1. Quick Start: Your First Audiobook
Generating your first audiobook with ChapterWave is designed to be completely frictionless. The AI handles all the complex formatting behind the scenes.
Step 1: Upload your Document
Simply drag and drop your EPUB, PDF, DOCX, or TXT file into the main upload zone. Alternatively, click the "Paste Raw Text Instead" button if you just want to copy/paste a quick snippet of text.
Step 2: Choose Your Voice & Format
Select your preferred AI Voice Actor from the dropdown menu. Then, select your output format (we highly recommend M4B for audiobooks, as it embeds the chapter titles directly into the file!).
Step 3: Begin Conversion
Click "Start Conversion". You'll be taken to the detailed configuration screen where you can review the parsed chapters. If everything looks good, click the final Begin Conversion button. Your audiobook will automatically save to your Music folder!
2. Dual-POV Narration
If you are converting a romance or thriller novel, you likely have alternating chapters from different character perspectives. ChapterWave allows you to cast two different voice actors.
- Setup Voice A: On the first screen, pick your primary voice (e.g., the female lead).
- Setup Voice B: On the configuration screen, you will see a dropdown for "VOICE B (SECONDARY)". Pick your male lead here.
- Assigning Chapters: By default, all chapters use Voice A. If you click the blue "Alternate A/B" button, the software will automatically assign Voice A to odd chapters (1, 3, 5) and Voice B to even chapters (2, 4, 6).
- Manual Control: You can manually click the toggle switch next to any specific chapter in the list to flip it between Voice A and Voice B!
3. The Pronunciation Dictionary
Sometimes, AI voices struggle with made-up fantasy names, sci-fi terms, or unique character names. The Pronunciation Dictionary allows you to fix this globally before generating the audio.
Click the Pronunciations button on the configuration screen to open the dictionary. You simply type the target word, and then type how it "Sounds Like".
Example: If your character's name is "Xae'lin", the AI might mispronounce it.
Target: Xae'lin
Sounds Like: Zay-lin
ChapterWave will silently scan your entire book and swap the spelling right before it hits the AI engine, ensuring perfect pronunciation every time.
4. Director's Cut Editor
When ChapterWave parses an EPUB or PDF, it occasionally grabs unwanted text like copyright pages, table of contents, or weird formatting artifacts. The Director's Cut Editor gives you ultimate control over the script.
On the chapter list, simply click the Pencil Icon next to any chapter. A full text editor will pop up showing you exactly what the AI is about to read. You can delete unwanted sentences, fix typos, or rewrite lines. Click "Save Changes" and the AI will read your modified version!
5. Background Ambient Audio
Want to add a crackling fireplace, rain sounds, or a cinematic musical score behind the narrator's voice? You can!
On the configuration screen, look for the Background Audio section. Click "Upload MP3/WAV" and select your music track. You can then use the volume slider to lower the music so it sits perfectly underneath the narrator. ChapterWave will automatically loop your background track if your audiobook is longer than the song!
6. The LPF Packager Tool
If you already have a bunch of MP3 files and you want to package them together into a professional, W3C-compliant Lightweight Packaging Format (LPF) audiobook, you can use the built-in tool.
Click Tools in the top navigation bar. Enter your Book Title and Author, then drag and drop all of your MP3 files into the box. Click "Build LPF Package" and ChapterWave will instantly bind them into a single, professional LPF file ready for distribution.
7. Global Settings
Tired of changing the output folder every time you generate a book? Click Settings in the top navigation bar.
Here, you can set a Global Default Output Directory. Once set, every single audiobook you ever generate will automatically save to this specific folder on your computer. You can also change your default file format (e.g., if you always want M4B instead of MP3).
Note: The "My Library" feature automatically syncs with whatever folder you set here!