Can I Dictate My Book Instead of Typing It?

Yes, you can dictate a book. Word and Google Docs both have dictation you can try first, so you don’t need to pay for anything to start. Expect to edit what comes out, because the tool types what it hears, not what you meant.

How do I dictate in Word?

Microsoft’s dictation help for Word says to open a document, go to Home, then Dictate, while signed in to Microsoft 365 on a device with a microphone. On a Mac you can also press Option and F1. Wait for the button to turn on, then speak.

Dictation is available only to Microsoft 365 subscribers. You say the punctuation. The page lists “period”, “comma”, “question mark”, “exclamation mark” and “new line” for English.

How do I dictate in Google Docs?

Google’s help page, Type & edit with your voice, says to use the latest version of Chrome, Edge or Safari. Open a document, click Tools, then Voice typing, click the microphone and speak. Click it again when you finish, or say “Stop listening”.

You say “period”, “comma”, “exclamation point”, “question mark”, “new line” or “new paragraph”. Google says its voice commands work only in English, and that punctuation may not be available in every language.

How should I dictate a chapter so editing is easier?

This part is my advice, not Microsoft’s or Google’s.

• Talk from an outline, so you are not inventing the order as you go.
• Do one scene or one point at a time, then stop and read it.
• Don’t fix as you speak. Get the chapter out, and edit it afterwards, as you would a typed draft.
• Say the punctuation and paragraph breaks as you go, so you are not adding them all later.

If you want a pace to aim for, my post on writing a book 1,000 words at a time works for spoken words too.

What about recordings I already have?

If you already recorded yourself telling a story, you can play the recording back and dictate it, or type it as you listen. I won’t recommend an app here, because the simple way costs nothing and you hear your own words as you go.

What about handwritten pages and old letters?

Google’s Drive help page on converting PDF and photo files to text is written for PDFs and photos with clear text. It recommends common fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman and says nothing about handwriting, so I would not count on it for handwritten pages.

My advice is to type the pages up, or read them aloud into a dictation tool. Reading aloud also lets you fix a word you can’t make out as you go. If the pages are family letters, see how to write and publish a family history book.

What happens when the draft is done?

A dictated draft is still a draft. Read it, edit it, and then format it for print and ebook, which how to format your book for Amazon KDP explains.

If you are stuck on how to start, or you have a draft and don’t know the next step, book a free 25-minute discovery call and we can look at it together. Book a free discovery call

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