Have you noticed that everywhere you turn it is all about AI now? I have never seen so many graphics showing all the different learning models and what they do best. It’s good information, but you really need to be smart about it.
Take Mia. She is an author and when she first heard about AI for book publicity, she was all in.
She’s smart, strategic, and has a timely book with a clear mission and was determined to make the most of this powerful new tool. So she signed up for everything. One AI tool for social media, another for writing pitches, one for analyzing audiences, another for creating promotional graphics, and two more for email copy and podcast outreach.
For the first few weeks, she said it felt like magic. Suddenly she had a month’s worth of Instagram captions in minutes. Pitches practically wrote themselves. Blog posts? Just a prompt away. It was like having a tiny team of assistants living in her laptop.
Until it wasn’t.
By week four, her digital workspace looked like a cyber hurricane had passed through, with a couple of tornadoes thrown in for good measure. She had folders full of AI-generated content, spreadsheets of ideas she didn’t remember writing (which she actually didn’t write, but she didn’t remember asking for them either), and 43 draft emails labeled “final-final-AI-version3.” Oh boy.
Her social calendar was bursting, but nothing actually sounded like her. It wasn’t her voice. The content wasn’t really hers. It felt like going home after a really bad date. “It started out magical, but why do I now feel so bad?? She couldn’t tell which pitch was strong, which headline would land, or what her audience would care about.
This is not a fun place to be. What seemed like the “totally easy and exciting way out” became another huge block for her.
Instead of clarity, she had clutter. Yuck.
Instead of progress, she had paralysis. Stuck.
Mia came to me exasperated. “I thought this would save me time,” she said. “But now I feel further away from my audience and my own voice than ever.”
“OK,” I responded. “Let’s get back to the basics and find your voice again.” Helping authors find that amid the noise, the clutter, and yes, even AI, is what I do best.
And that AI overwhelm? I’ve seen it more than once. Maybe you’ve even experienced it.
The truth is that those tools are powerful; there is no question about it. But without intention and real clarity, they just become noise. The pictures never look quite right. The graphics are always a bit strange. They flood you with so much content, so many directions, so many “helpful” suggestions that you can get completely lost in the middle of your own message and actually begin to question yourself. Is this a good idea? No, I don’t think so.
Here is one of those powerful truths:
AI doesn’t replace discernment. It requires it even more. Helping authors cut through the digital static to uncover what’s truly theirs is one of my secret powers, and why I love this work.
You must know:
- What your audience cares about
- What you want to say
- And how to show up in a way that builds trust and connection.
AI can help with execution, but only you can provide the heart.
So if you’re diving into AI, fantastic. But start with clarity. Just like with traditional tools, ask yourself:
- What’s my message?
- What problem do I solve?
- What kind of relationship am I building with my reader?
AI can help with execution, but only you can provide the heart.
Then, and only then, let AI help you amplify that message and not bury it.
To your success,
Joanne
P.S. Only you can Say What You Need to Say. Machines are wonderful, but they simply can’t do everything, and that’s a good thing. Because in the end, what your audience really wants is you. If you’re ready to clarify your message, reconnect with your voice, and let AI support (not drown out) your brilliance, I’m here to help. Let’s celebrate that!
#AIForAuthors
#ClarityOverClutter
#SavvySunday
#BookMarketing
#BookPublicity
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