The WRITE Strategy
Welcome to The WRITE Strategy newsletter for business book writers and self publishers.
The Write Strategy is a community of business experts and leaders who want to share and leverage their knowledge, build their profile and be recognised as a leading voice in their field.
February 2026 Edition
Why writing your book in the age of AI is vital.
There is an old joke that if you give a monkey a typewriter, it could eventually recreate the works of Shakespeare. The modern non-writing equivalent is Paul the Octopus who rose, well suckered, his rise to fame accurately predicting the 2010 FIFA World Cup results.
And then we come to AI, specifically for writers ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and some other tools, where there’s a combination of fear, loathing and defiance across the writing/creative community. I am firmly in the defiance category having worked through fear and loathing pretty quickly as I delved into the capability of AI to write. And guess what, it can’t write. It can mimic, regurgitate what it has been trained on (aka stolen by the AI companies) and search a vast array of content, but it lacks:
original ideas (of course it does as it pulls its information from writing that already exists),
nuance,
sense making, and
critical thinking.
It struggles with synthesising unconnected concepts, thoughts and ideas and when it does it hallucinates and just makes up stuff. It ‘writes’ in rhyming triplets which may seem ‘smart’ but they’re as boring as all get out and nowhere near as impactful as Shakespeare’s blank verse or rhyming couplets. See this terrific article about them both here: https://theshakespeareblog.com/2012/10/shakespeares-rhyming-couplets/
I can spot AI a mile off. It’s always presented in sets of threes accompanied by flowery, verbose descriptors. Nothing as impactful as Julius Ceasar’s "I came, I saw, I conquered" to describe his rapid triumph over King Pharnaces II of Pontus at the Battle of Zela. And I won’t reignite the whole debate about the use of the em dash – that’s just too painful.
Sure, AI can ‘write’ some things if you want to contribute to the overload of AI slop that’s taken over the world. But my question to you, is why would you? Are you trying to ‘game’ the content world, the AI Overviews world (now called AEO or GEO which I have written about), become instantly visible? There’s certainly a case for understanding how search now works in the AI world but don’t get sucked into the quantity over quality game.
In the AI world being a trusted human who genuinely has knowledge and insights to share, who deeply understands the community in which they operate and wants to add value to, who has insight and foresight, is of deep value.
Richard J Mayne made this comment recently when sharing the seven skills he identified as the skills needed to survive and thrive in 2026. His last ‘skill’ was human empathy.
"Machines optimize. Humans relate. Understanding motivation, fear, identity, and meaning is what keeps teams, customers, and societies functioning.
The paradox of the AI age is this:
The more powerful our tools become, the more human our skills must be.
The humanities aren’t a luxury.
They are the operating system for judgment, leadership, and freedom."
Being human in your writing is about claiming your agency in the age of AI.
Take the time to think, plan, discuss and engage about what you are writing.
Get feedback about what you’ve written.
Be prepared to revise, and revise till you’ve created the best book you can. Getting your book out is NOT the same as getting the best book you possibly can published.
And, if this isn’t a clear enough call to action to write your book be aware that a self published author (and for that matter self published author) can’t own a copyright for copy that wasn’t written by a human. And you might like to consider submitting your book to Proudly Human and have your book certified. https://www.proudlyhuman.org/
This said, I am not saying there’s no place for AI and business book writing. There’s lots of places for it. It can assist with a wide range of marketing your book from refining your messaging, identifying which audiences are most likely to engage before spending money, building campaigns for different audiences, and test positioning across platforms, repurposing copy, generating video concepts, personalising outreach and more. I use AI in interview transcription and research alongside more traditional research methods.
And from Shakespere:
Write till your ink be dry, and with your tears
Moist it again, and frame some feeling line
That may discover such integrity.
Two Gentlemen of Verona
5 things to do
1. If you’re thinking about writing a business book this year the first thing you need to do is NOT START writing. The first step is to match up your knowledge/insights with your readers’ challenges
a) Write down the key topics/themes you want to write
b) Work out who your primary target audience is in details (and it can’t be a broad description like ‘senior executives’, ‘marketing execs’, HR leaders. Get VERY specific
c) Write down what the top 4-5 challenges your target audience face most days
d) Match up your knowledge/insights with your audiences challenges.
