The Page & Podium Podcast with Dr. Amanda Nell Edgar

Want to know where AI can creep into your book project—even if you never intended to use it to “write your book”? This is the second episode in my four-part series on AI and nonfiction writing, and this time I’m walking through the places I’ve actually seen AI enter authors’ projects at every stage of the publishing process.In this episode, I share real examples from writing, editing, cover design, and marketing. I talk about what happens when an LLM starts making repetitive writing choices, why AI can become especially tempting when you hit the blinking-cursor problem, how authors can accidentally outsource their editorial judgment, and why using AI to “just organize ideas” or “just brainstorm” may be doing more of the creative work than you realize.I also explain why I keep coming back to the same concern: AI is most tempting when its certainty meets your insecurity. My professional recommendation is still to keep generative AI out of the creative work of writing your book—and to be cautious about the places it can slip into the rest of the publishing process too.Key topics- Why AI can enter a book project even when the author never planned to use it- Why fear and insecurity make LLMs especially tempting- Why AI-generated prose can become impossible to simply “edit”- How outsourcing difficult passages can interrupt your development as a writer- How LLMs can confidently validate an editorial opinion that is simply wrong- Why AI-generated cover ideas can pull a book away from its genre and market- Why “I’m just using it to brainstorm” may be more consequential than it soundsResources mentionedFree Memoir Method Checklisthttps://pageandpodium.com/checklistPage & Podium PublishingLearn more about our collaborative publishing process:https://pageandpodium.com/publishing/Manuscript ReviewGet a professional 10,000-foot view of your manuscript, including what’s working, what needs attention, and a step-by-step revision plan:https://pageandpodium.com/manuscript/Page & Podium BlogWriting, revision, publishing, and book-marketing resources:https://pageandpodium.com/blogJess Sato: “Why I’m on an AI Detox”Jess talks about how relying on AI for ideation and drafting affected her creativity—and what happened when she stepped away from it:https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/why-im-on-an-ai-detox/id1712906510?i=1000785767092Timestamps0:00 How AI Is Creeping Into Book Projects0:29 Part 2 of the Four-Part AI Series0:59 Free Memoir Method Checklist1:31 Why Authors Turn to AI4:27 How Page & Podium Approaches Publishing6:46 Start Here: AI in the Writing Process7:44 AI-Generated Manuscripts9:33 Repetition and AI Writing Patterns11:25 Can AI Make It Harder to Write Without It?13:17 AI in the Editing Process15:04 When AI Writing Doesn’t Sound Like You16:04 The Blinking-Cursor Problem18:36 AI and Structural Editing19:15 A Ghostwriting Example22:04 Why You Shouldn’t Ask AI to Judge Your Editor24:48 AI in Cover Design27:24 When AI Sends a Cover Off Course28:45 Why Comparable Titles Matter30:27 AI in Book Marketing31:54 AI and Thought Leadership32:54 Jess Sato’s AI Detox33:51 The Problem With “I’m Just Using AI For…”35:17 What to Do If AI Is Already in Your Project36:11 What’s Coming Next in the Series36:38 Final Reminder: Download the ChecklistThis is episode two of a four-part series on AI and nonfiction writing. In the next episode, I’ll dig further into how AI affects thought leadership and what happens when we begin outsourcing the thinking behind our ideas.Music licensed through Soundstripe.Code: UR9M41ATXQIRESTE

