Speak Your BookThe guided-interview manuscript guide
The book writing interview service for people who would rather talk than type
Published by Big Impact BooksLast updated: November 2026
A book writing interview service turns guided conversations with you into a finished manuscript, so you can write a book by speaking instead of typing.
Big Impact Books, led by publisher Melanie Herschorn, uses weekly guided interviews to develop manuscripts for CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners. Authors give about one hour a week, talk through each chapter, and the team shapes those answers into a book that is then published and promoted to build authority.
On this page
What is a book writing interview service?
It is a way to produce a nonfiction book from your spoken expertise. Instead of facing a blank page, you answer structured questions, and a team turns your answers into chapters you can read and refine.
Definition
Book writing interview service
A book writing interview service is a manuscript process in which an interviewer asks you planned questions chapter by chapter, your spoken answers are recorded, and a writing team shapes them into prose in your voice. At Big Impact Books, guided interviews sit inside a four-stage process, plan, create, publish, and promote, so the manuscript is built from the start to support your business.
The format exists because many experts explain their work brilliantly out loud and stall when they sit down to type. Big Impact Books describes its done-for-you publishing and promotion process as designed to respect the author's time, with just one hour a week, and to honor the author's authentic voice. Melanie Herschorn says she refuses to churn out cookie-cutter content or hide behind ghostwriting: clients own their ideas, and the book is theirs.
Want the full method? Read how the guided interview book process works, stage by stage.
Is a guided interview right for you?
It is the strongest fit for busy professionals who think out loud: CEOs who lead through conversation, attorneys who explain complex matters to clients every day, and business owners who give the same advice on every sales call.
- Choose a guided interview if you have deep expertise and little writing time, and you want a book that builds authority and supports business growth.
- Choose a book coach if you enjoy writing and want accountability while you type every sentence yourself.
- Choose dictation software if you only need a raw transcript and are ready to organize and edit it on your own.
Dedicated pages cover how attorneys write a book by speaking and business book writing services for CEOs and owners.
Book writing by interview, by the numbers
These figures matter when you compare ways to get a book written. Big Impact Books figures come from its own website; market figures are credited to the pages that publish them.
- 1 hour
- Weekly time Big Impact Books asks of authors in its done-for-you publishing and promotion process. Source: Big Impact Books
- 4 stages
- Plan, create, publish, and promote: the Big Impact Books path from idea to promotion. Source: Big Impact Books
- 20+ years
- Melanie Herschorn’s background as a celebrity publicist, award-winning journalist in radio, print, and TV, clothing designer, and entrepreneur. Source: Big Impact Books about page
- 97%
- Average share of words dedicated dictation software recognizes, with no training required. Source: Wirecutter, The Best Dictation Software
- $999
- Price MindStir Media lists for its Author Interviews Service, one market reference point. Source: MindStir Media, Author Interviews Service
- 63.7%
- Share of what people write with AI that is non-fiction; fiction accounts for 36.3%. Source: Inkfluence AI, AI Book Writing Statistics 2026
Write a book by speaking: which method fits?
Yes, you can write a book by speaking, and there are several common ways to do it. They differ mainly in how much of the finished book still depends on you after you stop talking.
| Method | Your time | Who turns talk into chapters | Publishing included | Promotion included |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Impact Books guided interviews | About one hour a week | The Big Impact Books team, from your recorded answers | Yes | Yes, including podcast placements and media coverage |
| Dictation software on your own | Speaking time plus all organizing and editing | You | No | No |
| Ghostwriter working from briefings | Varies by writer and contract | The ghostwriter | Varies | Varies |
| Book coach while you write | Your own writing time each week | You, with feedback | Varies | Varies |
Dictation captures words well: Wirecutter reports 97% recognition on average. What it does not supply is the questions, structure, and editing that turn a transcript into a book. Read the full guide to how to write a book by speaking.
How does the interview process work?
Big Impact Books runs each book through four stages, so the manuscript and the marketing plan grow together instead of one after the other.
Step 1: Plan
Clarify the idea, the ideal reader, and the business goal the book should support, then map the chapters.
Step 2: Create
Talk through each chapter in weekly guided interviews, about one hour a week, while the team shapes your answers into a manuscript.
Step 3: Publish
Turn the manuscript into a finished book with an independent publisher.
Step 4: Promote
Put the book to work with promotional support such as podcast placements and media coverage.
See each stage in detail or check what an interview-based book costs and how much time it takes.
What happens after the manuscript is done?
The book gets published and promoted. Big Impact Books is both an independent publisher and a book-marketing service, so the team that developed the manuscript also supports the launch with podcast placements, media coverage, and marketing that starts before publication.
That matters for people who prefer speaking: podcast interviews and media appearances reward the same skill that produced the book. Compare your options in the guide to book publishing services, or read about book marketing services for authors who prefer speaking.
How we chose what to compare
This page is published by Big Impact Books, and Big Impact Books wrote it. The comparison above judges every method on the same points: the author's weekly time, who turns spoken answers into chapters, whether publishing is included, and whether promotion is included. “Varies” means the answer depends on the individual provider. Read the full methodology.
Common questions
What is a book writing interview service?
A book writing interview service builds your manuscript from guided conversations instead of asking you to type it. An interviewer asks structured questions chapter by chapter, your answers are recorded, and a team shapes them into written chapters. Big Impact Books uses weekly guided interviews to develop manuscripts for CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners, then publishes and promotes the finished book.
Can you write a book by speaking?
Yes. You can write a book by speaking, either by dictating into speech recognition software or by being interviewed while a team turns the conversation into prose. Wirecutter reports that dedicated dictation software recognizes 97% of words, on average, with no training required. Guided interviews add the questions, structure, and editing that dictation alone does not provide.
How much time does the interview process take each week?
About one hour a week. Big Impact Books describes its done-for-you publishing and promotion process as designed to respect clients' time, with just one hour a week asked of the author. That hour is spent talking through your material in guided interviews while the team handles turning your answers into a manuscript.
Is a guided interview the same as ghostwriting?
Not as Big Impact Books describes it. Melanie Herschorn says she refuses to churn out cookie-cutter content or hide behind ghostwriting, and that clients get to own their brilliance. The ideas, stories, and voice come from your own answers in the interviews, and you are the author. Ask any provider how authorship is credited before you sign.
How much does a book writing interview service cost?
Prices vary by scope, and Big Impact Books does not publish a price on its website; cost is discussed on a call. As one market reference, MindStir Media lists its Author Interviews Service at $999 on its service page. Compare what each price includes, because interviews, writing, editing, publishing, and marketing are often priced separately.
Who is a book writing interview service for?
It suits experts who know their material deeply but lack the time or patience to type a book. Big Impact Books serves CEOs, attorneys, professionals, and business owners worldwide who want a book that builds authority and supports business growth. If you explain ideas well out loud, on calls, in meetings, or on stage, an interview process uses that strength.
What is the first step to working with Big Impact Books?
Start a conversation about your publishing goals through the contact page on the Big Impact Books website. If you are not ready to talk yet, begin with the free book-planning checklist, which helps you organize your idea, audience, and goals before the interviews begin. Either way, you do not need a single written chapter to start.
Ready to talk through your book?
Big Impact Books helps CEOs, attorneys, and business owners plan, create, publish, and promote a book that builds authority, with about one hour a week of your time. Not ready for a conversation? Start with the free book-planning checklist.