The best way to listen to audio books with WP7 was to use the built in podcast player. WP8 messed this up. But with the new version of the Desktop Application this has gotten a lot easier, although, it still requires a bit of effort. You can use the Desktop App to sync Podcast subscriptions now. As with WP7, listening to audiobooks as a podcast has been the most flexible way I have found to bookmark and play a list of MP3 files subsequently.
This process works. It isn't as easy as the process I used to use with WP7 (setting up a local podcast and grabbing it with Zune), but it is easier than the current method I have been using (uploading my MP3's to my website where I have a podcast running and then grab them using a 3rd party podcast app). Another reason I like this method better is that the WP8 native podcast app seems to work the best for bookmarking and avoiding problems.
Unfortunately, It isn't, however, as easy as just copying MP3 files to the PODCAST directory on your PC and then running the desktop sync. That would have been pretty cool. But no, it takes more than that. And no matter what I do it doesn't seem to grab the podcast art, which is too bad. But other than that it works.
Take your list of MP3 files, update the RELEASETIME field with the correctly formatted date (make the oldest date the last one you want to listen to), copy them to their own folder in the PODCAST directory on your PC, and use the desktop APP to sync. That's it. Now you have your audiobook on your phone, it will bookmark for you and play through your files in order.
Here is my process, simplified. It may sound like a hassle, but it really isn't too hard. I can do it all in a couple of minutes once I have everything in place.
I download 2 programs: Bulk File Changer and MP3Tag (both free and available on CNET).
1. Use Bulk File Changer to set the Create Date/time (it has a feature to increment one day per file).
2. Use MP3Tag to create the RELEASETIME field.
3. Use MP3Tag to copy the Create Date to the RELEASETIME field.
4. Use MP3TAG to convert the RELEASETIME field date to the proper format.
5. Copy your MP3 files to the PODCAST directory.
6. Sync with the Windows Phone Desktop App.
I would add a step to use MP3TAG to add a graphic, but it won't come across anyways. If anyone can figure out how to do this let me know.
For those who would like more details, here they are (note, once you have set this up and done it once, everything is in place to jump through it quickly next time).
1. Set the Create Date field with Bulk File Changer (BFC)
a. Download and Run BFC
b. Click File/Add Files (and select all of your MP3 files)
(make sure they are in the correct order, click the filename field to sort)
c. Highlight the files in BFC and click Actions / Change Time Attributes
d. Check Created and Add (on the created line). Set the increment to 1 Day
e. Change the date (Created) to one at least X days in the past (X =number of files you are renaming).
e. Check Date/TIme Sequences Mode
f. Click "Do It"
2. Use MP3Tag to create the RELEASETIME field. (only required the first time)
a. Click View / Customize Columns
b. Click New
c. Fill in the following fields:
Name: RELEASETIME
Value: %releasetime%
Field: %releasetime%
d. Click Ok
3. Use MP3Tag to copy the Create Date to the RELEASETIME field. (Steps a-j only required the first time)
a. Click Actions / Actions
b. Click the icon for New
c. Call this Action Copy Create Date
d. In the Actions for this item, click the icon for new
e. Select Format Value and press OK
f. For the Field value, select RELEASETIME
g. For the format string, copy and paste this value:
%_file_create_datetime%
h. Click Ok.
i. Click Ok.
j. Click Close.
k. Highlight all your Files
l. Click Actions / Copy Create Date
4. Use MP3TAG to convert the RELEASETIME field date to the proper format. (Steps a-k only required the first time)
a. Click Actions / Actions
b. Click the icon for New
c. Call this Action Convert Releasetime
d. In the Actions for this item, click the icon for new
e. Select Replace with Regular Expression and click OK.
f. For the Field value, select RELEASETIME
g. For the Regular Expression Value copy and past the following:
^(\d\d?)\/(\d\d?)\/(\d\d\d\d).+
h. For the Replace Matches, copy and past the following:
$3-$num($1,2)-$num($2,2)Z
i. Click OK.
j. Click OK.
k. Click Close.
l. Highlight all your Files
m. Click Actions / Convert Releasetime
5. Copy your modified MP3 files to the PODCAST directory.
This is usually located under "My Music" or as a library. Create a new directory under the podcast directory that is the name of your audiobook and copy all files there.
6. Sync with the Microsoft Windows Phone Desktop App.
Windows Phone app for desktop (Preview 3) | Windows Phone 8 | Windows Phone How-to | Windows Phone (United States)
You will notice the new version now has an option for Podcasts. If you copied the files in the right location, you will have a podcast available to sync with the same folder name. Sync it. You will now have your audio book on your phone available to listen to as a podcast! You can even pin it and have an icon that you just have to touch and it will instantly start your book wherever you last left off!
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