Want to know whether AI has a place in your writing process? This is the first episode in a four-part series on AI and nonfiction writing, and we’re starting with the most important question: what happens when you let an LLM make creative choices for you?Before you hand over your outline, your prose, or your voice, it helps to understand what writing actually requires—and what you may lose when generative AI starts making those decisions instead.In this episode, I explain why I think of writing as a long series of choices, from your topic and structure all the way down to individual words. Then I look at what happens when AI starts making those choices instead, especially in the two areas where I see the biggest problems for nonfiction writers: voice and structure.I also talk about the difference between generative AI and tools like spellcheck or grammar check, why AI can become especially tempting in the places where you already feel insecure, and why my professional recommendation is to keep generative AI out of the creative writing process.Key topics- How large language models generate writing- Why AI-generated prose can sound clean but still flatten your voice (and how outsourcing word choice keeps you from becoming a stronger writer)- Why AI-generated book structures often fail to support authors once they start drafting- The difference between generative AI and tools like spellcheck or grammar check- Why discernment matters when deciding whether to use a toolResources mentionedFree Memoir Method Checklisthttps://pageandpodium.com/checklistPage & Podium BlogMore writing, revision, publishing, and book-marketing resources:https://pageandpodium.com/blogTimestamps0:00 How Nonfiction Writers Should Think About AI1:00 Free Memoir Method Checklist1:33 Why I Went Down the AI Rabbit Hole4:10 My Concerns About AI7:03 How I Think About Writing8:28 Writing Is a Series of Choices9:54 Choosing Your Topic and Message11:14 How Structure Creates More Choices13:08 The Choices We Make While Writing14:36 How Large Language Models Work17:20 What AI Is Missing18:40 The Two Biggest Risks: Voice and Structure19:01 AI and Your Writing Voice22:05 Why AI-Generated Structure Can Backfire23:35 Where I Draw the Line on Generative AI24:32 What About Grammarly and Spellcheck?25:14 Discernment and AI26:14 Why Insecurity Makes AI More Tempting27:37 My Recommendation for Writers28:27 Final Reminder: Download the ChecklistThis is episode one of a four-part series on AI and nonfiction writing. In the next episode, I’ll walk through how AI is showing up at every stage of the writing and publishing process—and where I think authors need to be especially careful.Music licensed through Soundstripe.Code: SB7OK7HA77GWOT7E

Want to make your prose stronger at the sentence level? Before you start tweaking individual words, there’s one important rule: sentence-level editing comes last.In this episode, I explain why you should finish drafting and structural revision before you start polishing your prose—and why editing too early can actually make perfectionism worse and keep you from finishing your book. Then I walk through three concrete sentence-level editing techniques you can use to make your writing tighter, clearer, and more intentional.These are simple things you can actually search for in your manuscript, which makes them especially useful when you're ready to move from big-picture revision into the finer details of your prose.Key topics* Why sentence-level editing should come after structural revision* What a reverse outline can show you about your manuscript* Why polishing individual chapters too early can derail your draft* How sentence editing can trigger perfectionism* Why learning to tolerate imperfection is part of finishing a book* How to use the word “and” to find unnecessary lists* Why lists of similar adjectives can weaken your prose* How searching for “of” can help you tighten wordy phrases* Using possessives to make sentences shorter and stronger* How to vary sentence length and structure* Simple ways to rearrange sentences without completely rewriting them* When it may be time to get professional feedback on your manuscriptResources mentioned**Free Memoir Method Checklist**https://pageandpodium.com/checklist**Manuscript Review**Get a professional 10,000-foot view of your manuscript, including what’s working, what needs attention, and a step-by-step revision plan:https://pageandpodium.com/manuscriptTimestamps0:00 How to Strengthen Your Book’s Prose0:30 Welcome to Page and Podium0:40 Free Memoir Method Checklist1:25 Why Sentence Editing Comes Last2:17 Finish Structural Revisions First6:40 Avoid Perfectionism While Drafting11:20 Tip 1: Look for Lists and “And”15:20 Tip 2: Tighten Phrases with “Of”18:15 Tip 3: Vary Your Sentence Structure20:25 Get a Manuscript Review22:08 Final Reminder: Download the ChecklistMusic licensed through Soundstripe.Code: ZQP8CICXIAJM4LAI

If you're writing a nonfiction book, you need an outline. Yes, even though you'll discover things as you write that you can't plan for now. Even if you already have years of content. And yes, even if you have the entire book mapped out in your head.
 
A strong outline gives you the 10,000-foot view of your book while you're down in the weeds writing individual sentences and chapters. It gives you a writing plan, helps you stay focused over a long drafting process, and keeps your ideas moving toward one cohesive book instead of several different books mashed together.
 