By doing this you’ll focus in on what’s important to your potential audience rather than just what you want to share.
AEO is all about being seen and understood by AI easily. This means reviewing how you write your content, where you/your content shows up, and the context.
2. If you have the first draft of a manuscript and aren’t sure if it’s any good or not, join a big club of people. About half the people I work with are in this category and it’s the time when book imposter syndrome looms large. If you have a first draft of your book and want some frank and fearless advice contact me, I am genuinely here to help.
3. Play with AI tools. While I am not a fan of using AI to ‘write’ I am a fan of using various AI tools in other parts of the book structure, titles, market segmentation, marketing content and media/PR. There’s no shortcut to learning how to use these tools other than using them. The paid versions are way better than the free ones but perhaps start with the free option. AI can be useful and powerful…you have the agency and the power of how to use it, so learn it. And don’t get distracted by the almost daily hype around new versions. “AI won’t replace traditional publishing — but it will fuel a massive rise in credible, data-informed self-published authors who treat books like products with built-in audiences.” Crystal Foote, founder and head of partnerships at Digital Culture Group.
4. Marketing your book is essential if you want it to sell…or you want to build visibility for you/your company. Most people loathe ‘selling their book’, they don’t want to be ‘salesy’, seen as a self promoter. I get it, but you are looking at marketing your book completely the wrong way. There’s no point having the world’s best kept secret with your book. Focus on sharing your knowledge. If you need help we have specific marketing packages (CLICK HERE), and if you are part of The Book Adviser Program you’ll know this already…so get ready!
5. Understand the latest changes in Amazon’s KDP platform. Amazon has long enforced strict controls that kept digital books tethered to its devices and apps. But a recent policy shift will allow self-published authors to distribute their works in more open formats like EPUB and PDF without digital rights management (DRM) protections.
This move, set to take effect on January 20, 2026, could reshape how readers access content across various e-readers, challenging the walled garden that has defined Amazon’s approach for years.
This change applies specifically to titles marked as DRM-free through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Amazon’s self-publishing platform.
For authors opting out of DRM, their books will become available for download in EPUB and PDF formats directly from Amazon’s store. This requires explicit consent from creators, ensuring they maintain control over how their work circulates. More detail to come on this and if you have an existing book with Amazon KDP talk to me and I can walk you through what to do IF you want to make your book more accessible.
5 things from The Book Adviser
1. Book launches. Stephen Fenton’s book, The 5CH Lifestyle. Lower cholesterol without medication, reduce your risk of Heart Attack and Achieve long-term wellness, has now been launched in the US (it is published by Greenleaf Publishing in the US), and is due for launch in Australia in March. I caught up with Steve in January, and he reminded me that it was almost four years to the day that we first meet. Some books just take time.
2. Upcoming book launch: Jo Cooper will be launching her book Toppling the Towers of Power. How one woman defied bullies, fought for justice, and changed the law for millions, in March. You might know Jo as she is the person who took on the Strata Committee of The Horizon apartments in Darlinghurst over having her dog, Angus, in the building. She won this battle which ended up in the Supreme Court and changed strata law in Australia. She previously published this stunning book, Paw and Order. https://thegoodwarrior.com.au/shop/
3. Upcoming book launch: Jon Kenfield is a family business advisor as is working on a three-book series titled Making Sense of ‘Family Business. 66 Common causes of family business conflict…and some solutions. The first book in this series is due for release in the middle of March.
4. Jaqui’s muse. In April last year Eddie the cat left us suddenly. For someone who was a ‘dog person’ Eddie had become a buddy and partner and the Work From Home Manager. I didn’t want to replace him. Then, in late November my son and his fiance popped in to say hello with… Zephyr. I wasn’t ready. Who is? After two months Zephyr has settled in and already worked out how to stop me working. More to come on the Zephyr story.
