How to Convert MP3 to Audiobook - Full Tutorial

Q: I have a mass of MP3 files ripped from audiobook CDs that I'd like to play on my media players, such as iTunes. But MP3 format can't keep chapters and there is no way to bookmark my MP3 books. So, my question is whether there are some ways to convert MP3 files to audiobook encoded in M4A or M4B audiobook format? As a consequence, I can listen to audiobooks more easily and better.

With the popularity of audiobooks, there are more and more audiobook converters developed and created by software developers. MP3 to audiobook converter is one of them. In order to create audiobook from MP3, today, we will introduce three effective ways to convert MP3 to audiobook for Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android.

convert mp3 to audiobook

Part 1. How to Convert MP3 to Audiobook with Chapters for Windows/Mac

To make the MP3 conversion process easy and stable, we will introduce the top-rated AudFree MP3 to Audiobook Converter. It can convert MP3 to many common formats including M4A, M4B, FLAC, WAV and more. It is also a professional Audible converter that can convert Audible to MP3.

For better playback of audiobooks, it allows you to split large audiobooks into chapters and adjust the playback volume, pitch, speed, etc. to suit your needs. What's more surprising is that it will retain the lossless audio quality and ID3 tags of audiobook. This way, you can play the converted audiobooks smoothly on the desired media player without any playback problems.

AudFree MP3 to Audiobook Converter

audfree audiobook converter
  • Convert MP3 files to audiobook M4A and M4B
  • Convert audiobooks to MP3, WAV, AAC, M4A, FLAC, M4B
  • Keep original ID3 tags and chapters in output audios
  • Split large audiobook file into small segments via chapters
  • Convert Audible AA/AAX books, iTunes audiobooks and Apple Music

How to Change MP3 to Audiobook with Chapters

Please click on the Download button above to install AudFree Audio Converter on your Windows or Mac computer. Then follow the tutorial below to turn MP3 into audiobook.

Step 1Add MP3 Files to AudFree Auditior
add mp3 files to audfree auditior
Launch AudFree Audio Converter on your desktop. Drag and drop MP3 files to the main interface of AudFree Audiobook Converter or click the second 'Add Files' button to add MP3 files.
Step 2Set Output Format as M4A or M4B for Audiobook
set output format as m4a or m4b
Click the 'Format' icon to open the settings window, in which you can customize output format as M4A, M4B or other audio formats. Besides, you can click the 'Edit' icon next to each audio to split audiobook into chapters.
Step 3Convert MP3 Audiobook to M4B Losslessly
convert mp3 to audiobook
Now, just simply press the 'Convert' button, it will batch convert MP3 files to audiobooks with chapters. You can find audiobooks in the history folder by clicking the Converted button.

Part 2. How to Convert MP3 to Audiobook in iTunes

When it comes to converting MP3 files to audiobooks, iTunes is also a tool you can't afford to miss. As well as being a media player, media library, Internet radio broadcaster and file manager, iTunes has a wealth of fantastic features, including burning audiobooks to CD, syncing media files and converting audio files.

To put it simply, iTunes can be considered as a free MP3 to audiobook converter, which can directly convert MP3 to iTunes audiobook format, M4A and M4B. Here, we will show you the detailed steps on how to turn MP3 into audiobook with the assistance of iTunes.

How to Make MP3 Detected as iTunes Audiobooks

Step 1. Launch iTunes and import the MP3 files into iTunes, you can find them in the 'Music' > 'Recently Added' catalog.

Step 2. Choose an MP3 audio file, right-click to select 'Get Info' to get detailed information about the MP3 file. Under 'Options', enable the 'Remember playback position' and 'Skip when shuffling' playback options.

change itunes playback option

Step 3. Go to the 'Options' tab and change 'Music' to 'Audiobook' under 'Media kind'.

change itunes media type

Step 4. Your MP3 audio files will be displayed in the 'Books' > 'Audiobooks' section of iTunes.

Tips: Using this method, your audio file will still be in MP3 format, which is only available for iTunes. If you want to play your MP3 as audiobook on other players, you will need to follow the steps below to convert MP3 to audiobooks.

How to Create Audiobook from MP3 with iTunes

Step 1. Launch iTunes app on your PC and add MP3 audiobook files to iTunes library by clicking the 'File' > 'Add File to Library' or directly dragging and dropping them into the main interface of iTunes.

add mp3 to itunes

Step 2. You can locate all imported MP3 files under the 'Music' > 'Recently Added' section.

Step 3. Hit on the 'Edit' > 'Preferences' from the iTunes' navigation bar to choose 'General Preferences' > 'Import Settings' to open the setting window.

Step 4. Please select the 'AAC Encoder' option from the 'Import Using' and click the 'OK' to confirm it.

itunes aac encoder

Step 5. Just choose the added MP3 files and click the 'File' >'Convert' > 'Create AAC Version' to export MP3 to AAC files, which encoded in M4A format.

create aac version

Step 6. Right-click the M4A files and choose 'Show in Windows Explorer' to locate the destination folder stored files on your computer. Now you can modify the M4A to M4B files manually.

modify m4a to m4b

Step 7. Now, all MP3 audiobooks are converted to M4B audiobooks and you can import them to iTunes or other players to play with chapters. Besides, all added files will display in 'Audiobook' section automatically now.

Part 3. How to Convert MP3 to Audiobook Free

If you are looking for a free way to create audiobook from MP3, you can't go wrong with the two free MP3 to audiobook converter presented in this section. Read on to find out more about them.

1. Audiobook Binder (iPhone)

Audiobook Binder is a free tool to convert your audiobooks from MP3 format to M4B format compatible with iOS devices. It allows you to change the cover artwork, adjust the audio encoding properties such as mono/stereo, sample rate. Once encoded, it automatically adds the M4B audiobook file to the iTunes media library.

How to Convert MP3 to M4B Audiobook for Free

audiobook binder convert mp3 to m4b

Step 1. Download and install AudioBook Binder on your device.

Step 2. Run it and select the "Files" tab, then click the "+" icon or drag and drop files to the application window to add MP3 files.

Step 3. Tap the 'Bind' button to start converting MP3 audiobooks to M4B.

2. MortPlayer Audio Book (Android)

play mp3 audiobook on mortplayer audio book

MortPlayer Audio Book is a dedicated audio book media player for various platforms, including Android, iPhone, online and more. It supports a wide range of media types such as MP3, Ogg Vorbis, M4A, 3GP, MIDI and Wave. No need to convert MP3 to M4B, MortPlayer Audio Book can be used to listen to MP3 audiobooks with ease.

Part 4. Conclusion

If you want to convert MP3 to audiobook, all of the above MP3 to audiobook converters will be useful to you. By the way, our top choice for this task is AudFree Audio Converter. Because it can convert MP3 to M4A and M4B without any quality loss. Afterwards, you can play these converted audiobooks on any device you like.

Jan 29, 2023 5:10 PM

Updated by Ivan Scott to Audiobook Tips

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AudFree Auditior

30X convert Apple Music, iTunes podcasts, audiobooks and Audible books. to MP3, etc.