Why AI Can't Write Your Business Book

Becoming the published author of a business book – a book that you’re proud of and your readers love – is more than just a smart commercial move. It’s one of the best personal self-development and business improvements you can undertake. 

I’ve seen thousands of expert entrepreneurs grow, pivot, niche, and sharpen their businesses simply by planning and writing their books. If you haven’t written yours yet, it’s something you should seriously consider. I’m here to help you work out the best way to begin. 

One barrier always makes people pause, and that’s how much time writing your book will take. Crafting a whole book sounds like a huge commitment. Even if you think it would be a fantastic experience, you’re wondering how you’ll fit it into your busy schedule. 

You may be asking yourself, ‘Can AI help me write a book’? However, as the UK’s most experienced business book mentor by a long stretch, and with a long-standing team of 12 business book coaches and ghostwriters at my side, I’m here to tell you that AI book writing is not the great idea it seems. 

With Book Magic, we can help you write that book that will transform your life and build your business. We’ll help you to create something extraordinary that will give you enormous satisfaction AND consistently deliver leads, sales, and contacts. 

It can still be done quickly and efficiently – you have a business to run and a life to lead. But your book should be your book, speaking to your readers in your voice and communicating your experience and expertise. After all, you’re unique and deserve to stand out in your industry for the right reasons.

This is why I DO NOT recommend using AI to write your book for you; instead, with Book Magic, you can use AI as an invaluable, speedy book-writing assistant! Let’s look at why you shouldn’t simply take a hasty leap and fall into the same trap as many other aspiring writers.

Read this before you jump in and use AI to write your book…

In 2024, with AI tools like ChatGPT, Bing, and Koala being used for quick and easy content creation, it’s very tempting to try and quickly create an entire manuscript with minimum effort. But while AI might be able to churn out pages and pages of superficial text on any subject you ask it to tackle, there’s far more to writing a book than just producing strings of words. 

Before you even get to the writing stage, you need to consider: 

• Who the book is for (your target audience)

• What your business goals are (and how the book will achieve these)

• How to structure and plan your book (so it makes sense and flows well)

• And much more…

While AI book writing may seem like a cool, innovative idea, you must still nail the essential planning and writing strategy. Most AI writing tools don’t understand this in any real depth, so you will be in danger of ending up with a book full of platitudes gleaned from other sources that lack any originality or substance. A book like this will NOT deliver the results you need and deserve – authority, influence, visibility, prospects, and clients, to name a few.

Navigating the legal and publishing aspects of AI in book writing

If you rely on AI to write your book for you, beware; you may encounter significant legal problems. The situation is changing rapidly in the publishing world as we try to keep up with this fast-paced technology, so you need to know exactly where you stand as an author. 

Is using AI to write a book legal? 

As of today’s legal guidelines, the short answer is yes – it is legal to use AI for book writing. 

AI-generated content, including books, falls within the legal framework for creative publications. However, the answer is far more complex. Legal and ethical considerations surrounding the use of AI in creative professions are a hot topic. Writers and designers are already taking some AI companies to court for using their work without permission, and there are likely to be many more copyright and IP issues as we understand more about AI learning. 

Legal experts predict that as the use of AI in creative processes becomes more typical, there will be a push for explicit guidelines and regulations. Moral and ethical considerations must be addressed, and the challenges presented by AI-generated content are front and centre of the publishing industry’s agenda. 

What’s the future of AI in the publishing industry?

So, that begs the question, does AI being legal today mean the situation won’t change in the future? To be frank, it may well do. 

There’s already considerable hostility towards using AI in a way that infringes on an author’s or editor’s work in the publishing industry. It’s likely the future holds stricter regulations and a more defined framework for AI-generated content.

Major publishers and distributors (including Amazon - the giant of self-publishing and book distribution) already scrutinise books for AI-assisted and AI-generated content more closely and are asking for disclosure when it has been used. This stems from a growing number of complaints about the originality of AI-generated content. 

Self-publishers on Amazon's platform must now declare if their content is AI-generated, and it doesn’t look good on your Amazon book page if you share authorship with AI. So, if you’re considering using AI in your writing process, staying informed about these developments is crucial. 

5 reasons you shouldn’t rely on AI to write your business book 

AI is constantly changing and improving, but it currently does not (and may never) fully understand our human experience – thank goodness! It does an excellent job of appearing to do so, but it’s only ever regurgitating information from other people’s experiences.

Here are my five major concerns at a glance:  

1. The problem of inaccuracy and context

Have you ever asked someone a question, and their response missed the mark so much that it took you aback? This is exactly what can happen when you use AI. It doesn’t understand the nuanced complexities of its subject matter, which could lead to inaccuracies or misinterpretations that make no sense in the context of your book!

2. The missing human element

You’re writing your book to demonstrate your specific business expertise, so it follows that you should put your personality into it to connect with your readers. That’s why AI should never be the author of your work. A great book's essence is its authentic author's voice, emotional depth, creative storytelling, and originality. If you don’t think your writing is as fluent as ChatGPT’s, it’s still yours – an editor can polish it.

3. Coherence and flow issues

Would you want your readers to think you’re chaotic or unable to provide a logical experience? That’s the impression using a fully AI-written book could give. 

AI-generated content is usually created in individual chunks, so creating many sections for a 30,000-word book can make it lack coherence and flow; thus, it often appears disjointed and repetitive. 

In your business book, you’ll take your reader through anecdotes from your own life, case studies of your clients and data and information that has inspired you. AI can’t invent that for you or create a journey for your reader as though it’s you in their ear. 

4. Ethical and legal grey areas

Your book is a tool to build your business, so it should enhance your name, extend authority in your industry, and create a legacy. You certainly don’t want to worry about potential ethical and legal issues that might appear in the future. While using AI for book writing is legal, relying on it might raise embarrassing or costly questions.

5. The editing overhead

In my experience, authors who have tried to use AI to generate their book’s narrative have spent far longer than is sensible re-writing or editing it to get the information correct and make it sound like them. 

This need for extensive editing cancels out the time you’ve gained through AI's ability to produce content rapidly. You could spend days you’ve saved going over and over AI-generated drafts when it would have been quicker to bite the bullet and write it yourself.

An AI book-writing assistant in Book Magic

Remember, your book's power lies in your distinctive voice. Your unique perspective, experience, and insight matter more than anything else, so letting AI take over simply won’t cut it.

But with Book Magic’s unique software AND our extensive UK editing and publishing expertise, you can still use AI's impressive power and speed to help. Think of it as your personal book-writing assistant, here to help you experience the satisfaction of being a respected author and undisputed expert in your field. 

Writing that brilliant business book you’ve had in you for years is now far easier than you can imagine – and an enjoyable, unforgettable experience, too.

Sign up to Book Magic now.