How This Major NY Publishing House is Leaning into AI

 I’ve written before about Author’s Equity, a new publishing imprint launched by Big 5 industry veterans and backed by James Clear and Tim Ferris. Their fantastic model is to share not 10-15%, but rather 50% of proceeds with their authors – knowing that the onus is on the authors to do the work of promoting and selling the book.

Well, I was surprised to learn in a recent email newsletter that they are embracing AI. And yet… they’re also staying true to the human touch.

In speaking about their latest book release about AI, Superagency by Reid Hoffman, Author’s Equity writes:

As much as speed was a priority, we all agreed that quality was even more important. Not to knock AI (because, as someone who uses it every day, I can't), but, left to their own devices, none of the AI tools would have produced a book nearly as good as the one the humans did.

That's not to say we didn't lean heavily on those tools. At each stage – writing, title/subtitle creation, design, audio, marketing – everyone from across Team Reid and Team Authors Equity squeezed as much out of AI as we could. No one was shy in looking to AI for worthwhile shortcuts and powerful boosts.

But at the end of the day, it was human authorship, creativity, and discernment that made this a book we can all be proud of and which we believe will stand the test of time.

At Your Bestselling Book, we share this philosophy. We view AI not as a replacement for, but rather as a collaborator with human beings. There is still no substitute for you pouring your heart onto the page. It’s just that AI can help clean up the tears. 

Aloha,
MeiMei

Writing Tip of the Week: Show Your Writing to a Human

So, you’ve used AI. You’ve input some raw material - transcripts of podcasts you’ve done, newsletters or LinkedIn posts you’ve written, your raw writing – into an AI chat bot. You’ve generated a draft.

Now show that draft to a human being. It could be a professional editor, it could be a friend. Ask them to give you feedback. What works and what doesn’t? Request that they pay special attention to where the writing may not sound authentic, or is overwrought with adjectives, adverbs and hyperbole.

Want to share the results? Come to our new Free Monthly MeiMei Call (as my team has named it!). First Sunday of every month, I’m hanging out on Zoom, ready to read a writing sample and give feedback, answer questions, and connect you with other high-achieving authors. I’d love to see you there!

Aloha,
MeiMei

Quote of the Week

At every stage, the humans were in charge, but the AI allowed us to achieve more, better, faster than we could have on our own.

• Madeline McIntosh, Publisher at Author’s Equity