Dictation Tips for Authors Writing a Book
So you want to write a book (better/quicker/differently)? And you want to try dictation. Now it's time to talk to the talk.
Below, you’ll learn the best app to dictate a book and tips for dictating a book . . .
Dictation for authors doesn’t have to be so dicey!
What is the best app for dictation?
In my experience, both Dragon dictation software and Microsoft Word’s voice recognition feature are disappointing. Too many errors. Too slow. Too limited. I don’t think I mumble more than most. I mean, unless I’m eating peanut butter!
The best dictation tool for authors is Otter.ai.
Have you tried it? Some of the authors I know and trust are using Otter AI with success. Worth looking into. It integrates with Zoom.
There is a free plan, and you could start there, but you’ll probably want the “Pro” plan, which is about $100 yearly for US authors. Click here for plans and pricing.
Try these quick book dictation tips and tricks:
Write questions, talking points, or plot points in advance or better yet, have someone interview you. If you try talking to yourself, you may ramble too much or lose focus.
Create an outline for your book before you start getting ideas. The more detailed you can be, the better. Then dictate your book a chapter or a subchapter at a time.
Dictate while walking. People think more clearly when they're in motion. If you're the "can't walk and chew gum at the same time" type, this may not work for you, but it worked wonders for a client of mine who wrote a great business book in just four months!
Try to create “soundbytes.” Can you imagine getting quoted in the newspaper or on the news? You can always pull out these quotes and build around them when you revise.
If you’re writing a business book or a self-help book in which you as the author tell stories, focus on fewer stories per chapter that illustrate a main theme; anywhere from 1 to 3 per chapter will get the job done.
What’s the best book on how to dictate a book?
Check out On Being a Dictator by Kevin J. Anderson and Martin Shoemaker. Anderson (a prolific novelist), has been on many podcasts, and there’s also part of a Six Figure Authors podcast from 2019 (episode 10) that discusses dictation if you’d rather learn that way.
M. L. Ronn’s How to Dictate a Book: The Author’s Guide to Effortless Dictation is another great book on the subject.
There are other books out there. In terms of organization and brevity, and because I’ve read it, these are the ones I recommend.
Keep talkin’ and keep writin’ and let me know how you're progressing and what’s working for you!
Thanks for reading,
–Daniel