PDF to audiobook: listen to any PDF as MP3 chapters
That 180-page report, the course reader or the public-domain novel you downloaded sits unread because you never have time to sit with a screen. Attach the PDF. Your todo.is agent pulls out the text, drops the page numbers, running headers and footnote clutter that ruin most text-to-speech, and turns it into MP3 chapters you can play on a walk.
The prompt
- Turn the attached PDF [ATTACH THE PDF] into an audiobook. Read [WHICH PARTS]. Before recording, clean the text: skip page numbers, running headers and footers, and the reference list; join words broken across lines; read footnotes [FOOTNOTES]; for tables and charts, say a one-sentence description instead of reading every cell. If the PDF is scanned, use OCR first. Voice: [VOICE]. Speed: [SPEED]. Make one MP3 per chapter, named with the number and title, and a combined MP3. Show me the first chapter's text before recording the rest.
What to change
- [ATTACH THE PDF]: Attach the PDF (up to 50 MB). Text PDFs work best; scans are read with OCR.
- [WHICH PARTS]: E.g. "the whole book", "chapters 3 to 7" or "pages 12–80, skip the appendix".
- [FOOTNOTES]: E.g. "at the end of each chapter", "right after the sentence" or "not at all".
- [VOICE]: E.g. "calm male British voice", "warm female American voice" or "a French voice" for a French PDF.
- [SPEED]: E.g. "normal", "slightly slow, it's dense" or "10% faster". You can also change speed in most players.
Example result
- Audiobook report: Urban_Forests_Report.pdf
- 184 pages · text PDF (no OCR needed) · English
- Text cleanup before recording
- • Removed 184 page numbers and the running header "Urban Forests 2026 | Chapter title"
- • Joined 1,120 words split with a hyphen at the end of a line ("tempera- ture" → "temperature")
- • Skipped the 14-page reference list and the index
- • Turned 31 citations like "(Moreau et al., 2021)" into nothing, so sentences flow
- • Read 22 footnotes at the end of each chapter, introduced as "Note 1"
- • Replaced 8 tables with short spoken summaries, e.g. "Table 3 compares canopy cover in six cities; Lisbon is highest"
- • Spelled out units and symbols: "°C" → "degrees Celsius", "km²" → "square kilometres"
- Chapters
- • 01 Introduction · 18 min
- • 02 Why cities lose trees · 41 min
- • 03 Heat, shade and health · 37 min
- • 04 Choosing the right species · 44 min
- • 05 Soil and water · 33 min
- • 06 Funding a planting program · 39 min
- • 07 Case studies · 52 min
- • 08 Measuring success · 29 min
- • 09 Conclusion and footnotes · 19 min
- Files
- • 01_Introduction.mp3 to 09_Conclusion.mp3, 128 kbps, play on any phone
- • Urban_Forests_Report_audiobook.mp3, all chapters in one file with a short pause between them
- • chapter_text.docx, the cleaned text, if you want to read along
- What PDFs work best
- • Text PDFs (you can select words): clean, accurate audio
- • Scanned PDFs: OCR first, then a quick check of the text, since faded pages can produce typos
- • Two-column papers: your agent reads each column in order, not straight across
- • Heavy maths or code: better summarized than read word by word
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and say which parts to read and the voice you like.
- Attach the PDF in todo.is, or send it to your agent on WhatsApp or Telegram with the prompt.
- Check the cleaned first chapter your agent shows you and reply "OK, go ahead" or ask for changes.
- Download the MP3s and play them in any music or podcast app. Ask your agent to email the files if that's easier.
Tips for a better result
- Always look at the cleaned text of one chapter first. It's the step that decides whether the audiobook sounds natural.
- Tell your agent how to say unusual names and terms, e.g. "say 'Quercus' as KWER-kus".
- For dense reports, a slightly slower voice is easier to follow than speeding through.
- Only convert PDFs you have the right to use, like your own documents, work reports, or public-domain and openly licensed books.
- Ask for a 10-minute spoken summary too, if you only need the main points before diving into the full listen.
PDF to audiobook: FAQ
- Can I convert a scanned PDF to an audiobook? Yes. Your agent runs OCR to get the text first. Check a page or two of the result, since blurry scans can cause misread words.
- How long does a PDF audiobook take to make? It depends on the length. A short report is usually ready in minutes; a full book takes longer because every chapter is recorded. Voice generation uses AI credits.
- Will it read page numbers and headers out loud? No. Your agent removes page numbers, running headers and footers, and the reference list before recording, unless you ask to keep them.
- Can it read a PDF in another language? Yes. Choose a voice for that language. It can also translate the text first and read the translation if you ask.
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