DEEP DIVE
Over-ear headphones on top of a stack of books.
🕒 Read time: 6 min | 📄 Word count: ~1,100
TL;DR
Turn public domain books into AI-narrated audiobooks
Sell them on platforms like Gumroad or Audible
Takes 2–3 hours to create… no mic, no studio, no voice required
Realistic potential: $1K–$3K/month with a repeatable process
Why This Works (and Why Now)
If you’re starting a side project without expertise or a pre-built skillset, this guide is for you
Audiobooks are booming.
📈 Global audiobook market = $6B+ and growing
🧠 AI voice tools = scary good (and cheap)
⚖️ Public domain books = legally free to reuse and resell
That means, there’s huge opportunity - if it wasn’t clear enough, there are numerous pockets in VIRTUALLY every genre, so find your niche/interest and go! (While we cover public domain in this edition, there are many, many ways to go about this).
This side hustle works because it combines:
Free source material
Low upfront costs
Automated AI voice tools
High-value content people already want to buy
It’s repeatable, scalable, and AI makes it easy to pull off solo.
LET’S BREAK IT DOWN 👇
Main Feature
Step-by-Step: Launch Your Audiobook Side Hustle 📚
Time: 2–3 hours/book
Cost: Free–$10
Difficulty: Easy
Step 1: Pick a Public Domain Book
Look for books that are:
Under 200 pages (short = faster to produce + better retention)
Evergreen or emotionally resonant topics (ex: Stoicism, personal growth, parenting, love letters)
Fully public domain (published before 1928 in the US, or check copyright status)
📚 Top sources to browse:
Project Gutenberg → Filter by “Top 100 Downloads”
Standard Ebooks → Beautiful formatting, ready for narration
LibriVox → Explore by genre + see what’s already working
🧠 Shortcut:
Use ChatGPT with this prompt:
“Give me a list of 5 public domain books that are under 150 pages and emotionally compelling.”
Then, paste your chosen book into ChatGPT and ask:
“Summarize this book into 5 digestible chapters with titles.”
Step 2: Use AI to Narrate the Book
This is where the magic happens.
🧰 Recommended tools:
ElevenLabs: Most natural-sounding voices, wide emotional range
PlayHT: Clean UI, commercial use included in all plans
Descript: Great if you want light edits or visual versions
🎙️ Process:
Split your text into logical chapters (500–1,000 words per chunk)
Choose your AI voice (male/female, calm, assertive, etc.)
Paste in the text and generate audio
Download each chapter as its own .mp3
🧠 Pro tip:
Use ChatGPT to rewrite each chapter slightly to sound more “spoken” — ex:
“Rewrite this for a friendly spoken tone, like a podcast.”
Optional: Add soft royalty-free background music using a tool like Audacity.
Step 3: Package It Professionally
A clean presentation = more trust = more sales.
🎨 Cover art:
Use Canva with audiobook templates
Or generate with Midjourney or Ideogram.ai
Prompt:
“Minimalist audiobook cover for ‘The Art of War’ with dark tones and ancient vibe”
📄 Product description:
Ask ChatGPT:
“Write a compelling product description for this audiobook in a persuasive, benefit-focused tone.”
🧰 Packaging checklist:
✅ MP3 files titled clearly: 01_ChapterTitle.mp3
✅ Add a short intro file (you speaking or generated: “Thanks for purchasing...”)
✅ Zip all MP3s or organize them into a Gumroad playlist
✅ Include a .txt file with book summary and license (optional but adds value)
Step 4: Upload & Sell
Start with Gumroad or Payhip for speed. ACX (Audible) is great, but slower approval.
🎯 Gumroad Setup:
Upload your ZIP or audio playlist
Add your cover art, description, price (start at $4.99–$9.99)
Use tags like
audiobook,philosophy,mindfulness,public domainEnable affiliate marketing so others can promote it
🎯 Payhip Tips:
Use discount codes to drive urgency
Offer bundles (ex: “3-book Stoicism Bundle – Save 25%”)
📦 ACX Option (Audible):
Must meet strict quality standards
Takes 1–2 weeks for review
Use Descript or Auphonic to meet ACX volume/loudness specs
Step 5: Promote (Using AI Too)
Now it’s time to market — without becoming a full-time creator.
🪄 AI-powered promotion strategy:
ChatGPT – Write:
3 TikTok hooks
2 LinkedIn post drafts
1 launch email sequence
1 product page FAQ
CapCut or Pictory – Create:
Short quote clips from your audiobook
Add subtitles, background music, & the book cover
Buffer or Typefully – Schedule:
Social content 2–3x/week to drive traffic
Recycle top-performing posts monthly
Landing page (optional):
🧲 Traffic booster ideas:
Share behind-the-scenes of the audiobook process
Post voice samples to Reddit in niche communities
List on discovery sites like ProductHunt or Hacker News
Realistic Earnings Breakdown
Let’s talk numbers.
🎧 Sell one audiobook at $9.99 and:
100 sales/month → $999/month
250 sales/month → $2,497/month
500 sales/month → $4,995/month
Here’s what you can expect based on effort:
Effort Level | # Books | Monthly Income |
|---|---|---|
Beginner | 1–3 | $250–$1K |
Intermediate | 5–10 | $1K–$3K |
Advanced | 10+ | $3K–$5K+ |
This is a snowball effect; the more books you publish, the more you earn without more hours.
Mini Case Study: Sarah’s First $500
Sarah, a stay-at-home mom with zero tech or voiceover experience, used ElevenLabs to narrate “The Art of War” and listed it on Gumroad for $4.99. In 6 weeks, she earned $500 from 150 sales — and now has 3 audiobooks earning while she sleeps.
She used:
Free public domain content
AI narration
Canva for cover design
Gumroad for sales
🎯 Proof that this can work in real life.
BEFORE YOU GO
Want My Swipe File?
I put together everything you need to launch fast:
✅ ElevenLabs voice settings
✅ Product description templates
✅ Notion tracker to manage your audiobook workflow
Reply with “AUDIO” and I’ll send it to you.
Or leave a comment: What book would you turn into an audiobook?
🧰 Bonus Tool of the Week
🎧 AudiobookMaker
Turn any PDF into a narrated audiobook on your desktop, even if fully offline.
What’s Next?
Want me to break down PDF farming or AI YouTube channels in the next edition?
👉 Reply and let me know what you’re curious about.
Enjoyed this issue?
Forward it to a friend who’s curious about AI side hustles
Or grab the swipe file and start building
A Final Note
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"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."
— Arthur Ashe
ROB LARA
Creator of ZeroToAI 🤖 - a weekly guide built for busy people who want to actually use AI to get more done and maybe even enjoy it.
Every tip is field-tested (sometimes obsessively) so readers can skip the overwhelm and get straight to results.
On a mission to help others create passive income and freedom through AI.
