iPod - How to import audiobook CDs

Soon after I got my iPod, I realized the pitfalls of importing audiobook CDs like they were music CDs. Because iTunes treats the audiobook CD tracks as songs:

• it puts them in the Music library instead of the Audiobooks library
• it includes the tracks when shuffling
• you have to remember what track you listened to last
• when you go back to a track, you have to start at the beginning of the track because your position is not saved (referred to as "bookmarking")

I found a very thorough article on iLounge about how to solve these problems. What follows is a "boiled down" version of that article with the minimum number of steps required, all detailed for the computer novice.

iTunes 7 for Windows was used to create these instructions.

Change Settings

1. Click iTunes / Edit / Preferences / Advanced / Importing and match your settings to the screenshot below
   
   Make note of your previous settings so you can change them back before importing your next music CD
   
   

2. Insert the audiobook CD
3. Click Track 01 to highlight it
4. Click Edit / Select All to highlight all of the tracks
5. Click Advanced / Join CD Tracks and your screen should look something like this:
   
   
6. While all of the tracks are still highlighted, right-click any track and choose Get Info
7. Enter the author, title, and disc number. No other information is necessary. Example:
   
   
8. While all of the tracks are still highlighted, right-click any track and choose Convert Selection to AAC
9. When the import is complete, you will have one file that includes all of the audio from the CD. Find that file in your Music library, right-click on it, and choose Get Info.
10. Add something to the Name of the file to uniquely identify the disc number.
    
    If the audiobook contains 10 or more CDs, you may want to use two digits when identifying disc numbers. Example: Disc 01, Disc 02, etc.
    
    
11. If you want to save yourself all of the steps below and don't mind your audiobook files being in your Music library, click the Options tab and check the following boxes:
    
    
12. Repeat steps 2-11 for each CD. When all of the CDs have been imported, your Music library should look something like this:
    
    

If you've been checking the boxes in step 11, you are done!

If you haven't been checking the boxes and want your audiobook files to appear in your Audiobooks library, continue with the steps below.

Rename Files in Windows Explorer

13. In your Music library, right-click on any of the audiobook files and choose Show in Windows Explorer. A new window will appear.
14. In that new window, click View / List
15. The audiobook files should all end with m4a (Example: 1-01 Echo Park [Disc 1].m4a) If they do not:

    1. click Tools / Folder Options... / View
    2. uncheck the Hide extensions for known files types box
    3. click OK

16. The window should look something like this:
    
    
17. Click on the first file to highlight it and press the F2 key on your keyboard. (Alternatively, you could right-click the file and choose Rename, but you are going to do this numerous times and using F2 is faster.)
18. Change the end of the file's name from m4a to m4b and press the Enter key on your keyboard
19. When asked if you are sure you want to change the file extension, press the Enter key on your keyboard to answer Yes
20. Repeat steps 17-19 for each file
21. The window should look something like this:
    
    

Drag & Drop Newly Renamed Files Into iTunes

22. In the Windows Explorer window, click Edit / Select All to highlight all of the files
23. Click on the files, hold down your mouse button, and drag the files onto the iTunes taskbar button at the bottom of the screen...
24. Continue holding down the mouse button and the iTunes window will appear...
25. Continue holding down the mouse button and drag the files to the left-hand side of the iTunes window where it says LIBRARY...
26. LIBRARY will be highlighted. You may now release the mouse button.
    
    
27. On the left-hand side of the iTunes window, click Audiobooks and the files will be there!
    
    

Cleanup Music Library

28. Access your iTunes Music library and delete the audiobook files listed there. (Don't worry, this will not remove them from your Audiobooks library.)