📚 I Turned My EPUBs Into Audiobooks—So I Could Listen to My Books While Working Out

Hey Indie Hackers!

I’m Emmanuel, and I’ve been a book lover my whole life. The problem? Between work, commuting, and everything else, I just didn’t have time to dive into my books anymore. I tried audiobooks, but:

- Either they required a €20/month subscription (looking at you, Audible).
- Or the book I wanted didn’t even exist in audio format.
- Or the narrator’s voice gave me a headache after 10 minutes.

So I had an idea: What if I could turn my EPUBs into high-quality audiobooks—no subscription, no internet needed, and with voices that don’t sound like robots?

That’s how [VocaRead](https://apps.apple.com/fr/app/vocaread/id6757822401) was born: an app that converts your files into audiobooks in 2 clicks, with:

✅ 30+ premium voices (natural, expressive, and smooth).
✅ 100% offline (once voices are downloaded).
✅ Built-in translation (read a Spanish book while following along in French).
✅ No subscriptions: 90 free minutes per book, then a one-time purchase for unlimited use.
✅ Zero ads, zero tracking.

How I Built This (Almost) Solo in My Free Time

The challenges:

1. Text-to-speech:

*First, I tried Apple’s native API (AVSpeechSynthesizer), but the voices sounded* way too robotic.
Solution: I integrated high-quality voice models using the open-source Sherpa ONNX project for a more natural sound.

2. EPUB parsing:

*Cleanly extracting text without bugs—and handling pauses between sentences—was a nightmare. I had to* rewrite the parser three times before it worked.

3. Business model:

*I hate subscriptions. So I went with a* freemium model + one-time unlock (just $5.99 for unlimited use).

What’s Next (and How You Can Help!)

I’ve got a list of 20+ improvements I want to add, but time is tight. Here’s what’s coming soon:

- "Speed Reading" mode (listen faster without voice distortion).
- Kindle/Google Books integration (import your library directly).

How you can help:

✔ Download VocaRead https://apps.apple.com/fr/app/vocaread/id6757822401 and tell me what you think!

✔ Share it with a friend who complains about not having time to read.

💡 The Game-Changer (That Might Just Save Your Reading Habit)

Picture this:

You’re running, doing dishes, or commuting. Instead of scrolling TikTok, you’re listening to Orwell’s "1984" or The Little Prince—narrated like a pro—without paying €20/month.

Find a great passage? One tap to bookmark it and pick up later.

Stumble on a Spanish phrase? The app translates it in real time.

That’s VocaRead. Not a revolution—just a tool that brought back my love of reading… and is doing the same for thousands of others.

👉 Try it free here: https://apps.apple.com/fr/app/vocaread/id6757822401

(90 free minutes per book—enough to see if you love it!)