Are you looking for a new literary genre? Light novel audiobooks may be just what you need.

Light novel audiobooks & text to speech

You can read many types of books and stories as an alternative form of entertainment to TV shows and movies. Light novels are among the best options. They tell a fast-paced story without compromising on character development and exciting plot twists. But how does this help someone who’s busy or has dyslexia or other reading comprehension difficulties? TTS software programs or TTS readers can read books back to you using high-quality voices and accurate pronunciation. It’s a great way to get through your favorite stories if reading is hard or you don’t have the time.

What is a light novel?

Light novels emerged in Japan in the 1970s. This subcultural literary trend displays similarities to Western pulp novels and Japanese manga works. The main characteristic of a light novel, or raito noberu, is the short story format that rarely goes over 50,000 words. Additionally, light novels explore topics popular with teenagers and young adults. Early light novels provided enough entertainment for teens and adolescents to read while commuting. Due to their popularity, editors and publishers began mass-producing the easy-to-read stories.

How do light novels differ from manga?

Manga is an old form of graphic storytelling dating back to the 19th century in Japan, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that it gained global popularity. Publishers release it in various forms. They either collect multiple chapters with individual stories and publish a complete volume or a long volume without specific chapters. Printed in black-and-white, manga volumes cover a wide range of genres. Light novels have narrower genre coverage as most stories contain topics that appeal to the younger generation. Although manga works focus on narrative and character development, light novels take this to the next level. The plot of light novels develops slower because the story is much longer than a manga story. Despite containing sporadic manga-style illustrations, light novels invest more into the narrative and use images to appease manga enthusiasts. Nevertheless, the graphics have fewer details than manga works. Another important distinction is that light novels don’t have as much dialogue as manga, preferring to use character and setting disposition to move the narrative along. The structure and format of the two also differ. For example, manga is similar to a Western comic book or graphic novel. In contrast, light novels use novella formatting and add illustrations. There are some differences regarding audiences, too, with manga appealing to all genders, while light novels are more popular among girls and young women.

Some of the best light novels available today

Have a look at some top-rated light novels to understand why their popularity has grown exponentially since the 1970s and how they differ from manga works.

• Haruhi Suzumiya Series – This light novel series published its first title, “The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya,” in 2003. It contains 12 volumes released between 2003 and 2020. The series is largely responsible for the growing global popularity of light novels. The plot revolves around a high school club and contains everything you could want, from aliens to time travel to supernatural phenomena interfering in the lives of teenagers at high school.
• Monogatari Series – Japanese light novel fans praise the Monogatari Series for having the right balance of science fiction elements, character development, mystery, and regular human drama. The series features teenager Koyomi Araragi, his high school friends, and the evil spirits that often possess them.
• Sword Art Online – Often referred to as SAO, this light novel series contains five parts based around a virtual reality online game called SAO. It follows the trials and tribulations of a group of players that become trapped in the VR environment. If you’re a “Ready Player One” fan, this will be an excellent introduction to the light novel genre.
• A Certain Magical Index – This is one of Japan’s longest-running light novel series, reaching 50 total volumes in 2020. The action takes place in a fictional version of Tokyo and depicts the conflict between advanced technology and supernatural elements.

A new way to read light novels – The Speechify text to speech reader

Unlike many manga works that receive complete animation series and anime movies, light novels typically remain in a hard copy or paperback format. Although some are available as audiobooks on Amazon, Kindle, or Audible, many don’t have alternatives to physical copies. Granted, the illustrations are great, but it isn’t easy to immerse yourself into a light novel at times. This is where text to speech (TTS) technology comes into play. TTS readers like Speechify turn written text into natural-sounding voice narration, basically putting books on tape. A 50,000-word light novel can be an audiobook you can listen to on an iPhone, iPad, or Android mobile device. Alternatively, you can listen via your browser while working out at home, cleaning, or performing other tasks. Speechify can convert various text files like HTML, Microsoft Word documents, Google Docs, and PDFs into high-quality audio files in multiple audio formats. Therefore, you can turn any digital or hard copy light novel into an audiobook and control the voice output and playback speed on Apple or any other devices in the browser. Human voice narration, support for many languages, and English dialects provide a more immersive experience with any light novel story. It can bring characters to life and help you consume more content than you would by reading. Try Speechify from your chosen app store and experience your favorite light novel in a different way.

FAQ

What are the pros and cons of light novels?

Light novels often don’t have audiobooks and can be time-consuming without a text to speech reader, especially for dyslexic users. However, they are shorter than novels and have more complex and richer stories than graphic novels and manga.

What is the name of the app you can use to get text to speech for free?

You can try Speechify’s free trial for a complete premium user experience to see how TTS readers work before committing to a plan.

How many episodes are in a light novel series?

Light novel stories average at about 50,000 words, with each series having multiple volumes. The longest series has 50 volumes.

Can I find light novels on Audible?

Audible has a poor selection of light novels, so using a TTS reader like Speechify is better for turning any light novel into an audiobook.