5. Many of you know me as Jaqui the business book self publishing expert. What you might not know is that I am a professional company historian. I’ve written 53 company histories and am currently working on four. I’ve written the official history of Commonwealth Bank, Woolworths, Breville, Cleanaway, Santos, Westpac, Peter Lehmann Wines, Clough; and family and private business histories including Kennards Self Storage, Aspen Medical, Hare&Forbes, Daydream Island (that was tough research visit) and more. I’m currently writing the history of Edgell (the Bathurst factory turns 100 this year), Genus (a listed company in electricity infrastructure), ARB (who invented the bull bar) and ICL (a private independent cement company).
5 things to know
1. Lawsuits against Meta et al. Publishers Hachette Book Group and Cengage Group have asked a California federal court in the USA for permission to intervene in a proposed class action lawsuit against Google over the alleged misuse of copyrighted material used to train its artificial intelligence systems. The publishers said that the tech company "engaged in one of the most prolific infringements of copyrighted materials in history" to build its AI capabilities, copying content from Hachette books and Cengage textbooks without permission.
The lawsuit currently involves groups of visual artists and authors who sued Google for allegedly misusing their work to train its generative AI systems. The case is one of many high-stakes lawsuits brought by artists, authors, music labels and other copyright owners against tech companies over their AI training.
2. ChatGPT will be one of the main ways reader discover books and buy them. Yes, you read that right. In Sept 2025 OpenAI launched and ‘Instant Checkout’ function (in the US, of course) via Etsy and select Shopify. It’s early days so I’ll keep you posted.
3. As a self published author the name of the game now is to make sure that ChatGPT recommends your book. This is a fast-evolving space so I suggest at the moment that you experiment with ChatGPT by asking it the sort of questions your desired reader/audience would…and see if your book pops up. If it doesn’t, review which ones do and think about how you can adjust your book descriptors, content, media releases etc.
AND/OR experiment with Gemini. https://gemini.google.com/app
Think about what questions would your target audience ask, then answer them…then use the information to modify your content.
4. Register your book with Proudly Human. I’ve been involved in beta testing of Proudly Human. https://www.proudlyhuman.org/
As they say, “We verify work is human authored so creators can prove it and humans can choose it.”
As you know I am a fierce advocate for human writing in the age of AI slop and I believe Proudly Human is a pro-active and positive way for those of us who actually write our books to showcase this.
5. Self publishing platforms. What do I recommend and what’s the difference.
Amazon KDP, Ingram Spark, Lulu, Draft2Digital are all reputable options, depending on what you want to achieve (your goals) for your book.
IF you are looking at book sales and royalties, here’s an overview, and it us just an overview.
The highest royalties will be using KDP to directly post to Amazon, and IngramSpark for everywhere else, without offering a wholesale discount nor returns.
You don’t need discounts and return for online listings.
None of these platform take any creative nor publishing rights from you.
The only limitation is if you want your ebook available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers, the ebook (not print) needs to be exclusive to Amazon.
Lulu and Draft2Digital can both get your book into wide distribution through Ingram, but they both take an additional fee for each sale. So using IngramSpark is better/simpler option.
Our clients have used one or more of these platforms, the choice really coming down to what your specific goals are.
We can advise you on the pros and cons for each so you can make a smarter decision for your book.
is it time to publish your book?
The Book Adviser has helped more than 400 business leaders, owners, consultants and entrepreneurs to successfully self publish and market their business book.
Find out more about The Book Adviser Program CLICK HERE.
subscribe to The Book Adviser YouTube channel for more tips and insights
Are you curious about:
- How AI is impacting book publishing
- What to do after writing your own book? or even
- What makes a good business book?
Subscribe to The Book Adviser channel
CLICK HERE
help spread our message
We’re passionate about business books and helping people share their knowledge and insights to a wider audience as we believe each of us can change the world for the better, one book at a time. If you’ve found this newsletter informative, inspiring or want to share some of the books we’ve mentioned, please share it with your colleagues, friends and family.
get more of The WRITE Strategy
Do you know of someone that would benefit from our services? DM us or email jaqui@thebookadviser.com.au
Was this email forwarded to you? Get your own subscription by clicking SUBSCRIBE and completing our form.
