Novel Effect is voice interactive storytelling. Add music, sounds, and even characters voices, simply by reading a book out loud with the app. Watch your child’s jaw drop as you bring the world on the pages of their favorite stories to life!
We provide music and sounds that complement popular kids books as you read them out loud. Professional sound designers with experience in video games, movies, and television compose the soundscapes to match each book’s spirit and tone.
Our system uses voice recognition powered by Keen Research and other components to sync music and sounds at just the right moment based on your personal reading style.
Once you’ve picked a book to read, find it in our library and tap its cover. A new screen will appear with the prompt, “add to my library” Tapping this prompt will load the book’s soundscape and activate your device’s microphone. Now you can set your device aside nearby and read aloud from anywhere in the book to begin.
The latest version, 1.60.2, for iPhone and iPad is available here, on the iTunes AppStore. Novel Effect is only compatible with iOS 8.0 or later. We are currently working on Android and desktop versions to be available soon.
All content on Novel Effect is appropriate for kids 12 and under. Our library includes everything from board books for the youngest bookworms to sophisticated picture books for budding bibliophiles.
Yes, to enjoy a book’s soundscape you do need have a copy of that book on hand. You can even borrow a book from your local library to try out a soundscape without the commitment of buying the book from your local bookstore.
Novel Effect also works with eBooks downloaded to your favorite eReader or smartphone. We've made it easy to purchase an iBook, if one is available, by clicking the 'Open in iBooks' button that appears after tapping 'add to my library'' You can even use the iBooks preview to get a sample of the soundscape before deciding to buy it.
We offer a small selection of free eBooks within the app, including the Tale of Benjamin Bunny and the Tale of Peter Rabbit both by Beatrix Potter, as well as The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore.
Once you’ve selected 'add to my library' on one of these titles, you will have the option to tap 'Open Free eBook.' Tapping this button opens the free eBook. Begin reading to trigger the soundscape.
If you’re using the same device to read your eBook and run Novel Effect, open your desired book in the app. Then return to your device’s homescreen by tapping your device's home button (or swiping up on the iPhone X). The red bar at the top of your device means Novel Effect is running in the background. You can now open your eBook in another app and begin reading as usual.
If you are using separate devices, treat your eReader as a physical book, and read it aloud with Novel Effect open on your second device set off to the side.
Yes. Using your device settings, connect to your speakers via Bluetooth or AirPlay. Then open the selected book in the Novel Effect app. You can check that your speakers are connected by tapping the bluetooth icon in the bottom-right corner of the microphone display that appears after selecting 'Read Book.'
You can also use an auxiliary cord to connect your device to speakers through your device’s headphone jack.
Technical issues may arise for a variety of reasons. Here is a list of possible solutions:
Audio issues may arise for a variety of reasons. These issues might include no sound at all, or sounds that do not seem to change. Here is a list of possible solutions:
We currently have hundreds of soundscapes in our library, and we’re constantly adding more!
If you have a recommendation for a book you’d like to see added, send us your thoughts via our social media channels or the support link located at the bottom of this page!
We love sharing books of all kinds, including independent authors. If you want your book added to Novel Effect, you can reach out to support@noveleffect.com.
You can reset your password by going to the email login screen on the Novel Effect app and tapping the 'Reset Password' link. After entering your email address you will receive an email within a few minutes with instructions to reset you password. If you don’t see the email check your spam folder.
