 app for macOS that was exactly what I needed.
Audiobook Builder is lightweight and user friendly. The application itself weighs only 29.4MB. Although it can accept other types of audio files as source material, I have only used .FLAC files in my use so far, for the reasons explained earlier. Having the metadata already included into the .FLAC files makes the job smoother and simpler, i.e. the name of each chapter (as it should appear on screen for end users) already placed properly within the .FLAC file. Depending upon the app used to play back among the three I covered in my related article:
Audiobook distribution strategy in 2024 + why M4B is ideal for direct sales
for Android, iOS, iPadOS, macOS or Windows, that chapter (or section) names will appear in the navigation menu and also on screen during playback, alternating between the book name with author, so the reader/listener knows where s/he is, in case s/he wants to use the navigation to move forward or back.
When first opening Audiobook Builder, we are presented with a splash screen where we choose among:
- Create a new project
- Open an existing project
- Get help
After clicking on Create a new project, Audiobook Builder asks us to save the project. It’s best to use the book name for this, in the desired folder. This is because it will be the name used for the final .M4B file (or .M4A file, but I only use Audiobook Creator to create .M4B files).
After that, Audiobook Creator’s first section called Cover asks us to confirm the Title, enter the Author name and Genre, which defaults to Audiobooks.
If you click the More… button, a popup window asks you to enter any of the following:
Narrated by, Date, Copyright, Description, Comments, Lyrics, Encoded by, and Encoded with, which has been pre-populated with Audiobook Builder 2.2.8 (www.splasm.com), macOS 14.5 in my case so far. Of those fields, so far, I have used Narrated by, Date, Copyright, Encoded by and Encoded with.
Whether or not you enter anything in that popup window, you are invited to drag in the cover art for the audiobook which should be square. Next you should move to the second section of Audiobook Builder, called Chapters.
Since I already have the original files (with appropriate noise reduction, equalization, reduced breaths, dynamic compression, leveling and prescribed pauses at the beginning and end) organized with file names like this example in a folder set to display by Name in alpha-numerical order:
a-opening-credits.flac
b-dedication.flac
c-introduction.flac
d-foreword.flac
1-chapter-1.flac
2-chapter-2.flac
3-chapter-3.flac
w-epilogue.flac
x-about-the-author.flac
y-other-works-from-the-author.flac
z-closing-credits.flac
It is very easy to select all and drag them in proper order in the Audiobook Builder’s Chapters window which invites you to drag in audio files. Since my files had the proper metadata inside and were already in the proper order, the title of each chapter/section was already perfect, as was the order, so I had nothing pending to do in the Chapters section. (Audiobook Builder also allows renaming the chapters and adding a specific image to each chapter or section, but I have not done that to date.)
The last section is to build the .M4B file.
There is a Building Options link which opens a popup where you set Quality (including bit rate, mono/stereo, sampling frequency), Format (.M4B or .M4A), Encoding (HE-AAC or AAC, I use the former if it’s voice-only without music) and Part Style setting, which I discovered needs to be set to Break Between Chapters in order to get a single .M4B file with proper chapter marks and navigation.
Then you just click Build audiobook, select your folder destination. Blink your eyes and it’s done.
Quality of the Castilian translation of Audiobook Builder
As a certified translator and language activist, I applaud Audiobook Builder’s nearly perfect translation/localization to Castilian. I only found two errors in the translation (actually omissions), which will likely be fixed by the time you read this review, since I already reported them.
The translators neglected to translate the word «Audiobook» between «Edición» and «Visualización».
The translators neglected to translate the word «utilize» in the third section above.
Price and availability
You can buy Audiobook Builder for US$9.99 one-time payment (or a similar amount in your local currency) either from the Apple Appstore or directly from Splasm.com/audiobookbuilder, which is where I bought it after using the trial for a short time.
Conclusions
Whether you are looking to create DRM-free .M4B audiobook files for your own use or for direct sales on an ecommerce website to sell your book, ebook and audiobook directly to the public, I am very impressed with the quality, reliability and value proposition of Audiobook Builder. I find it to be well designed and very logical to use. I don’t think I would change anything in Audiobook Builder other than to correct the two translation errors/omissions.
Related articles
- Audiobook distribution strategy in 2024 + why M4B is ideal for direct sales (July 2024)
- Wide book distribution in 2023: My 6 tips (February 2023)
- To DRM or not to DRM? That is the question for today’s digital content producers (January 2011)
- Apple Books app: inconsistent among formats & platforms (July 2024)
- Apple Podcasts adds weak CC (closed captions) with iOS 17.4 (and 17.4.1) (April 2024)
Lee este artículo en buen castellano
Reseña: Audiobook Builder, aplicación para construir audiolibros para distribución directa
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FTC disclosure
TecnoTur LLC paid full price for Audiobook Builder. None of the companies listed in this article is paying for this article. Some of the manufacturers listed above have contracted Tépper and/or TecnoTur LLC to carry out consulting and/or translations/localizations/transcreations. So far, none of the manufacturers listed above is/are sponsors of the TecnoTur, BeyondPodcasting, CapicúaFM or TuSaludSecreta programs, although they are welcome to do so, and some are, may be (or may have been) sponsors of ProVideo Coalition magazine. Some links to third parties listed in this article and/or on this web page may indirectly benefit TecnoTur LLC via affiliate programs. Allan Tépper’s opinions are his own. Allan Tépper is not liable for misuse or misunderstanding of information he shares.