App is immediately useful.
I downloaded this yesterday, subscribed to the basic yearly subscription (which isn’t that bad in price). I uploaded a word document from my laptop’s web browser, opened it on my phone, selected a voice, and simply hit play. It was pretty fast for first time setup. It synced with my phone audio so I didn’t have to keep the screen open, and I was able to use other apps, close the screen, walk around. I’m sure I could hook it up to my car or headphones. I paused to make edits as I listened and got through a bulk of my document in a few hours. Then I downloaded the edits from my laptop in word format with comments, applied the changes to my manuscript, and uploaded a new word document for a second round. The document is easy to scroll left and right through several chapters with a timeline at the bottom of the screen. Not sure if I saw a search function or not but one would be useful. It’s pretty simplistic in that it creates plain text without visible formatting. I haven’t used the beta reader finder yet but I imagine it’s equally as simple. I did glance at it and noticed it was active, so I might give it a try. Overall great app. I think I’m gonna get a ton of use out of it.
Edit: figured out how to jump between paragraphs using the arrow symbols at the bottom, so there is a way to do that. Also the scrollbar on the bottom shows the chapter. I’m a few days in and think this is a great app.
Edit: figured out how to jump between paragraphs using the arrow symbols at the bottom, so there is a way to do that. Also the scrollbar on the bottom shows the chapter. I’m a few days in and think this is a great app.
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App is immediately useful.
I downloaded this yesterday, subscribed to the basic yearly subscription (which isn’t that bad in price). I uploaded a word document from my laptop’s web browser, opened it on my phone, selected a voice, and simply hit play. It was pretty fast for first time setup. It synced with my phone audio so I didn’t have to keep the screen open, and I was able to use other apps, close the screen, walk around. I’m sure I could hook it up to my car or headphones. I paused to make edits as I listened and got through a bulk of my document in a few hours. Then I downloaded the edits from my laptop in word format with comments, applied the changes to my manuscript, and uploaded a new word document for a second round.
The document is easy to scroll left and right through several chapters with a timeline at the bottom of the screen. Not sure if I saw a search function or not but one would be useful. It’s pretty simplistic in that it creates plain text without visible formatting. No breaking it up into chapters, but I think that’s better because the goal is to get it uploaded/downloaded as fast as possible. I think the one thing about the interface that could be adjusted is the word select function. You can tap on a word to stop there and make your comment, but it’s hard to hit the word I want, and I usually have to poke the screen a few times, hit play and then pause before I go too far, then write my comment. If there were a function to go back/forward word by word (maybe there is and I’m just missing it) it would speed up that process. It’s really not a dealbreaker for me though.
I haven’t used the beta reader finder yet but I imagine it’s equally as simple. I did glance at it and noticed it was active, so I might give it a try. I also believe I could share things with my friends who are more likely to listen to something than spend hours reading it.
Overall great app. I think I’m gonna get a ton of use out of it.
The document is easy to scroll left and right through several chapters with a timeline at the bottom of the screen. Not sure if I saw a search function or not but one would be useful. It’s pretty simplistic in that it creates plain text without visible formatting. No breaking it up into chapters, but I think that’s better because the goal is to get it uploaded/downloaded as fast as possible. I think the one thing about the interface that could be adjusted is the word select function. You can tap on a word to stop there and make your comment, but it’s hard to hit the word I want, and I usually have to poke the screen a few times, hit play and then pause before I go too far, then write my comment. If there were a function to go back/forward word by word (maybe there is and I’m just missing it) it would speed up that process. It’s really not a dealbreaker for me though.
I haven’t used the beta reader finder yet but I imagine it’s equally as simple. I did glance at it and noticed it was active, so I might give it a try. I also believe I could share things with my friends who are more likely to listen to something than spend hours reading it.
Overall great app. I think I’m gonna get a ton of use out of it.
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Fine
It’s got great features but it really lacks it’s title feature. There are selections of text-to-speech options however they are all heavily computerised — think Bonzi Buddy. I’m struggling to figure out what’s being said.
Aside from that it has a lot of potential and fun features.
Aside from that it has a lot of potential and fun features.
I use this app constantly and it only deserves 2 stars
I love this app for the voices, the speed customization and its overall utility and function, once you can get a document loaded in.
However, the interface between the application itself and trying to load documents from google drive is so offensively bad, so infuriating, and tedious and redundant, that I will put off editing a new project with this application for weeks, because I don't think I can emotionally handle the frustration. Linking the accounts, as far as I can tell, has zero effect. You still have to sign in and verify that it's alright for the app to access drive about 4 times and then you only have access to a very limited curated list on drive, and as of this most recent update, it really seems to have removed the ability to access the rest of drive and added another right of "are you sure???" and then either pick from the list or choose one of the different ways to accidentally close drive and start the whole process over again.