Copyright 2024 - The Book Adviser
The WRITE Strategy
Welcome to The WRITE Strategy newsletter for business book writers and self publishers.
The Write Strategy is a community of business experts and leaders who want to share and leverage their knowledge, build their profile and be recognised as a leading voice in their field.
February 2026 Edition
Why writing your book in the age of AI is vital.
There is an old joke that if you give a monkey a typewriter, it could eventually recreate the works of Shakespeare. The modern non-writing equivalent is Paul the Octopus who rose, well suckered, his rise to fame accurately predicting the 2010 FIFA World Cup results.
And then we come to AI, specifically for writers ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity and some other tools, where there’s a combination of fear, loathing and defiance across the writing/creative community. I am firmly in the defiance category having worked through fear and loathing pretty quickly as I delved into the capability of AI to write. And guess what, it can’t write. It can mimic, regurgitate what it has been trained on (aka stolen by the AI companies) and search a vast array of content, but it lacks:
original ideas (of course it does as it pulls its information from writing that already exists),
nuance,
sense making, and
critical thinking.
It struggles with synthesising unconnected concepts, thoughts and ideas and when it does it hallucinates and just makes up stuff. It ‘writes’ in rhyming triplets which may seem ‘smart’ but they’re as boring as all get out and nowhere near as impactful as Shakespeare’s blank verse or rhyming couplets. See this terrific article about them both here: https://theshakespeareblog.com/2012/10/shakespeares-rhyming-couplets/
I can spot AI a mile off. It’s always presented in sets of threes accompanied by flowery, verbose descriptors. Nothing as impactful as Julius Ceasar’s "I came, I saw, I conquered" to describe his rapid triumph over King Pharnaces II of Pontus at the Battle of Zela. And I won’t reignite the whole debate about the use of the em dash – that’s just too painful.
Sure, AI can ‘write’ some things if you want to contribute to the overload of AI slop that’s taken over the world. But my question to you, is why would you? Are you trying to ‘game’ the content world, the AI Overviews world (now called AEO or GEO which I have written about), become instantly visible? There’s certainly a case for understanding how search now works in the AI world but don’t get sucked into the quantity over quality game.
In the AI world being a trusted human who genuinely has knowledge and insights to share, who deeply understands the community in which they operate and wants to add value to, who has insight and foresight, is of deep value.
Richard J Mayne made this comment recently when sharing the seven skills he identified as the skills needed to survive and thrive in 2026. His last ‘skill’ was human empathy.
"Machines optimize. Humans relate. Understanding motivation, fear, identity, and meaning is what keeps teams, customers, and societies functioning.
The paradox of the AI age is this:
The more powerful our tools become, the more human our skills must be.
The humanities aren’t a luxury.
They are the operating system for judgment, leadership, and freedom."
Being human in your writing is about claiming your agency in the age of AI.
Take the time to think, plan, discuss and engage about what you are writing.
Get feedback about what you’ve written.
Be prepared to revise, and revise till you’ve created the best book you can. Getting your book out is NOT the same as getting the best book you possibly can published.
And, if this isn’t a clear enough call to action to write your book be aware that a self published author (and for that matter self published author) can’t own a copyright for copy that wasn’t written by a human. And you might like to consider submitting your book to Proudly Human and have your book certified. https://www.proudlyhuman.org/
This said, I am not saying there’s no place for AI and business book writing. There’s lots of places for it. It can assist with a wide range of marketing your book from refining your messaging, identifying which audiences are most likely to engage before spending money, building campaigns for different audiences, and test positioning across platforms, repurposing copy, generating video concepts, personalising outreach and more. I use AI in interview transcription and research alongside more traditional research methods.
And from Shakespere:
Write till your ink be dry, and with your tears
Moist it again, and frame some feeling line
That may discover such integrity.
Two Gentlemen of Verona
5 things to do
1. If you’re thinking about writing a business book this year the first thing you need to do is NOT START writing. The first step is to match up your knowledge/insights with your readers’ challenges
a) Write down the key topics/themes you want to write
b) Work out who your primary target audience is in details (and it can’t be a broad description like ‘senior executives’, ‘marketing execs’, HR leaders. Get VERY specific
c) Write down what the top 4-5 challenges your target audience face most days
d) Match up your knowledge/insights with your audiences challenges.
