A note before you read: I wrote this post with Dictate. The draft came from my own Voice DNA profile, the same profile Dictate built from my interviews for my book, and then I checked every fact and edited it. That is exactly what the product does for authors. I figured you should see it working before I ask you to believe anything else.
You probably saw an ad. Or you found us in a search. And now you are doing what any smart buyer does. You are checking.
Good.
I am Mike Giannulis, the founder and CEO of Dictate. I have been in direct response for 20 years. I am going to answer the questions you actually have, plainly, without spin.
Here is the thing. Most founders would never write this post. They would rather bury the uncomfortable parts and hope you do not ask. I would rather just tell you.
Yes. Dictate is a d/b/a of Appendment LLC. We operate out of 123 E Tarpon Ave #305, Tarpon Springs, Florida 34689. That is the Tampa Bay area. Our phone number is (727) 945-6110 and our email is hello@startdictate.com. Our terms of service are governed by Florida law.
You can look up the address. You can call the number. You can email us and get an answer.
We are also a young company. Dictate started writing books for clients in 2026. I am not going to pretend we have been around for a decade. We have not.
But I am not new to building things. I am a builder. And I wrote my own book, Talk Your Book Into Existence, with Dictate. I put my own work through the same system I am asking you to trust.
Let me be honest with you.
As of October 2026, we could not find independent review pages for Dictate on sites like Trustpilot. We looked. They are not there yet. We are too new.
I am not going to manufacture a testimonial or invent a customer quote to fill the gap. That is not how I operate. I would rather lose a sale than overpromise.
Now, you may have seen our name on USA Today or AP News. Let me be completely clear about what that is. On October 19, 2026, we put out a press release about how Dictate works. It is a paid press release. We wrote the announcement and paid a newswire service to distribute it. The pages below republish our announcement. They are not independent reporting or reviews. They are not endorsements either.
The full list of pages that carry it is on our About page.
So what can you actually verify right now?
We will earn reviews over time. Right now, what I can offer is transparency and a structure that protects you if you decide to move forward.
Here is the short version.
You talk. Dictate's AI interviewer runs phone interviews with you, up to 15 hours in total, on your schedule. After every call, your Voice DNA profile gets updated. That profile captures how you build sentences, the words you use and avoid, your stories, your tone and your signature phrases.
Then the AI drafts each chapter from your own spoken words and the materials you upload. It does not invent stories. It does not make up facts. It takes what you already know and structures it into a real book.
You review, comment on and approve every chapter in your author portal. You end up with a publication-ready manuscript, and a small human team helps with publishing and launch. If you want the step-by-step version, here is how Dictate works.
Our goal is your finished book in 4 to 8 weeks. Your interview and review pace sets the timeline. I call it a goal, not a guarantee, because you control how fast you show up.
Here is what our own data showed on October 19, 2026. Test and internal accounts are excluded, we only report groups of five or more books, and every number is rounded.
So you are talking for a few hours spread across a handful of calls, and you are getting a full-length manuscript out of it. We published the method and the rest of the numbers in how many hours of talking it takes to write a book.
Every book gets a custom quote on a free discovery call. I am not publishing a price on this page. Not because I am hiding something. Because every project has a different scope, and I would rather give you an accurate number than a misleading one.
What I can tell you is this. It is typically a fraction of traditional ghostwriting fees. If you have priced ghostwriters, you know that range runs wide and high. Our ghostwriter cost guide lays out the market rates.
Scope is fixed up front. You sign a written service agreement. Payment plans and financing are available. Card checkout runs through Stripe.
No surprises. No moving targets.
Your Voice DNA does not stop working when the book is done. Depending on your package, the same profile writes your social posts, podcast guest pitches, author website copy and book marketing kit in your voice.
You do. 100% of the copyright. Dictate takes zero royalties and claims no rights.
Your book is your book. Full stop. If you want the legal detail on AI-assisted books, read our copyright analysis.
On our standard book agreement, the one for an Authority Book, you get a full refund any time before you complete your second interview call. No questions asked.
After the second interview, no refunds. Not because we want to keep your money. Because at that point, real work has been committed to your project. Your Voice DNA profile has been built. Chapters may already be drafted.
Some packages carry different refund terms, so your signed service agreement is the final word on yours. Read it before you pay. Refund requests go to legal@startdictate.com.
That window is there for a reason. It lets you get into the process, feel how the interviews work, and walk away whole if it is not for you.
You do not need to believe me. You need to verify me.
Look up the business address. Call the number. Read the service agreement before you sign. Get on a discovery call and ask every hard question you have. Use the refund window if you start and do not like what you see.
Most experts never get their knowledge into a book. Not because they cannot write. Because the process is too slow, too expensive, or too far from how they actually think and talk. If you are weighing your options, see how Dictate compares with a traditional ghostwriting service.
You talk. The system structures and drafts. You review and approve. You own everything.
I am not asking you to take a leap of faith. I am asking you to do your homework, get on a call, and decide for yourself.
That is the straight answer.
Mike Giannulis, Founder and CEO, Dictate
Yes. Dictate is a d/b/a of Appendment LLC, 123 E Tarpon Ave #305, Tarpon Springs, Florida 34689, phone (727) 945-6110. Its terms of service are governed by Florida law.
On Dictate's standard Authority Book agreement, yes, in full, any time before you complete your second interview call. After that, no refunds are issued because work on your book has been committed. Some packages carry different terms, and your signed service agreement is the final word.
The author owns 100% of the copyright. Dictate takes zero royalties and claims no rights to the book.
Wondering how much it will cost to publish a book? The answer depends heavily on which publishing path you choose and how much professional support you need. This breakdown covers every cost category — editing, design, formatting, distribution, and marketing — with real price ranges so you can budget with confidence.
Thinking about hiring a ghostwriter for your nonfiction book? From manuscript ownership to pricing structures, here are five things every expert author needs to know before signing anything.
Considering hiring a ghostwriter? Compare AI-powered ghostwriting with traditional ghostwriters across cost, timeline, voice accuracy, and copyright ownership to find the best fit for your book.
Start with a free discovery call. No commitment, no pressure — just a conversation about your book.
Know someone who should write a book? Become a Dictate affiliate.
