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Chapter Editing

Chapters are what make audiobooks special. They allow listeners to navigate directly to specific parts of the book. AudioPie provides powerful chapter editing tools.

Understanding Chapters​

Each chapter in AudioPie has:

PropertyDescription
TitleThe chapter name shown in players
Start TimeWhen the chapter begins (calculated automatically)
End TimeWhen the chapter ends (calculated automatically)

Chapters are sequential and continuous — the end of one chapter is the start of the next.

Automatic Chapter Generation​

When you add tracks, AudioPie automatically creates chapters:

Track: 01 - Introduction.mp3 (5:30)
  → Chapter: "01 - Introduction" (0:00 - 5:30)

Track: 02 - Chapter One.mp3 (15:00)
  → Chapter: "02 - Chapter One" (5:30 - 20:30)

Track: 03 - Chapter Two.mp3 (12:30)
  → Chapter: "03 - Chapter Two" (20:30 - 33:00)

Editing Chapter Titles​

Quick Edit​

  1. Navigate to the Chapters tab
  2. Click on any chapter title
  3. Type the new title
  4. Press Enter or click outside to save

Batch Rename​

For consistent naming, consider a pattern like:

  • Chapter 1: The Beginning
  • Chapter 2: First Steps
  • Prologue, Epilogue, Afterword

Reordering Chapters​

warning

Reordering chapters does NOT reorder the audio. The audio sequence is determined by the track list. Chapter reordering only affects chapter markers.

To change both audio and chapter order:

  1. Go to the Tracks panel
  2. Reorder the tracks (drag and drop)
  3. Chapters will automatically update

Chapter Timing​

Chapter times are calculated based on cumulative track durations:

Chapter 1: 0:00:00 - 0:05:30  (Track 1 duration)
Chapter 2: 0:05:30 - 0:20:30  (Track 1 + Track 2)
Chapter 3: 0:20:30 - 0:33:00  (Track 1 + Track 2 + Track 3)

The times are displayed in HH:MM:SS format for easy reference.

Advanced Chapter Operations​

Merging Chapters​

While AudioPie doesn't directly merge chapters, you can achieve this by:

  1. Renaming chapters to have the same conceptual grouping
  2. Or, merging the source MP3 files before importing

Custom Chapter Points​

Currently, chapters are 1:1 with tracks. For custom chapter points within a single track:

  1. Use an audio editor to split the track
  2. Import the split files as separate tracks
  3. Name them appropriately

Very Long Tracks​

If you have a single long audio file:

  1. Consider splitting it into logical chapters
  2. Use tools like mp3splt or Audacity
  3. Import the resulting files

Best Practices​

Chapter Naming​

Good chapter names are:

  • ✅ Descriptive and meaningful
  • ✅ Consistent in format
  • ✅ Not too long (50 characters or less)

Avoid:

  • ❌ Generic names like "Track 1", "Part A"
  • ❌ Filenames with extensions
  • ❌ Very long descriptions

Number of Chapters​

  • Short books: 5-15 chapters
  • Medium books: 15-30 chapters
  • Long books: 30-50+ chapters

Too many very short chapters can be annoying for listeners.

How Players Display Chapters​

Different audiobook players display chapters differently:

PlayerChapter Display
Apple BooksChapter list, seek bar markers
AudiobookshelfChapter list with timing
Smart AudioBook PlayerDropdown chapter selector
PrologueChapter list, tap to seek

Troubleshooting​

Chapters Don't Match Audio​

  • Ensure tracks are in the correct order
  • Check track durations are reading correctly
  • Rebuild the project

Chapter Times Are Wrong​

  • Check if any track has incorrect duration
  • Try removing and re-adding problematic tracks
  • Ensure FFmpeg is working correctly (Settings)

Chapters Not Showing in Player​

Some players need to:

  • Re-scan the library
  • Re-import the audiobook
  • Update their database