How to convert series of MP3 to a M4B in a batch

Question

I have a batch of MP3 based books. Some of them divide into files according to book's own structure: chapters and so on. Some of them was just divided into equally lengthened parts.

So. I've bought an iPhone, and I want to convert them all to M4B format. How could I convert them in a batch? I mean how cold I set up a process once, for each book, and then, after couple of weeks, receive totally converted library.

The only able program for such conversion I've found was Audiobook Builder for a Mac. But it is pretty slow and do not support batching in principle.

Solutions for any platform, please.

Answer 1

Open a Terminal. Change to the directory the MP3 files are in. Type:

for i in *mp3 ; do ffmpeg -i $i -sameq $i.m4a ; done

Of course, ffmpeg must be installed.

Note that I've used "m4a" above. The m4b format appears to be the same, just with a letter changed to indicate that it's a book. You can rename them all later if the one-letter difference bugs you. They play the same.

EDIT: I'm assuming you use a Mac. The above will also work on a PC if you run a Unix-like OS, or install Cygwin under Windows.