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Dictate a book by voice

Draft chapters by talking — on a walk, in the car, anywhere.

Press to dictate a passageRecording stops at 2:00 here

First 2 minutes free, any lengthLanguage detected automaticallyMicrophone in your browser

Longer than 2 minutes?You get the first 2 minutes here. Kalpa transcribes the rest — free to start on iPhone Get the app ›

Can you write a book by dictation?

To dictate a book, outline the scene, speak it, then edit on screen — many authors draft this way. Try a passage with the microphone above: browser recording stops at 2:00, and the first 2 minutes of any uploaded recording are free here. Whole chapters are in Kalpa on iPhone and Apple Watch.

Short ones here, long ones in Kalpa

First 2 min · free hereChapter 4, dictation1:50English · detected

0:00: Chapter four. The house on the hill had been empty for years.
0:16: Nobody in the village could say who owned it now.
0:49: Maria noticed the light in the upstairs window on a Tuesday.
1:27: By Thursday, she had decided to knock on the door.

Keep it, search it, ask about it laterSave to Kalpa ›

How to dictate a book

Outline first
Know the scene or section before you speak.
Dictate in bursts
10–20 minutes, then review.
Edit on screen
Dictation is a first draft.
Keep ideas together
Kalpa keeps notes, plots and characters searchable.

Faster in the app

Draft the next chapter on a walk

Many writers talk more freely than they type. Record a scene on your iPhone or Apple Watch with Kalpa and come back to text you can edit.

Download on the App Store

Good to know

Say character names clearly once — then fix spellings in bulk.
Walking helps many writers talk more freely.
Browser recording stops at 2:00; uploaded chapters of any length get their first 2 minutes transcribed here.

Who dictates

Novelists

Draft scenes while walking.

Non-fiction authors

Talk through chapters like a lecture.

Bloggers

Posts from voice notes.

When the free tool is enough — and when you need Kalpa

	Free web tool	Kalpa app
Length	First 2 minutes of any recording	The whole recording, no limit
Summary, quotes and topics	—	Yes
Search everything you saved	—	Ask in chat, jump to the moment
Your own recordings	Upload a file	Record on iPhone or Apple Watch, transcribed on device
Languages	25, detected automatically	25, detected automatically

Questions and answers

Is book dictation free?

The first 2 minutes of any book dictation are free here, and the Kalpa app is free to start.

Does book dictation add punctuation?

Kalpa adds punctuation to your dictated chapters, so you can edit instead of retyping.

Can I dictate a book in another language?

You can dictate a book in any of 25 languages, including French, German and Spanish, detected automatically.

Can I dictate chapters on Apple Watch?

Kalpa lets you dictate chapters on Apple Watch while you walk, with the text on your iPhone.

Voice to text Speech to text Voice notes to text Voice journal to text Voice memo to text Audio to text

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Everything you hear and say, remembered

Kalpa keeps what you watch, say and think in one place you can talk to. Free to start on iPhone and Apple Watch.