There is fear in the unknown, and I’m not just talking about the prickly feelings and goosebumps you get when you walk in a graveyard at night or peek out a window from a skyscraper. That fear is legit, no question about it. No one wants to bring a ghost home as a souvenir or wind up a pancake on the pavement if the window shatters. (Okay, maybe I’m the only one who has these irrational fears, but still.)
Fear is a constant in our world; we experience different types of fear daily and it comes in different shapes and sizes.
As authors, we are no stranger to fear.
- We fear the writing process. How long will it take for us to write a book and are we expressing our thoughts in the best way that will attract those who need to hear it?
- The moment we hand our manuscript to an editor, we’re terrified. What if they don’t like it? What if they rip it apart? What if they suggest we do a complete rewrite.
- Nothing compares to the feeling we get when the book is published and at the mercy of readers and reviewers. Do I check Amazon and see if I have any new reviews today? Ahhhh… that’s enough to make me want to hide under the covers. What will people think when they read when I’ve poured out onto a page.
Fear is hard to run from when it’s best friends with vulnerability, and a commonality amongst all authors is the requirement of being vulnerable. Fear and vulnerability skip down the sidewalk together telling each other fictitious stories about what could happen when we put ourselves out there in meaningful ways. Sometimes fear is poised to save us from danger; but many times, it holds us back from taking the risk of trying something new altogether.
And when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI), fear of the unknown is taken to a whole new level. AI instigates a fear that attacks our own mindsets, impacting how we see our capabilities, our profession as a whole and its larger impact on society. Will AI take over the world? Will it take over book writing? Will I, an author, become obsolete?
Fear is productive in some places but not in this conversation. And it’s time to put it in its place.
No, you won’t become obsolete because of AI. In fact, you could reach more people with your message if you ethically leverage it. An author brings more to the page than merely a jumbled variation of words. Each brings experiences and expertise. Each brings trend insights and unique perspectives. While AI can write a beautiful paragraph of content… a book even if we asked it to… we, authors, are the only ones who can tell our stories, and leverage our own experiences to impact the lives of others. AI can’t take that from us.
You and AI can play in the same sandbox if you have a healthy understanding of how AI works and how you can and should ethically use it. In fact, if you aren’t leveraging AI as a tool in your author arsenal, maybe you could (and should) consider it. To push through fear requires stepping out on the ledge (safely, of course) and learning more about what you are most scared of. Knowledge is a powerful weapon to fight the unknown, and I’m delighted to be presenting a workshop with Prolific Writers Life on this very topic to break through fear and share the potential that AI can offer for authors.
Author 2.0: Harnessing Ethical AI Practices for Innovative Book Marketing Efforts | September 27, 1:30 p.m. EST | Be sure to register and secure your spot.
During this workshop, I’ll dig into:
- Deepening an understanding of AI, including where to find it and how to ethically leverage it. As with anything, if not used properly, it can cause more damage than good if not used correctly.
- Insights into how AI can be integrated into book marketing efforts for market research. As a book marketer myself, seeking new and innovative approaches to reach target readers where they are and how they consume information is my jam. And, I bet you didn’t know that AI can help you in that brainstorming process.
- Tips on how to leverage AI prompts to help with writer’s block. There’s nothing worse for a writer than staring at a blinking cursor on a blank Google Doc page. Whether we seek inspiration from a walk or from a prompt in an AI tool, moving through the block itself helps us accomplish our goals.
AI can be downright scary for those of us who use the written word to share a meaningful message. But fear isn’t productive; understanding is. And when it comes to AI, there are ethical ways to leverage the power of its transformative tools, especially for authors.
Don’t run from it; use it to your advantage. Use it to help break through barriers you have and push your creative juices to new heights. Embrace the future with confidence as you learn to harness AI as a powerful ally in your quest to reach readers, build a loyal fanbase and propel your book marketing efforts to new heights.