However, the interface between the application itself and trying to load documents from google drive is so offensively bad, so infuriating, and tedious and redundant, that I will put off editing a new project with this application for weeks, because I don't think I can emotionally handle the frustration. Linking the accounts, as far as I can tell, has zero effect. You still have to sign in and verify that it's alright for the app to access drive about 4 times and then you only have access to a very limited curated list on drive, and as of this most recent update, it really seems to have removed the ability to access the rest of drive and added another right of "are you sure???" and then either pick from the list or choose one of the different ways to accidentally close drive and start the whole process over again.
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Help!
I forgot my password for edit out loud. I have clicked on reset password ten times and have never received a link to reset password.
Best editing tool I have ever had!
This app makes editing my books so much easier. If you’re not using EditOutLoud for your manuscripts you are wasting too much time. This cuts down on my editing time like I have never thought possible. The makers of this app probably don’t even know that they have given me a real voice writing because of this app. I’m able to edit myself before I send my material to a real editor which saves me time and money
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So useful!
This is so easy to use and super useful.
Day 2 and love it
I played yesterday with voices and speed and a small section. Today I paid for the monthly. Why? Between co-writer and I we have each looked at the two sections lover a dozen times. Hearing it was the first time I noticed repeated words, wrong word or missing word. Well worth the download and price. The only drawback is the voices are a bit stilted but that is to be expected.so nothing major.
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What happened to this app?
This was my favorite writing app and today when I went to upload new documents, the online version isn’t syncing up to my phone app; I can’t open the GDocs to import files from the app, either.
I use this app to listen to my current work in progress on the go during my commute and I’m not finding a way to sync my document library—plus it keeps logging me out versus keeping me logged in.
My desktop is working fine but there’s no point to this app if it doesn’t sync?
Please revert it to what it was just a mere week ago. Whatever latest update drastically broke the functionality of this app for me. Thank you.
I use this app to listen to my current work in progress on the go during my commute and I’m not finding a way to sync my document library—plus it keeps logging me out versus keeping me logged in.
My desktop is working fine but there’s no point to this app if it doesn’t sync?
Please revert it to what it was just a mere week ago. Whatever latest update drastically broke the functionality of this app for me. Thank you.
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Response from developer
Hi Liza, thanks for the feedback. Sorry you had this experience. Unfortunately this bug appeared for some users one or two versions ago in the app. It’s since been fixed. I hope you can enjoy the app again. Reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Totally worth the subscription cost!
I’ve been using this app for a few months now for my writing projects, and after using it every day I decided to purchase the subscription, which has been a fantastic upgrade, since I can listen to longer strings of my project and edit multiple projects at a time.
I’ve run into some hiccups here and there but the developer has been very responsive (and very friendly I might add!)
If you are working any long form media, like a book or article, and like me, you’re eyes tend to gloss over after the 3rd or 4th read through, I highly recommend giving this app a try.
I’ve run into some hiccups here and there but the developer has been very responsive (and very friendly I might add!)
If you are working any long form media, like a book or article, and like me, you’re eyes tend to gloss over after the 3rd or 4th read through, I highly recommend giving this app a try.
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This app has the "write" stuff
I've been using the text to speech function on my computer to read my novels out loud when I was editing, but found it clunky and not user-friendly, so I was thrilled to find Edit Out Loud on a Google search. It has made the revision process much more streamlined, helped me catch redundancies, inconsistencies, typos, and plot holes I wouldn't have seen otherwise. This app was definitely designed by a real writer! Being able to share an audio version of my novel with Beta readers is ingenious.
I'd highly recommend it to all my fellow writers.
I'd highly recommend it to all my fellow writers.
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Privacy policy
I read the privacy policy and have decided not to use. It actually states:
”The owner does not provide a list of Personal Data types collected.”
And reading further it seems that they can take anything you put on the app, for any use, sending it to any country they wish. Huh. No thanks.
”The owner does not provide a list of Personal Data types collected.”
And reading further it seems that they can take anything you put on the app, for any use, sending it to any country they wish. Huh. No thanks.
Response from developer
Thanks for your feedback. I want to be 100% clear. As the founder of this app (and an author) I developed it make the lives of authors easier while editing their work. Edit Out Loud will NEVER share authors’ proprietary documents or personal info with anyone. (As a result of this review, I’ve already added that in layman’s terms to the top of the privacy policy). An author can choose to share audio with Beta readers, but that is it. As far as collecting data...Though the line you quoted “the owner does not provide a list of Personal Data types collected” is in the privacy policy, the next line says “complete details of each type of personal data collected are provided in the dedicated sections of this privacy policy or by specific explanations of texts prior to data collection.” I know, legalese isn’t fun... but it means you as a user will always be informed of any data collected (either in the privacy policy, or in-app experience). However, in our case, the only personal data we currently store is your email and password used to create and access your account (and the password is hashed so we can’t see it). We also store the document text, otherwise the app wouldn’t work :) but we will never share it without your permission. I hope this helps, and sorry if our privacy policy gave you the wrong idea. I’ve already added a special note at the top of the privacy policy that mirrors what is written above. Thanks for your feedback and prompting me to make our stance on privacy more clear.
