How to add audio to fixed layout epub

To be more specific I meant read-aloud audio. That requires marking the words in the text to highlight when the audio track plays that word. It's more complicated than just placing an audio track in the file. So far, marking the audio cues in the text is a long manual process that to my knowledge can't be done through InDesign. (I'd love to be wrong about that.) It can be done in the epub after export, but the code coming out of the fixed layout epub is now a lot more complex with span tags for position between every word (or letter?) WHY?? (Isn't an X/Y plus size of the text frame enough?)

So my question is still: has anyone done a read aloud with the new fixed layout epubs? If so, what resources are there to help us do this correctly? And, for Adobe are there any plans to add a way to do this mark up and generate the smil file from within InDesign?

Thanks Hooplife!  It seems worth checking out. Though it says "upload a pdf". That's a non starter for me unfortunately. I will look at their offering though.**

@I have also checked out Aquafadas, but I don't really like that you have to use their system to publish (same as Adobe's DPS). I don't want to be locked in that way. Plus the resulting files seem HUGE!

I suspect Adobe may be working on a way to mark the words in audio so that it could be done in InDesign and it might export the SMIL file with everything else—that would be sweet. But I want it NOW!

**Just looked a little further. Kitaboo is a closed system with it's own reader app. Seems ideal for schools or companies that want to distributed ebooks to certain users on a time limited basis—but it is no way to reach book consumers. Gees! To sell books you must be in the bookseller's offerings.

That's why I do not like Adobe's DPS system either. I don't want my books sold in the app store. They are books. They need to be where my buyers are. (somebody stop me if I've got that wrong). With DPS it's awfully hard to understand the business advantage.

Thanks Douglas.Waterfall, good to know this is in the works.

"This requires some more developer skills since you'll need to be able to create the SMIL file on your own, edit the EPUB metadata, embed the SMIL and audio files in the EPUB package, etc, but this is an attempt to make at least part of that step easier."

I've done "some" work along these lines and I understand the concepts theoretically. But avoiding that heavy lifting would sure be a welcome addition. There's a ton of need for it!

If I can be pest, how much longer? I'm willing to put off my client a little while longer if it's coming soon.

Sue

Thanks Douglas.Waterfall I have Pariah Burke's book and have studied it. Was really hoping to avoid all that work. Sigh.

I'll get that update and have a look at the new span IDs.

Please tell the "powers that be" these read-aloud books are not going away and if anything will be more in demand as print goes away!!!

Thanks for your help.

Sue