Turn an ebook into a podcast about the book
Upload a DRM-free EPUB on Plus or Pro. Lissin reads the chapters in order and writes a podcast about the book, with one voice or two. It is not an audiobook.
The short answer
On Plus or Pro, upload a DRM-free EPUB to the Lissin iPhone app and say what the episode is for: one chapter explained, the book's argument tested by two voices, or its ideas set against another book. Lissin reads the chapters in order and writes a podcast from them. You get a discussion of the book, not an audiobook.
How to do it
Start from an EPUB without DRM
Lissin opens EPUB files and reads their chapters in the order the book sets. Many ebooks bought from a store are locked with DRM, and a locked book or chapter will not open. Kindle's own file formats are not accepted either. Books from Project Gutenberg, Standard Ebooks or a publisher that sells DRM-free files work, and so does a PDF of the book.
Keep the file under 20 MB
Uploads stop at 20 MB, and pictures make an EPUB large. Project Gutenberg's recommended EPUB3 of Pride and Prejudice is 23.7 MB, too big to upload; its EPUB without images is 595 kB and holds the same text, which is all Lissin reads.
Ask about a chapter, not the whole book
The whole book goes in, but an episode runs up to 15 minutes on Plus and 25 on Pro. Ask for a 300-page book in one go and you get a survey. Name the part you want: "chapter 6 only, and the two studies it relies on".
Choose the shape of the conversation
One narrator follows the book's own order. Two speakers can disagree: "one of you agrees with the author, the other has read the critics". You can also ask how the chapter holds up against what you already know.
At a glance
- Ebook format
- EPUB, chapter text in the book's reading order
- Who can upload
- Plus, 3 files a week, or Pro, 25 files a week. Not the free plan
- File size
- Up to 20 MB. Illustrated editions can be larger
- Locked books
- DRM-encrypted EPUBs and chapters do not open
- Pictures in the book
- Skipped. Only the chapter text is read
- Episode length
- Up to 15 minutes on Plus, 25 on Pro
- Speakers
- One narrator, or two
Hear what comes out
Shows already published on Lissin, free to play in the browser.
Questions
- Is this an audiobook?
- No. Lissin writes a script about the book and voices that. It does not read the book word for word. If you want every sentence read aloud, use the audiobook or a read-aloud app.
- Can I upload a Kindle book?
- Not in Kindle's own formats, and not when the book is locked with DRM. Use an EPUB without DRM, or a PDF.
- What happens to diagrams and photos in the ebook?
- They are skipped. Lissin reads the text of each chapter, so a chapter that depends on a chart will be missing that part. A scanned PDF of the same pages is different: a vision model reads it and describes diagrams in words.
- Can I make a series, one episode per chapter?
- Yes. Upload the book again for each episode and name the next chapter. Each upload counts against your weekly file allowance.
- Can I share the episode?
- A Lissin episode can be shared as a web link. An episode made from someone else's book is built on their work, so keep it for your own listening unless you have the right to share it.
What this does not do
Uploads need Plus or Pro. DRM-locked ebooks and Kindle's own formats cannot be opened, and pictures inside an EPUB are skipped. A whole book in one episode becomes a broad summary, because episodes run up to 15 minutes on Plus and 25 on Pro. The script interprets the book, so check any quotation against the text. Creating a show needs an iPhone on iOS 26 or later.
Sources
Make your own show, or hear a sample
Make a show from your topic or documents in the Lissin iPhone app (iOS 26 or later). Or listen to public shows in the web player without installing the app.
Last reviewed October 28, 2026 by Lissin Editorial.