The Author Must Author

“I have 25 versions of my manuscript and I'm drowning,” a new client told me last spring.

She'd spent months feeding ChatGPT different prompts, generating draft after draft, revision after revision. Her Google Drive looked like a digital graveyard of abandoned manuscripts. She had material for three books but couldn't finish one.

The AI revolution promised to make writing easier. In many ways, it has. But it has also created a new problem: Writers drowning in LLM-generated content.

In our book coaching work at Your Bestselling Book, my colleague Jen Tate and I are seeing four distinct types of people reaching out for help:

1. The Overwhelmed Yet Determined Beginner 

• These are people who know they have a great book in them but can't figure out where to start. Who, exactly, is their audience? (Hint: It should not be “everyone”) What's their unique angle? Should they write a memoir or a how-to guide? Where and how to begin?
• These clients need help to clearly define their book idea. We ask them questions to determine: Who (is the book for), what (is the transformation they’re promising their readers) and why (are they the person to write it). We’re also here to hold them accountable to deadlines, offer feedback, do Zoom interviews to tease out lessons and stories, and hold their hand in every way through from completion to conception, publication and promotion of their book.

2. The Publishing Path Paralyzed 

• Traditional, self-publishing, or hybrid? The options feel equally mysterious and overwhelming—and for good reason. When it comes to publishing options, I call the internet “the Wild West.” Google the subject, and you’ll get hundreds, thousands of options. Plenty of companies advertising here are only after your money. It’s hard to know who to trust and what to expect.
• These clients not only want help finishing their books, but also desire a trusted guide who has navigated all three paths and can recommend the right publishing path fit for their goals and timeline.

3. The AI-Assisted Writer 

• They are folks who have embraced technology to create a book draft, but lost their own voice in the process. Their manuscript reads like it was written by a committee of algorithms. While technically correct, emotionally it falls flat.
• These clients need help recovering their heart and soul, bringing authenticity back to their pages. We work with them to draw out their stories, life lessons, and vulnerabilities. We encourage them to step away from the AI at times and re-embrace the joy of writing their own words.

4. The Content Chaos Creator 

• Like the client I mentioned at the start of this newsletter with 25 drafts, these people have generated massive amounts of material, but can't see the forest for the trees.
• We help them organize their material, synthesize the most valuable lessons, and actually finish their books.

In every case, the same lesson holds true: Ultimately, the author must author. AI can assist, organize, and even inspire, but it can't write your book. Only you can do that.

And sometimes, you need a guide.

Aloha,

MeiMei

TIP OF THE WEEK:

Consider Hiring a Book Coach

As book coaches, we at Your Bestselling Book aren’t interested in replacing technology. On the contrary, we believe in strategically using AI to help organize, suggest ideas, and edit. But we’re also emphatic about keeping the human element central. 

Writing can be lonely and it’s easy to get lost in the woods of words–especially now that ChatGPT can generate so many of them! We work together with you and the latest tech tools to ensure your book sounds like you, not a sophisticated chatbot. We coach you to dig in and explore your most transformational moments, so that you can share stories, lessons and ideas that make a lasting impact. 

In the end, this is a book readers will actually want to read. Not only that, but chances are you will find that the process of actually authoring your book changes you for the better.