About/FAQ
Tech info is in the Instructions/Specs PDF
About the
EPUBULATOR
Who is the EPUBulator for?
- YA/CHILDREN'S BOOK PUBLISHERS
- PUBLISHERS AND NONPROFITS WHO SERVE PRINT-DISABLED PEOPLE
- SELF-PUBLISHERS AND SMALL PRESSES who want a big-publisher product
- INDESIGN USERS ON WINDOWS who want to make readaloud/media-overlay EPUBs
- AUDIOBOOK PRODUCERS who want to offer human-narrated non-AI audio EPUBs
- BOOK PACKAGERS who offer ebooks, but not readaloud
- PEOPLE WHO HATE AI
- EBOOK DEVELOPERS who don’t want to deal with the readaloud part
- ANYONE who wants to make a readaloud ebook
What is it like to use?
If you prefer to email us, it's like emailing us.
If you like upload forms, it's like this:
It's just like any printing or self-publishing platform:
- Here are my files
- Here are the options I want
- Show me a proof
- Give me my final product and charge me
Pricing stuff
See the pricing page here.
— Can anything make that $20/page go UP?
NO, if it’s a simple picture book in English and your files are in good shape.
YES, if we're starting with PDF, not InDesign.
YES, if you need extra stuff, like audio editing or editorial changes.
YES, if somebody did weird things in your design file.
YES, if you want extras (interactivity, editorial changes), rush delivery, etc.
YES, the minimum charge is for 24 pages, so your one-page book will cost $480.
— Are there any discounts?
YES, for volume. Discounts start at three books. See the rate sheet.
YES, for being a self-publisher, small press, or nonprofit. See the rate sheet.
— When will my credit card be charged?
After you OK a proof, you'll see a payment form. When you click PAY, your card will be charged and you'll get a download link for the finished file.
— My company can't pay per-book with a credit card. Can you work with a contract and purchase order instead?
YES. We'll take your money any way you want to send it.
— I don't want to organize anything. Can I just send you everything in a big pile and you'll deal with it?
— Can you design my book / redesign my book / lovingly shepherd my entire oeuvre?
SURE. Not for $20/page. Contact Typeflow.
Turnaround time
— How long until I get my readaloud ebook?
We don't know what the demand for this service will look like yet. But we're thinking something like:
- Single-book orders: 3 business days
- Volume orders: We'll talk and agree on a schedule.
— Why won't I immediately receive a proof? Isn’t the EPUBulator fully automated?
80% robots, 20% gnomes. Sometimes the gnomes want to go on a ski trip.
Voices
— Is this “readaloud” thing an AI voice?
NO. It's an MP3 of a human being reading your book. There is no AI anywhere in this process.
— Does the narrator have to be a pro?
NO. It can be anyone. If your narration budget is $12, spend it on a pop screen, turn off noisy kitchen appliances, drink a glass of water to reduce mouth noise, and do your best. We can use it.
— What if I want to use an AI voice?
SURE. Send it as an MP3, same as you'd do with a human narrator.
— Do you provide human narrators?
So far, everyone already has narrators, but we're open about this if it's needed.
— What format should I provide the recorded voice in?
MP3. More details in the Instructions/Specs PDF, linked in a big red button at the top of most pages of the desktop site, including this one.
What's the difference between the EPUBulator and…
… readaloud systems that can't do highlighting at the word level?
It does highlighting at the word level.
… offshore digital conversion services?
- The EPUBulator is available to small presses and self-pubs, not just big publishing. It scales down as nicely as it scales up.
- If you use these offshore services, you may already be familiar with some tiny complaints.
… the do-it-yourself online EPUB builder from Large Offshore Ebook Meatgrinder?
The EPUBulator actually works.
… CircularFlo?
We used CircularFlo in-house for years and endorse its developer on LinkedIn. It’s great for Mac print designers who want to add readaloud to simple picture books without leaving InDesign.
As Typeflow's ebook workload got bigger and more complex, needed a tool capable of handling any readaloud ebook job that came through the door – simple or complicated, one book or a thousand, originating on Mac, Windows, or anything else. That's the EPUBulator, which works in a radically different way from CircularFlo.
General curiosity
— Does the EPUBulator only work on fixed-layout ebooks? What about reflowable ebooks or DAISY books?
YES, we do all that.
— What languages does the EPUBulator work with?
As larger jobs come in, we build new language modules, and then offer those languages to clients of all sizes. So far, it handles ENGLISH, SPANISH, and FRENCH.
— What operating system is the EPUBulator compatible with?
ANY. Windows, Mac, Linux, Ubuntu, Android, DOS, Commodore, Kaypro, Cray, iOS…
The EPUBulator only cares if you have InDesign, EPUB, or PDF files, plus MP3s. It doesn’t care what made them.
— Is this beta software?
NO. The EPUBulator is fully online production software that created all the readaloud ebooks for Typeflow’s clients, in English, Spanish, and French, since early 2023.
ALSO YES. This website interface (the part that helps you upload the files, not the part that does the actual work) is relatively new.
So there will be glitches in it?
There will absolutely be glitches in it.
— Can I get a more detailed look at what I need to provide?
SURE. The Instructions/Specs PDF is linked in a big red button at the top of most pages of the desktop site, including this one.
Other questions
— Do the picture books have to be simple?
NO! Tell us what you’re thinking and we’ll help you figure out what's sensible.
— Is there a word count limit on readaloud reflowables?
NOPE! We haven't done an encyclopedia yet, but that would be fun.
— Can I have interactive features, like vocabulary popups?
YES!
— Can it do other levels of highlighting, not just word-level?
SURE! Just no one's asked yet.
— My designer/audio person/ebook person wants to know a technical thing…
The Instructions/Specs PDF is linked in a big red button at the top of most pages of the desktop site, including this one.
— Do you offer accessibility features?
YES. That stuff is always evolving, so we've partnered with Laura Brady/Acme Books to keep on top of them.
— Can the EPUBulator handle entire backlists?
HECK YEAH! We looooove entire backlists!
— Can the EPUBulator make other, non-ebook products that use .smil (media overlay) files?
YEAH. For sure. Probably. I think. Maybe? Let’s talk.
