Readibly brings an ebook and audiobook together as one. The story arrives through page and voice, and the moments that move you are kept right where they happened.
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The sea, indifferent to those who wished it would speak, moved as it always had, folding itself again and again into the quiet edges of the rocks.
The experience
That desire to be a little more inside a story — to hold onto the moments it gives us — that's what Readibly is being built around.
A place where the ebook and audiobook are one from the very start — where the words highlight as the narrator reads, and the story arrives through both at once. And when a moment lands — a line, a passage, something worth keeping — you can save it, right there, tied to exactly that place in the story. Yours to return to.
That's what we're building. Carefully and honestly — one story at a time.
A sneak peek at what we're building — still early, but taking shape.
The words highlight as the narrator reads — the story arriving through both at once.
Text highlighting moving word by word as audio plays — each word illuminates in warm gold as the narrator reaches it.
[GIF PLACEHOLDER: In the Story — Word mode]
Screens shown are illustrative concepts. Final product design may vary.
Readibly is being built with these readers in mind — and we're still listening.
For readers who have always felt that reading and listening belong together — the story arriving as one experience.
For readers who find that hearing the narration while following the words helps keep them inside a story. Whether that's simply how you read best or something about how your mind engages — Readibly is being built for that experience.
For readers who want the moments that move them to have somewhere to go. A line, a passage, something a story gave them. Readibly is being built around the possibility of keeping those moments — and returning to them.
For readers who discover that hearing the words while seeing them helps them engage with a story more fully — a more present, more connected experience. Readibly is being built around that possibility.
Share your reading experience and what you feel might be missing. We would love to hear from you.
The founder's story
Readibly began with something personal — wanting an experience I couldn't quite find anywhere. I wanted to read and listen at the same time, without having to purchase two separate formats and piece them together myself, just to engage with a story the way I wanted to. And somewhere in that experience, I wanted to be able to save a moment — a line, a passage, something that landed — and actually come back to it. Tied to where I was in the audio, not just a page number.
Because what I wanted, honestly, was to be more present in a story. Fully in it — not juggling two formats, not switching between them. Just there, genuinely in it. Something that specific didn't seem to exist the way I was looking for.
So I started paying attention. To authors who shared frustrations about how certain platforms handled their work — around compensation, around transparency, around feeling like a supplier rather than a partner. To readers who'd grown tired of experiences that felt transactional rather than something personal. To narrators, whose voices make the whole listening experience possible, and who deserve to be sincerely considered in how something like this is built.
The goal is not to build another large platform. What seemed worth attempting was something more focused — a dedicated space where a story can be experienced differently, built carefully around that experience and the people it's meant to serve.
This is early. What it becomes is meaningfully possible through the genuine input of readers, authors, and narrators willing to share their honest perspectives — because the more those voices are part of it, the more whole and more real it can become.
This is the origin and the heart of it. Hopeful about where it can go.
If something here has connected with you — consider joining us on this journey.
Something is being built here — carefully and wholeheartedly. Joining early means being close to it as it grows — getting updates, seeing progress, and being among the first to experience it when it's ready.
Be among the first to hear when Readibly is ready. No cost, no commitment — just your interest.
Readibly is still early and deeply curious about the readers it hopes to serve. Whatever brought you here — a curiosity, a connection, a question — sharing your thoughts is something we'd appreciate and welcome.
Select one to continue
Something more is also taking shape. A founding tier for those who simply want to be there from the very beginning — early access, close to the process, first to know. More details coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
Readibly is an independent reading platform being built around the experience of having your ebook and audiobook together in one place — text and narration moving as one, so the story arrives through both at once. The platform is also being built around personal tools to save the moments that matter, tied to the exact place in the text and the exact moment in the narration — so they can be returned to, not just remembered. Readibly is currently in active development. What you see here reflects where it's headed.
Honestly? The synchronized part — text highlighting as the narration plays — isn't unique to Readibly anymore. A few large platforms now offer versions of it, and we think that's good news: it means readers everywhere are discovering that reading and listening belong together.
The difference is everything around that moment. Elsewhere, the experience tends to come in pieces — two separate purchases stitched together here, switching back and forth between formats there, a single feature inside an ecosystem built for many other things. And almost nowhere is there a place to keep what the story gave you.
Readibly is being built so the story is one from the very start — the ebook and audiobook together, in a home made only for this. When a passage moves you, you can save it tied to the exact place in the text and the exact moment in the narration — in a library designed to stay with you, not scattered across apps.
Readibly is also small and independent on purpose. It's being built in conversation with readers, authors, and narrators — around an experience, not an ecosystem. We think that shapes everything.
The access model is still being thoughtfully worked through. The current thinking is that titles will be available as synchronized bundles — the ebook and audiobook together — accessed through the Readibly app. What can be said is that the intention is for licensed content to remain accessible to readers who have it — the goal is never for something a reader has licensed to simply disappear. A subscription is being explored as a way to unlock deeper features and broader access, though the specifics are still being carefully considered. Whatever direction is taken, it will be shared clearly and honestly before anything goes live. If you have thoughts on what would feel fair and right — the feedback form above is a good place to share them.
The founding catalog is being built around independent authors who own their rights and want to be part of something new. The goal is to find the right titles — stories and works that feel at home in the kind of experience Readibly is building — rather than simply the most titles. It's early, and the catalog will grow thoughtfully over time. If you're an author or narrator with a title you think belongs here, reaching out is always welcomed. And over time, the experience may grow beyond books — poetry in the poet's own voice, short stories, and other written works that deserve to be heard as well as read are all part of what's being imagined.
This is one of the most important questions anyone can ask of a digital platform and it deserves a genuine answer. Most digital content today is protected by rights holders — which is fair and right. That means access to digital titles, across most platforms, involves a licensing relationship rather than outright ownership of a file. Readibly is working through how to present and handle that as honestly and fairly as possible — in a way that respects both the reader and the rights holder. What can be said is that the intention is for what a reader has licensed to stay accessible to them. The terms will be clearly presented before any transaction, and if anything significant changes, members will be among the first to know. Consumer protection laws in several states — including requirements around how digital licenses are disclosed — are being taken seriously as part of how Readibly is designed from the ground up.
This is something truly being considered and explored. The desire to support readers who already own titles they love is real and understood. The honest answer right now is that Readibly is currently focused on its curated synchronized catalog — bringing your own files involves meaningful technical and licensing complexity that needs to be worked through carefully before any commitment can be made. If this matters to you, sharing that through the feedback form above really helps us understand how to prioritize it.
Human narration is the standard Readibly is being built around — the kind where a real voice brings genuine craft and intention to a story. That said, some authors may choose to offer their titles with AI narration, and where that is the case the goal is to find a way to make that clear to readers so they can make their own informed choice. How that is best communicated is still being worked through — but the intention to be transparent about it is genuine.
Readibly is being built around the idea that people experience stories differently — and that text and narration together can be a powerful combination for a wide range of readers. Whether that's because of how a reader's mind engages with a story, how some readers process language, or simply how certain readers have always read best — the synchronized experience is being built with those readers in mind. No clinical claims are being made — but the belief that this kind of experience serves more readers more fully is central to what Readibly is trying to build.
Use the feedback form above — or reach out directly at hello@readibly.io. Questions, thoughts, suggestions, or just a book you think belongs in the catalog — all of it is welcomed.