For decades, writing a book probably felt like climbing a mountain barefoot. You needed time, talent, as well as a literary agent. Not anymore though! AI has built a tunnel through the mountain — and now anyone can publish their own book.
When I wrote my first book outline with ChatGPT, I couldn’t believe how fast it came together. I’d been procrastinating for months—and in 30 minutes, I had a full chapter structure.
Have you ever thought about writing a book?
Maybe it’s been on your list for years. Maybe you’ve even started one… a few times. Maybe you’ve never thought of it, but here’s the thing – AI has changed the game and now anyone has the ability to write a book.
So today, I’m breaking down exactly how to write a book with AI, even if you’ve never written anything longer than a Facebook post!
Why Writing a Book Is Still One of the Best Moves You Can Make
Whether you want to build authority, grow your audience, or just prove to yourself you can do it… writing a book could be a great move.
And with AI, it doesn’t necessarily need to take 6 months to write.
Step-by-Step: How to Write a Book with AI
- Pick a Niche or Topic
Start with something you already know or are passionate about. If you’re not sure what to write, try this prompt in ChatGPT:
“What are 10 book ideas I could write based on [your interest/experience]?”
- Outline Your Book
Structure is everything. You can ask ChatGPT:
“Give me a full chapter outline for a short book about [topic].”
- Write the First Draft (Fast)
Now for the magic. Use AI to generate content chapter by chapter. Here are some prompt ideas:
“Write a 500-word introduction for Chapter 1 of a book about [topic].”
“List 5 practical tips for [chapter topic], written in a friendly tone.”
You can go through your book chapter-by-chapter, and then edit it all together at the end.
- Edit & Make It Yours
This is key. AI gives you a great starting structure, but you must heavily edit the text so it reflects your voice.
You can use Grammarly for grammar checks, or Claude.ai if you want help summarising and polishing longer drafts.
- Format It Like a Pro
Once your draft’s ready, you’ll want to make it look polished. Tools like Reedsy let you format your book with clean, pro-level layouts. If you’re on a Mac, Vellum is fantastic—while Atticus works across platforms and is budget-friendly. And for the cover? Canva makes it easy to design something eye-catching, even if you’ve never touched graphic design before.
- Publish It
A common route for publishing is Amazon KDP. Other options for publishing include Gumroad, Payhip, or even selling it though your own website. If you’re interested in setting up your own website, check out this post. Whichever way you chose, you will need to market it effectively if you want to sell any copies.
Basic Book Marketing
So, you’ve written your book—what now?
Believe it or not, writing the book is probably the easy part! The hard part is actually marketing and selling the book.
There’s a few different methods that you can use for marketing:
- Tell your story – Post on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Facebook. Share your “why” and your journey and tell all of your friends, family and contacts about the book.
- Offer a free chapter on social media – This could be a great way to build interest and market the book.
- Ask for reviews – Early testimonials or reviews can go a long way in promoting your book.
- Paid Adverts – if you have the funds, you can set up a small ad campaign (up to £100) to advertise on social media.
There are also Facebook groups for self-published authors which you could join, including:
Potential Side Hustle?
Once you’ve mastered using AI to help write your own book, you could even offer it as a service. Many people want to write books but have no idea how to start. Record their thoughts, run them through AI, and boom—you’re a ghostwriter. This could be a great little side hustle for platforms like Fiverr.
Final Thoughts
Look, despite what I’ve outlined in this article, I have to be honest – writing a book and effectively marketing it is not going to be easy! Then again, writing a book doesn’t have to be impossible. If you already have the knowledge— AI can help you to get it out of your head and onto the page.
Just start small, outline a few chapters, and play around with the AI prompts.
And who knows… by this time next month, you could be holding your own book in your hands! (Or at least seeing it live on Amazon.)
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