Listen to fanfic

1. Podfic: fans reading fic aloud

Podfic is fandom's own audiobook tradition: a fan records a work, usually with the author's permission, and shares it. A good podfic is a performance, with voices, timing and care. On AO3, look for the “Podfic” tag in your fandom. If one exists for a fic you love, start there, and leave the podficcer a comment. They rarely get enough.

2. Read-aloud on your phone or browser

Most phones and browsers can read a page out loud: Speak Screen on iPhone and iPad, Select to Speak on Android, Read Aloud in Microsoft Edge. They are free and work on any text, including an EPUB open in Apple Books. Voices vary in quality and you may need to keep the screen on.

3. Audiobooks on ao3.life

Every work here, all 15,831,236 of them, can be turned into an audiobook. Open a work and tap Listen now?

1. Preview free. Sign in with your email and hear the first three minutes free.
2. Like it? Buy the full audiobook. It is made chapter by chapter and yours to play from the work page, with the chapter list, next and previous, and a player that keeps going while you read.
3. Read and listen together. In the browser reader, “Listen from here” starts the audio at the chapter you're on.

ao3.life audiobooks are narrated by computer-generated voices, not recorded by people. They exist so any fic can be heard, including the thousands nobody has recorded. When a human podfic exists, it is a different and special thing.

Which should I pick?

	Best for	Cost
Podfic	A performed reading of a fic someone loved enough to record	Free
Phone read-aloud	Short fics, quick listening, any text	Free
ao3.life audiobook	Long fics with no podfic, listening in bed or on the move	Free preview, then paid

Finding something to listen to

Long, finished works make the best listening. Try a favourite trope, the biggest fandoms, or search for a fic you already know and hear it fresh.