* it does preserve chapters and metadata, but audible doesn't do a good job of using them, except for chapter timestamps and even they are dicey often
using m4a and splitting into separate files has some advantages
* I can download and share single chapters, helpful for sending single chapters to friends. This is also way better for large books over slow internet connections.
* songs are indexed better in my media server (Emby, Navidrome)
m4b feels better for archival (1 file = 1 book), but I've found splitting into several files a better option for actual listening.
* split-audio-by-chapters (Based on metadata inside the AAX file)
* split-by-audible (If audible doesn't provide splits in the m4a, but chapters are marked in the web/mobile player - you can copy the chapter listing and use this). See source for format.
* split-by-silence (In some cases audible doesn't provide any chapters at all, and this is my last-ditch effort).
* it does preserve chapters and metadata, but audible doesn't do a good job of using them, except for chapter timestamps and even they are dicey often
using m4a and splitting into separate files has some advantages
* I can download and share single chapters, helpful for sending single chapters to friends. This is also way better for large books over slow internet connections.
* songs are indexed better in my media server (Emby, Navidrome)
m4b feels better for archival (1 file = 1 book), but I've found splitting into several files a better option for actual listening.