In this episode, I walk through three different ways to outline a nonfiction book depending on what you're writing: a narrative outline for memoir and narrative nonfiction, a content-based outline for authors who already have a lot of existing material, and a persuasive problem-cause-solution outline.
 
Key topics
 
* Why every nonfiction book needs an outline
* How an outline helps you see the whole book while you're drafting
* Using your outline as a practical writing plan
* Why an outline keeps a long-term project cohesive
* Three different ways to outline nonfiction
* The major structural beats of memoir and narrative nonfiction
* How to organize years of podcasts, newsletters, social posts, talks, and other content into a book
* How to build a topical outline using a simple spreadsheet
* Why problem-cause-solution works so well for persuasive nonfiction
* How to get professional feedback on your outline before you start drafting
 
Resources mentioned
 
**The Memoir Method: 7-Step Structure Sequence**
Work through the seven steps I use to help memoir writers build a strong narrative structure:
https://pageandpodium.com/structure
 
**Free guide for turning your existing content into a book**
If you've already created podcasts, social media posts, newsletters, talks, videos, or other content, start here:
https://pageandpodium.com/guide
 
**Outline Review**
Want professional eyes on your outline before you start—or keep—writing? Learn more about our Outline Review service:
https://pageandpodium.com/outline
 
Timestamps
 
0:00 Why Every Nonfiction Book Needs an Outline
1:16 How an Outline Gives You the Big Picture
3:45 How an Outline Becomes Your Writing Plan
6:29 How an Outline Keeps Your Book Cohesive
8:11 Three Ways to Outline a Nonfiction Book
9:56 Narrative Outlines for Memoir and Narrative Nonfiction
11:39 The Key Beats of a Narrative Outline
16:04 Memoir Structure Support
17:08 Content Outlines for Content Creators
18:23 How to Organize Existing Content into a Book
23:14 Persuasive Outlines: Problem, Cause, Solution
25:53 Final Advice and Outline Review Support
26:40 Closing
 
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Are You Expert Enough to Write a Book?Who are you to write a book?It’s a question I hear all the time from smart, accomplished people who have spent years—sometimes decades—building real expertise. And weirdly, the more you know, the easier it can be to convince yourself that what you know is obvious, unoriginal, or not quite enough.In this episode, I’m digging into two forces that tend to keep expert authors stuck: **fear of visibility** and **the curse of expertise.**Because sometimes we tell ourselves we’re afraid of putting ourselves out there when the deeper fear is actually the opposite: *What if I put myself out there and nobody cares?*And sometimes we assume we’re not qualified enough simply because we’ve lived with our own knowledge for so long that we’ve forgotten how much we had to learn to get here.If you’ve been sitting on a book idea while wondering whether you really have the authority to write it, I’ll give you three questions to help you separate genuine readiness concerns from the self-doubt that comes with claiming your expertise.## In this episode:* Why highly accomplished people still struggle to call themselves experts* The fear of visibility—and the fear underneath it* Why experts underestimate how valuable their knowledge is* How fear of visibility and the curse of expertise reinforce each other* Why wanting to write a book may tell you something important* How writing a book can actually help you step more fully into your expertise* Three questions to help you decide whether you’re ready to move forward* Why asking **“If I could help people, why wouldn’t I?”** can change the way you think about writing your book## The 3 questions:1. **How many people would have to be helped by your book for writing it to be worth it?**2. **Why would anyone care?**3. **If you could help people, why wouldn’t you?**## Timestamps00:00 — Why so many people who want to write a book never do01:41 — Why even accomplished experts question whether they know enough03:13 — Are you actually unready—or talking yourself out of the book?05:09 — Fear of visibility06:10 — The deeper fear: what if nobody sees you?08:27 — The curse of expertise09:53 — How self-doubt and visibility fears reinforce each other11:27 — Escaping the false binaries around expertise and visibility12:48 — How writing a book can help you claim your expertise13:46 — Examining your own relationship with visibility and expertise15:55 — Question 1: How many people would need to be helped?19:40 — Question 2: Why would anyone care?23:06 — Question 3: If you could help people, why wouldn’t you?26:20 — Moving forward with your book## Ready to write your book?Take the **Expert Author Quiz** to find out what kind of expert author you are, where your biggest strengths are, and what may get in your way as you move forward:https://pageandpodium.com/quizAnd if you’d like support writing, finishing, or publishing your book, you can learn more about working with Page & Podium Press at:https://pageandpodium.com---Music licensed through Soundstripe.Code: SJHXB7JG86VBOP61