Great Tool for Writers
A great app! Simple to use and an effective way to edit your novel on the move... upload your document, go for a walk and listen as you stroll. You can flag your changes and then edit later👌
Saved Tons Time Editing my Novel
I can’t begin to quantify how many hours this app saved me. I used this app to edit my entire 130k word novel. I was able to listen and add comments on my way to work, which was much easier than trying to find time to pick through chapters after work. Then, when I got back to my computer, all the notes and comments I’d left for myself were there waiting for me so I could address them quickly. The fact that I’d catch things listening that I missed when reading and could share my book’s audio with beta readers and download their comments was icing on the cake!
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Pointless app.
Sure you can listen to your novel for errors but you can’t edit it. No keyboard pops up. You can’t delete comments. The voices are the common voices in any text to speech application. I’ll stick to other text to speech apps that actually allow me to edit my work. I was very disappointed because it sounded Iike a good idea.
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Response from developer
Thank you for the feedback. We initially designed the app as a tool to let you listen on the go, add comments, then sync those comments to a Word doc so you can edit later. If we continue to receive requests to allow editing capabilities, we’ll look into adding them. For now, if you’re looking to edit your draft from your phone or a tablet, the Google Docs app is a great, free, alternative. Thank you for giving our app a try.
iOS App Can’t Access iCloud or Pages Documents
What’s the point?
Response from developer
Sorry you didn’t find the app useful. We initially focused on writers so we prioritized uploading from platforms they use most often (e.g. Word, Google Docs) we’ll definitely look into iCloud access too. Thanks for the feedback.
Great idea, but it needs some work.
My first thoughts when I found this app were, “Finally! An app to make editing easier! And it’s free!”. While it’s true that it’s free and helps with editing, I still have a couple complaints.
First of all, I think the pausing feature is a bit off. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but when I press pause it seems quick and hard to pause it exactly where I need it to be.
Also, the comments aren’t very precise and like the pause feature, are hard to get where I need them to be. I think you should be able to click the word or the paragraph in the book and place the comment in that way.
It seems a bit difficult to understand all of the quirks and features so a guided step-by-step process would be great for first-time users (I myself already fully understand the app).
I recognize the robotic voices from the Accessibility’s speech selection built into many Apple products. The voices aren’t pleasant to listen to while trying to edit and is extra annoying because of the Em Dash being read as “Boop”. I also don’t like how the robot-voice doesn’t pause at periods or comas. How am I supposed to properly edit a book being read at a way too fast or super slow speed? I think you should add an option to purchase less robotic voices and more subtle, human voices that pause when they are supposed to and treat Em Dashes as if they were punctuation marks not words. Right now, your app doesn’t have much going for it since I can literally use the same voices to read my book and through a simpler process.
My final thoughts; once the listed above is fixed, this app might have more value to it. However, I do admire the idea and will stick with the app through all of its changes. I give it four stars because I know that in time, this app will be extremely helpful to the writing-community and will spare myself and others some of the time spent on editing. Thank you for reading my review!
First of all, I think the pausing feature is a bit off. I don’t know exactly how to explain it, but when I press pause it seems quick and hard to pause it exactly where I need it to be.
Also, the comments aren’t very precise and like the pause feature, are hard to get where I need them to be. I think you should be able to click the word or the paragraph in the book and place the comment in that way.
It seems a bit difficult to understand all of the quirks and features so a guided step-by-step process would be great for first-time users (I myself already fully understand the app).
I recognize the robotic voices from the Accessibility’s speech selection built into many Apple products. The voices aren’t pleasant to listen to while trying to edit and is extra annoying because of the Em Dash being read as “Boop”. I also don’t like how the robot-voice doesn’t pause at periods or comas. How am I supposed to properly edit a book being read at a way too fast or super slow speed? I think you should add an option to purchase less robotic voices and more subtle, human voices that pause when they are supposed to and treat Em Dashes as if they were punctuation marks not words. Right now, your app doesn’t have much going for it since I can literally use the same voices to read my book and through a simpler process.
My final thoughts; once the listed above is fixed, this app might have more value to it. However, I do admire the idea and will stick with the app through all of its changes. I give it four stars because I know that in time, this app will be extremely helpful to the writing-community and will spare myself and others some of the time spent on editing. Thank you for reading my review!
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Response from developer
I’m glad you enjoyed the app and thanks for the feedback! We’ve improved our step-by-step guide in the app already and will definitely take your feedback under consideration for future versions.