Openai/696d8ed5-9080-800d-b244-3df089f071b9

This conversation was exported from ChatGPT

gpt-5-2

User: My friend on Facebook asked this

My friend on Facebook asked this Who knows how to record Audibles? I want to do my own but I need help.

Assistant: Here’s a clear, non-judgmental reply you can post that both answers the question and keeps them out of trouble:

Here’s a clear, non-judgmental reply you can post that both answers the question and keeps them out of trouble:

Recording Audible audiobooks directly is not allowed (they’re DRM-protected and recording them violates Audible/Amazon’s terms and copyright law).

That said, there are legal ways to do what people usually mean when they ask this. It depends on what they want to accomplish:

That’s 100% allowed and pretty straightforward:

!https://m\.media\-amazon\.com/images/I/716T4UcOgDL\.jpg !https://manual\.audacityteam\.org/m/images/5/5e/audio\_settings\_dialog\_with\_usb\_input\.png !https://www\.reaper\.fm/v7img/ss\_persp\_v7\.jpg 4 What they need:

• A USB mic (Blue Yeti, Samson Q2U, Audio-Technica AT2020)
• Free software like Audacity (Windows/Mac) or GarageBand (Mac) or Reaper (paid but cheap)
• A quiet room + soft furnishings (closet works great)

Workflow:

1. Plug in mic
2. Record WAV/MP3
3. Light noise reduction
4. Export chapters

They must:

• Own the rights or
• Use public-domain books (Project Gutenberg, LibriVox)

Totally legal and common.

That’s not legal, even for “personal use.”

Audible files are DRM-locked and bypassing that can:

• Violate copyright law
• Get their Audible account banned
• Be illegal in some regions

If they want audio without Audible:

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• LibriVox – free human-read audiobooks (public domain)
• Text-to-Speech apps for ebooks they own
• Kindle’s built-in Text-to-Speech (if enabled)

If you want something quick and polite:

If you want, tell me:

• Are they trying to narrate something?
• Podcast style or full audiobook?
• Phone or computer?

I can give them a super simple starter setup.

User: She's an author

She's an author

Assistant: Perfect — then here’s a clean, supportive reply you can post that’s tailored exactly for an author and avoids any copyr…

Perfect — then here’s a clean, supportive reply you can post that’s tailored exactly for an author and avoids any copyright confusion:

If you’re an author, you don’t record through Audible itself 😊 You record your own audiobook and then upload it.

!https://www\.authorimprints\.com/wp\-content/uploads/2021/03/Home\-Recording\-Studio\-Featured\-Image\.jpg !https://images\.ctfassets\.net/f4cbid0mhigx/1Aq8RDW5EZbkbdVwwKmpQg/0ef91254515f8c390f6e759f41103782/adobestock\_2980931252\.jpeg !https://blog\.tcea\.org/wp\-content/uploads/2023/01/Theme\_Dark\.png 4

Simple author-friendly setup

Gear

• USB mic (Audio-Technica AT2020 USB, Samson Q2U, Blue Yeti)
• Headphones
• Quiet room / closet with clothes = great sound treatment

Software

• Audacity (free, Windows/Mac)
• GarageBand (Mac)
• Reaper (cheap, very good)

Recording

• Record chapter-by-chapter
• Save as WAV
• Light noise reduction + compression

How it gets on Audible

Authors publish audiobooks to Audible through ACX (Audiobook Creation Exchange).

ACX handles:

• Audible
• Amazon
• Apple Books (audiobooks)

She can:

• Narrate it herself
• Or hire a narrator
• Or split royalties

ACX has very specific audio requirements (RMS levels, noise floor, spacing), but Audacity presets make this manageable.

Ultra-short FB reply (pasteable)

If you’re an author, you record your own audiobook (mic + Audacity), then upload it to ACX, which distributes to Audible/Amazon. You don’t record Audible files directly.

If you want, I can:

• Recommend a mic based on her budget
• Share Audacity settings that pass ACX review
• Outline the exact ACX checklist so she avoids rejections

Just say the word 👍