By doing this you’ll focus in on what’s important to your potential audience rather than just what you want to share.
AEO is all about being seen and understood by AI easily. This means reviewing how you write your content, where you/your content shows up, and the context.
2. If you have the first draft of a manuscript and aren’t sure if it’s any good or not, join a big club of people. About half the people I work with are in this category and it’s the time when book imposter syndrome looms large. If you have a first draft of your book and want some frank and fearless advice contact me, I am genuinely here to help.
3. Play with AI tools. While I am not a fan of using AI to ‘write’ I am a fan of using various AI tools in other parts of the book structure, titles, market segmentation, marketing content and media/PR. There’s no shortcut to learning how to use these tools other than using them. The paid versions are way better than the free ones but perhaps start with the free option. AI can be useful and powerful…you have the agency and the power of how to use it, so learn it. And don’t get distracted by the almost daily hype around new versions. “AI won’t replace traditional publishing — but it will fuel a massive rise in credible, data-informed self-published authors who treat books like products with built-in audiences.” Crystal Foote, founder and head of partnerships at Digital Culture Group.
4. Marketing your book is essential if you want it to sell…or you want to build visibility for you/your company. Most people loathe ‘selling their book’, they don’t want to be ‘salesy’, seen as a self promoter. I get it, but you are looking at marketing your book completely the wrong way. There’s no point having the world’s best kept secret with your book. Focus on sharing your knowledge. If you need help we have specific marketing packages (CLICK HERE), and if you are part of The Book Adviser Program you’ll know this already…so get ready!
5. Understand the latest changes in Amazon’s KDP platform. Amazon has long enforced strict controls that kept digital books tethered to its devices and apps. But a recent policy shift will allow self-published authors to distribute their works in more open formats like EPUB and PDF without digital rights management (DRM) protections.
This move, set to take effect on January 20, 2026, could reshape how readers access content across various e-readers, challenging the walled garden that has defined Amazon’s approach for years.
This change applies specifically to titles marked as DRM-free through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Amazon’s self-publishing platform.
For authors opting out of DRM, their books will become available for download in EPUB and PDF formats directly from Amazon’s store. This requires explicit consent from creators, ensuring they maintain control over how their work circulates. More detail to come on this and if you have an existing book with Amazon KDP talk to me and I can walk you through what to do IF you want to make your book more accessible.
5 things from The Book Adviser
1. Book launches. Stephen Fenton’s book, The 5CH Lifestyle. Lower cholesterol without medication, reduce your risk of Heart Attack and Achieve long-term wellness, has now been launched in the US (it is published by Greenleaf Publishing in the US), and is due for launch in Australia in March. I caught up with Steve in January, and he reminded me that it was almost four years to the day that we first meet. Some books just take time.
2. Upcoming book launch: Jo Cooper will be launching her book Toppling the Towers of Power. How one woman defied bullies, fought for justice, and changed the law for millions, in March. You might know Jo as she is the person who took on the Strata Committee of The Horizon apartments in Darlinghurst over having her dog, Angus, in the building. She won this battle which ended up in the Supreme Court and changed strata law in Australia. She previously published this stunning book, Paw and Order. https://thegoodwarrior.com.au/shop/
3. Upcoming book launch: Jon Kenfield is a family business advisor as is working on a three-book series titled Making Sense of ‘Family Business. 66 Common causes of family business conflict…and some solutions. The first book in this series is due for release in the middle of March.
4. Jaqui’s muse. In April last year Eddie the cat left us suddenly. For someone who was a ‘dog person’ Eddie had become a buddy and partner and the Work From Home Manager. I didn’t want to replace him. Then, in late November my son and his fiance popped in to say hello with… Zephyr. I wasn’t ready. Who is? After two months Zephyr has settled in and already worked out how to stop me working. More to come on the Zephyr story.
