How to edit metadata for Audiobooks in the Books app

Hmm ... Seems like this question will never be answered by Apple, but by a lot of users.

After a lot of research and testing my setup looks like this:

Software needed (only working on Mac)

AudioBookBinder (found for free in AppStore

Subler (found for free at subler.org)

Books (a part of the MacOS)

Procedure



1. Insert an MP3-CD or Audio-CD into the tray.
2. Start AudioBookBinder
3. Type the Author, title, genre and narrator in the respective boxes.
4. Click the "+" in lowe left corner and select the files on the CD. Be aware that if the files selected are numbered and is called ex. 1.mp3, 2.mp3 ... You should start by adding the first 9 files, the proceed by adding the next files up to 99 and then the files above 99. This if because of the alfabetising in AudioBookBinder. If You select all files at once you'll end up with an audiobook with wrong indexing. If Your CD contains files named 001.mp3, 002.mp3, 003.mp3 ... You just select all at once (if not exceeding 1000 files).
5. Select a cover by clicking the cover box and inserting a nice picture for your book either from your computer or the web. It looks nice and professional if You choose a square picture. I use GIMP that is a free graphics editor found on gimp.org (it's a bit hard in the beginning but there's a lot of help on the net).
6. Press the "Bind" button and now AudioBookBinder will convert Your audiobook with indexes and metadata as on Your CD, but in only one file containing the whole CD.
7. In Finder find the audiobook You just created and rename it to what You want.

Now You have a nice audiobook that You can put into Your Books app and it'll then be possible to syncronise it into Your iPad or iPhone by connecting Your device to Your Mac and syncronising audiobooks.

The audiobook is now awailable in the Books app on Your device.

If You are a bit more nerdy (as I am) You are not completely finished metatagging Your audiobook yet.

1. In finder You ctrl+click the audiobook You just created in AudioBookBinder and select open in Subler.
2. Now Subler will apear showing which streams are inside the file.
3. I switch the Language for the soundtrack to my language.
4. Then I add the missing annotations in the metadata so that it includes Name, Artist, Album Artist, Album, Comments (the narrator), Genre, Release Date (I only use the year), Track# (type 1/1), Description (or long description), Encoding Tool and Publisher. All these entries can be found by clicking "+" in the lower left corner.
5. If You wish to change or add more pictures to the file You can press the "Artwork" box and then add more or delete them there.
6. Press cmd+s and Your audiobook is now ready for adding to Books like mentioned above.

Before I found AudioBookBinder I used to make FFMPEG to encode and concatinate the files after making sure all files were containing legal timecode and then added chapters with Subler for every 5 minutes (automatic).

It took a lot of time to make all of that but this way You can make 10 audiobooks or more in 3 hours (depending on how fast Your drive and Mac is).

Question: If You should know how to make an audiobook be a part of a serie of books which annotations do You use then? For now I use "Hunter 10 Nemesis", but that looks foolish if you type "Hunter 1 Hunter"?

PS: Subler is also very usefull for metatagging movies, tv-shows, podcasts and music. It can also help You add Subs on Your video files and change the ranking order for which audiotrack the video player should choose etc. etc. etc ....

Have a nice day.