epub2mp3/README.md

# ePub to MP3 Converter

This script converts an ePub file into an MP3 audiobook using macOS's built-in `say` command for text-to-speech synthesis and `ffmpeg` to convert AIFF files to MP3. The MP3 files are saved in a directory named after the ePub file, in the same directory where you run the script.

## Requirements

- macOS
- Python 3.6 or higher
- `ffmpeg` installed and available in the system's PATH

## Python Dependencies

The Python dependencies are listed in the `requirements.txt` file and can be installed with:

```bash
pip install -r requirements.txt
```

## Setting the Default System Voice

The script uses the default system voice for text-to-speech synthesis. You can change the default system voice by following these steps:

1. Open System Preferences (click the Apple menu in the top left and select 'System Preferences...').
2. Click 'Accessibility'.
3. From the list on the left, select 'Speech'.
4. You can choose the system voice from the 'System Voice:' dropdown menu. I prefer 'Siri (Voice 2)'. 
5. You can also adjust the speaking rate.

Remember to close and reopen your preferred Terminal app after making these changes if you're running the script from Terminal.

## Usage

```bash
python epub2mp3.py <epub_file>
```

Replace `<epub_file>` with the name of your ePub file. Each chapter will be outputted as a separate MP3 file.