5. Many of you know me as Jaqui the business book self publishing expert. What you might not know is that I am a professional company historian. I’ve written 53 company histories and am currently working on four. I’ve written the official history of Commonwealth Bank, Woolworths, Breville, Cleanaway, Santos, Westpac, Peter Lehmann Wines, Clough; and family and private business histories including Kennards Self Storage, Aspen Medical, Hare&Forbes, Daydream Island (that was tough research visit) and more. I’m currently writing the history of Edgell (the Bathurst factory turns 100 this year), Genus (a listed company in electricity infrastructure), ARB (who invented the bull bar) and ICL (a private independent cement company).
5 things to know
1. Lawsuits against Meta et al. Publishers Hachette Book Group and Cengage Group have asked a California federal court in the USA for permission to intervene in a proposed class action lawsuit against Google over the alleged misuse of copyrighted material used to train its artificial intelligence systems. The publishers said that the tech company "engaged in one of the most prolific infringements of copyrighted materials in history" to build its AI capabilities, copying content from Hachette books and Cengage textbooks without permission.
The lawsuit currently involves groups of visual artists and authors who sued Google for allegedly misusing their work to train its generative AI systems. The case is one of many high-stakes lawsuits brought by artists, authors, music labels and other copyright owners against tech companies over their AI training.
2. ChatGPT will be one of the main ways reader discover books and buy them. Yes, you read that right. In Sept 2025 OpenAI launched and ‘Instant Checkout’ function (in the US, of course) via Etsy and select Shopify. It’s early days so I’ll keep you posted.
3. As a self published author the name of the game now is to make sure that ChatGPT recommends your book. This is a fast-evolving space so I suggest at the moment that you experiment with ChatGPT by asking it the sort of questions your desired reader/audience would…and see if your book pops up. If it doesn’t, review which ones do and think about how you can adjust your book descriptors, content, media releases etc.
AND/OR experiment with Gemini. https://gemini.google.com/app
Think about what questions would your target audience ask, then answer them…then use the information to modify your content.
4. Register your book with Proudly Human. I’ve been involved in beta testing of Proudly Human. https://www.proudlyhuman.org/
As they say, “We verify work is human authored so creators can prove it and humans can choose it.”
As you know I am a fierce advocate for human writing in the age of AI slop and I believe Proudly Human is a pro-active and positive way for those of us who actually write our books to showcase this.
5. Self publishing platforms. What do I recommend and what’s the difference.
Amazon KDP, Ingram Spark, Lulu, Draft2Digital are all reputable options, depending on what you want to achieve (your goals) for your book.
IF you are looking at book sales and royalties, here’s an overview, and it us just an overview.
The highest royalties will be using KDP to directly post to Amazon, and IngramSpark for everywhere else, without offering a wholesale discount nor returns.
You don’t need discounts and return for online listings.
None of these platform take any creative nor publishing rights from you.
The only limitation is if you want your ebook available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers, the ebook (not print) needs to be exclusive to Amazon.
Lulu and Draft2Digital can both get your book into wide distribution through Ingram, but they both take an additional fee for each sale. So using IngramSpark is better/simpler option.
Our clients have used one or more of these platforms, the choice really coming down to what your specific goals are.
We can advise you on the pros and cons for each so you can make a smarter decision for your book.
is it time to publish your book?
The Book Adviser has helped more than 400 business leaders, owners, consultants and entrepreneurs to successfully self publish and market their business book.
Find out more about The Book Adviser Program CLICK HERE.
subscribe to The Book Adviser YouTube channel for more tips and insights
Are you curious about:
- How AI is impacting book publishing
- What to do after writing your own book? or even
- What makes a good business book?
Subscribe to The Book Adviser channel
CLICK HERE
help spread our message
We’re passionate about business books and helping people share their knowledge and insights to a wider audience as we believe each of us can change the world for the better, one book at a time. If you’ve found this newsletter informative, inspiring or want to share some of the books we’ve mentioned, please share it with your colleagues, friends and family.
get more of The WRITE Strategy
Do you know of someone that would benefit from our services? DM us or email jaqui@thebookadviser.com.au
Was this email forwarded to you? Get your own subscription by clicking SUBSCRIBE and completing our form.
Copyright 2024 - The Book Adviser