Can Alexa Read Books? We Did the Research

written by

Doug Stevenson

updated September 18, 2023

Alexa has grown to become one of the most widely used and trusted AI voice assistants of the present. And how good it would be if it could read you books?

Turns out that you can do so if you know what you're getting yourself into. In this article, we will go through the many nuances associated with enabling Alexa to narrate books.

Yes, Alexa can read books. To do this, enable the Kindle Assistive Reader feature on the Alexa app and you're good to go. Once you have done so, access the many titles from the Kindle library to start the narration. Note that Alexa does not narrate graphic novels.

Alternatively, you could use Audible to listen to a vast number of audiobooks.

Keep reading for more information on how to get your Alexa to read out books.

Use Alexa to Read Your Kindle Books

Kindle devices have a feature called Kindle Assistive Reader that is capable of converting text to speech. In other words, it enables Kindle Readers to read out to you.

And you can get this to work even if you prefer to read books offline on Kindle.

You can control Alexa with commands given over voice. This feature is designed to support customers with reading Kindle books.

Even if you do not have a dedicated Alexa device like Amazon Echo for reading books to you, you can use an Android or iOS smartphone to listen to Alexa’s narration by using the Alexa app.

If you want to listen to your books while connected to a dedicated device like Amazon Echo, you have to first connect the service to the smart speaker.

Once that is done, you can proceed to command the virtual assistant to read the book that you want.

However, if the source is Audible books, the reading will most likely be done by professional narrators that come with an Audible subscription.

But with the Kindle books, the reading is done by Alexa itself.

If you have multiple Amazon devices, you will have to choose the voice of Alexa if they are configured differently for each device.

Perquisites to Make Alexa Read a Book

The primary requirement for Alexa to read a book would be to turn on Kindle Assistive Reader in Alexa.

If this is the first time that you are using the read-aloud function of Alexa, confirm that Kindle Assistive Reader is turned on before proceeding.

Once enabled for your Amazon account, Alexa will remember your choice.

Enable Kindle Assistive Reader on Alexa

To enable Kindle Assistive Reader for Alexa, follow the steps given below:

To manually turn on the assistive reader feature, launch the Alexa app.
Go to ‘More’ and then to ‘Settings’.
Navigate to ‘Accessibility.
Here, you can turn on this feature.

Alexa-enabled devices have the Kindle Assistive Reader feature turned on by default.

Make Alexa Read a Book Using Voice Commands

Alexa can take commands from you to initiate reading books. As in the case of Alexa reading a Bible, voice commands will help to attain a similar outcome - read books to you.

Even while narrating, there are a bunch of commands that you can give the virtual assistant.

Here are a few commands that you can give Alexa to get it to read books:

Voice Command	Result
“Alexa, read [title]."	Read the chosen book using text-to-voice.
“Alexa, read my book."	Read the book you listened to most recently.
"Alexa, read [title] from Audible."	Play the chosen audiobook with Audible narration.

Alexa Voice Commands

How to Have Alexa Read a Kindle Book

To get Alexa to read your Kindle books, follow the steps given below:

On your smartphone, download and launch the Alexa app.
Tap on the ‘Play’ button located at the bottom of the screen.
Scroll down to find your Kindle Library.
Tap on ‘Settings’ on your Kindle device and then navigate to ‘All Settings’.
Select ‘Your Account’ and sign in with your Amazon credentials.
Now, tap on the book that you want Alexa to read.
If you have multiple devices, select the one you want from the drop-down menu.
Alexa will start reading your book immediately.

Keep in mind that Alexa might not be able to read all the books in your Kindle library.

Amazon officially claims that Alexa can only read books purchased from the Kindle store or the ones borrowed from the Amazon Lending Library or Prime reading.

Actions You Can Perform While Alexa Reads a Book

This section is dedicated to actions or commands that you can give Alexa while it reads a book.

Alexa can pause, stop or restart the book that is being narrated.

You can also slow down or speed up the rate of narration, set or cancel a timer for Alexa to stop reading, and much more. But be cautious to not Ask Alexa anything rude while in the process!

Here is a list of commands that you can give Alexa while you read a book:

Voice Command	Result
"Alexa, pause."	Pause narration.
"Alexa, resume."	Resume narration.
"Alexa, go forward [seconds/minutes]."	Skip ahead to the chosen amount of time.
"Alexa, go back [seconds/minutes]."	Rewind back the chosen amount of time.
"Alexa, next chapter."	Skip ahead to the next chapter.
"Alexa, previous chapter."	Go back to the last chapter.
"Alexa, read faster."	Speed up the narration.
"Alexa, read slower."	Slow down the narration.
"Alexa, read at normal speed."	Resume the default narration speed.
"Alexa, stop reading in # minutes."	Set a sleep timer for the chosen time.
"Alexa, switch profiles."	Change to a different user account when listening to Audible narration.
"Alexa, what's free from Audible?"	Learn about free audiobooks.
"Alexa, start an Audible trial."	Begin an Amazon Audible free trial.
"Alexa, buy [title]."	Purchase the chosen ebook.
"Alexa, buy [title] from Audible."	Purchase the chosen audiobook.

Alexa Commands pertaining to Reading

How to Get Books for Alexa to Read

All Kindle books that support text-to-speech can be narrated by Alexa. However, Alexa does not narrate graphic novels.

A vast majority of books on the Kindle store support text-to-speech technology, so you don't have to worry about messing it up when it comes to selecting the right books.

Books purchased from the Kindle Store, borrowed from the Kindle Owners Lending Library, Kindle Unlimited, or Prime reading will most likely work with Alexa.

All you have to steer clear of are graphic novels and Mangas.

Alternatively, Use Audible to Listen to Audiobooks

Now, if you prefer to listen to audiobooks and not rely completely on Alexa, you can access individual audiobooks from the Audible website, the Audible app, or Amazon.com.

Audible content can be played and controlled through Alexa. To find an audiobook, open the Alexa app and tap on the ‘Play’ icon.

Swipe down the ‘Entertainment screen’ and you can swipe through the thumbnails of the books listed in the Audible Library.

If you have a subscription to Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited, you already have access to some audiobooks. Look out for the ‘Listen For Free’ title when you browse for content.

Also, it is possible to add narration to your e-Books that you have already purchased from Amazon. To do this, follow the steps below:

Go to the Amazon website and log in to your account.
Select ‘Account & Lists’ located at the top of the Amazon home page.
Select ‘Your devices and content’ and then ‘Manage Digital Content’.
Click on the ellipses beside the book you want to add narration.
Select ‘Add narration’ on the pop-up window.

Final Thoughts

The narration feature of Alexa helps you multitask and gets you through your day quicker and smarter.

The ability to seamlessly switch between devices like Kindle, Amazon Echo, or your smartphone is a really cool bonus. Alexa will start reading from where it last left off on any device.

Hope this article has helped you become aware of the capabilities of Alexa in terms of the narration feature.

Have a good day.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can Alexa read PDF books?

Yes, Alexa is capable of reading all e-Books as long as they were purchased through Amazon or the Kindle Store.

Why will Alexa not read my book?

If Alexa is not reading a book or a piece of document, first, check the file type. Alexa won't read digital magazines and graphic novels. Also, make sure Alexa is connected and synced to your Amazon account before proceeding.

How do I get Alexa to say something?

You can simply say “Alexa, Simon says” followed by the phrase you want Alexa to repeat. The phrase will be repeated word for word.

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