Not long ago, I stumbled across a YouTube video promising: “Write your book in a weekend with AI.”
As an author of 11 books and a book coach, I couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. Writing a book isn’t about cranking out words on demand. It’s about voice, craft, and creating something uniquely yours.
That doesn’t mean I don’t use AI. I do, every day. But not in the way those thumbnails suggest.
For me, AI isn’t a shortcut. It’s a collaborator. A quiet assistant that helps me focus, organise, and clear mental space so I can stay in control of the words that matter most.
How authors can use AI without losing their voice
Before becoming a full-time author, I spent years in digital marketing, SEO, and content strategy. I built websites, ran campaigns, and learned to think both like a creator and like a strategist.
That background means I’m not afraid of tech. In fact, I’m a big fan of creative technology, when it’s used well. It’s why I’ve been able to design my own AI writing tools for authors: tools that don’t “spit out” ready-made books, but work with you to build clarity and momentum.
When I built them, I followed three principles:
- Author-centred. You’re always in control of your ideas and words
- Safe. No one can see your content, not even me, the tool creator
- Efficient. They save time and help you finish your book faster.
Collaborative AI writing tools (not replacements)
Here’s the most important part: my tools are designed to collaborate with you, not think for you. They nudge, prompt, and shape, but they never override your voice.
- Book Idea Kickstart: helps you clarify and validate your book idea
- BookBlueprint Pro Generator: works with you to create chapter outlines without handing you a plot
- First Chapter Optimiser FastTrack: helps you refine your opening scene so you start strong
- Book Title Genius and Book Blurb Builder: refine your titles and blurbs into something marketable while keeping them authentic.
Every tool is built to help you feel confident that the final book is yours.
Best AI tools for writing a book idea
When I have a book idea, I don’t rush. I let it sit. When I’m ready, I use my Book Idea Kickstart AI tool to ask the tough questions: Who’s it for? Does it have legs? Where could it go? Then it helps me shape and bring my book idea to life.
You can check out Book Idea Kickstart here.
Using AI to outline a book quickly
Chapter summaries are my secret weapon. They help me finish books consistently. My BookBlueprint Pro Generator speeds up the process, helping me map chapters in hours instead of days.
When I was developing this tool, I noticed early versions started suggesting storylines for me and it didn’t sit right. If a tool is telling me what my book should be about, then it isn’t really my book anymore.
So I built in specific protocols to make sure this tool never hands you a ready-made plot. Instead, it collaborates with you, prompting you to think through story beats, character arcs, and structure until you have a roadmap that’s entirely yours.
This is a key difference between my approach and most AI tools. I want you to stay in control, to come away knowing: I shaped this story. This is mine.
You can find it in my Complete & Conquer Author Bundle.
Using AI to test a first chapter
Your opening scene can make or break a book, and for many writers, it’s the part that keeps them stuck the longest.
That’s why I created the First Chapter Optimiser FastTrack.
Unlike some tools out there that promise to “write your whole novel for you” (which I personally don’t agree with), this one is designed to collaborate with you. It nudges, prompts, and guides you through the process of shaping a strong first chapter, but the words are still yours.
I built it this way for a reason: your first chapter sets the tone for everything that follows. When you finish this exercise, you’ll have a chapter you can confidently call your own and the momentum to keep going.
For me, this tool isn’t about outsourcing creativity. It’s about building your confidence so you can move forward knowing, I can do this.
Using AI for book marketing
Writing the book is one half of the journey. Marketing it is the other. Here’s how I use my AI for book marketing tools:
- Book Title Genius: brainstorming titles that are genre-appropriate and market-ready.
- Book Blurb Creator: writing blurbs that intrigue readers and convert browsers into buyers.
Both are part of my Manuscript to Market Launch Bundle.
Should authors use AI to write books?
Here’s my honest view: some writers use AI as a mask because they don’t feel confident. And I get it. But it shows.
If all you need is a short ebook lead magnet (1K words, roughly), for marketing purposes, AI might be fine. But for a 70,000–90,000 word novel, memoir (or whatever your genre is)? Readers can tell when it isn’t really yours.
And what happens when someone asks about your writing process? Can you genuinely answer if most of it came from a chatbot?
I’m not saying this to sound harsh, only real. Readers buy books because of your voice, your fingerprints. Don’t hide that.
The takeaway: AI for authors, used wisely
AI isn’t going away, and for authors, that can either feel overwhelming or empowering.
For me, it’s empowering. Not because it takes the writing away from me, but because it makes the writing possible when I might otherwise stay stuck. It clears mental space, organises the chaos, and gives me the confidence to keep going, but the words are still mine.
That’s why I’ve deliberately built my tools to be collaborative. They never hand you storylines or do the thinking for you. They ask questions, spark ideas, and guide you toward clarity, so when you finish, you know the work is truly yours.
Because here’s the thing: a book is more than words on a page. It’s your voice, your fingerprint, your perspective. AI can either dilute that or make it sharper, depending on how you use it.
So here’s my invitation to you: think about where you draw the line. Should AI write for you, or work with you? What role should technology play in your creative process?
I’d love to know. Share your thoughts in the comments.