Is there anyways to tell
itunes that some of the mp3's I have are audio
books (actually they are lectures and speeches) so I
can limit them with the search bar.?
I realize there are several workarounds for this,
such as playlists, smart playlists, or even just
deselecting the box for items I don't want to play.
But what I really wan't/need is to make these items
recognized as audiobooks or podcasts by itunes.
The only items that iTunes recognizes as audiobooks (for the searchbar and also for display under that menu category on your iPod) are audiobooks that have been purchased from Audible.com or AAC files that have been identified as file type ".m4b " -- such as through running the
Make Bookmarkable AppleScript. So you'd have to convert your mp3 files to aac (.m4b audiobook) files with an AppleScript such as
Quick Convert, which optionally will turn them into audiobooks.
Podcasts are slightly trickier, because you have to add a PCST atom to their container, the way that iTunes will to all podcasts subscribed to through the iTunes Music Store. I gather you want to do this for podcasts that you've imported some other way, since you can subscribe to any podcast that has an RSS feed by inserting the URL of that feed in the "Subscribe to Podcast" line under the Advanced Menu option of iTunes. Try using
Atomic Parsley, which is a general-purpose editor for "atoms". However, it's much simpler to simply subscribe to these podcasts through iTMS. Creating a personal web server, putting the mp3 files there, and "subscribing" to the feed through the Advanced Menu of iTunes is another way to accomplish this, Or if you use Doppler Radio as a podcatcher, you can automate the conversion of mp3 podcasts to .m4b audiobook files such as outlined
here.
I think your easiest option is to download the Quick Convert AppleScript, select (highlight) any mp3 files you want to convert (using the "podcast" AAC setting is a good choice), and run it to convert these to .m4b files that will show up under your Audiobooks menu. These files will automatically bookmark, be kept out of music shuffle play, can be separated with the search toolbar (as you want), and can also be played back at sped up or slowed down speeds.
