TTSReader — Turn ebooks into listenable audiobooks

A low-cost local-first TTS reader for people who read for hours.

Problem

Reading text ebooks strains the eyes, and while TTS exists, the free voices are unbearable and self-hosting a model means dealing with chapter splitting, headers, footnotes, and playback state yourself. LLM-grade TTS sounds great now but there is no ready-made app that strings it all together and remembers where you stopped.

Solution

A local-first reader that imports epub/pdf/txt, splits chapters automatically, strips headers/footnotes, and synthesizes audio through switchable local or cloud TTS backends with caching. It supports resume-from-last-position, chapter bookmarks, variable speed, a reading queue, and export to standard audiobook files.

Users

Students and researchers reading for long hours, commuters and drivers, and older readers with weak eyesight.

MVP

Import epub/txt and split chapters; wire up 2-3 TTS backends (local + cloud); cache audio and resume playback; chapter bookmarks and background listening; export m4b/mp3.

Revenue

Free local tier plus a subscription for cloud TTS credits and batch export; one-time Pro buyout for multi-device sync and a custom pronunciation dictionary.

Why now

Open TTS just crossed the 'actually listenable' bar and local inference is cheap, yet few apps connect cleaning, splitting, synthesis, and resume into one flow — a good single-founder gap.