If your book has been sitting untouched for a while, there’s a good chance you’ve already tried the obvious solution: push yourself harder.Write more often. Get more disciplined. Set a deadline. Put your butt in the seat.And if that worked, great. But if it hasn’t, this episode is for you.Because one of the things I see all the time with stalled book projects is that the longer the book sits, the more we start making the problem about ourselves. We decide we’re lazy, undisciplined, too distracted, not a “real” writer, or maybe just incapable of finishing the thing.That makes sitting down to write feel pretty terrible.So in this episode, I’m talking about a different way to get unstuck: finding your way back to the part of the project that actually interests you.We’ll talk about what happens when self-doubt starts running the writing process, how to reconnect with the reason you wanted to write the book in the first place, and six practical things you can try when writing has started to feel like a slog.I also tell you why I bought myself a little kid’s watercolor set when I couldn’t make myself work on my memoir. It helped more than it had any business helping.Take the Expert Author Quiz to find out what kind of book you should write and get personalized advice for moving it forward:https://pageandpodium.com/quizLearn more about Page & Podium Press:https://pageandpodium.comTIMESTAMPS00:00 Introduction06:08 How books stall08:31 Why the writing process gets harder after the easy beginning10:47 When ADHD, self-doubt, and identity-level fear take over11:39 Finding the seed of curiosity again13:55 Tip 1 — Look for the other side of the coin18:35 Tip 2 — Refocus on what the book is for22:40 Tip 3 — Change the medium to unstick the idea26:29 Tip 4 — Get around other writers and use body doubling29:47 Tip 5 — Reconnect with what you enjoy about writing33:19 Tip 6 — Do something ridiculous to restart creativity36:28 You deserve to enjoy the writing processMusic licensed through Soundstripe.Code: OLD8REH6Z073JCU3

Is your book idea actually ready to become a book?One of the biggest mistakes nonfiction authors make is comparing a rough, early idea to the polished idea inside a published bestseller. But those ideas did not begin fully formed. They were refined through writing, conversation, feedback, market testing, self-reflection, and often professional support.In this episode, I share five practical ways to hone your book idea before you start writing. You’ll learn how to clarify your unique perspective, test your message through speaking and teaching, use journaling to uncover what you may be avoiding, listen more closely to your audience, and connect your expertise with the personal experiences that made you care about this topic in the first place.The clearer your idea is before you begin, the easier the writing process becomes—and the stronger, more distinctive the final book will be.Not sure what kind of book best fits your experience, goals, and expertise? Take the free Expert Author Quiz for a personalized result, examples of authors with a similar path, and practical guidance on what to embrace, what to watch out for, and what to do next:https://pageandpodium.com/quizTIMESTAMPS00:00 Why comparing your rough idea to a published bestseller is unhelpful01:29 The significance of developing a clear, unique perspective early on02:41 How completed books undergo extensive editing, market testing, and self-reflection03:37 Real-time example of a client’s journey from idea to polished chapters04:57 The impact of idea development on writing ease and quality06:24 Overcoming fears of sharing your idea or having it stolen06:54 Practical ways to hone your idea: working with professionals08:17 The value of feedback and discussion in refining your message09:39 The importance of clarifying your core differentiator10:43 Using speaking and teaching to test and deepen your ideas11:43 Building your platform and audience early for better clarity13:11 Journaling on emotional vulnerabilities and underlying premises14:33 Exploring basic, foundational details that ground your larger idea16:24 How understanding simple mechanics can strengthen your message17:51 Combining personal stories with your expertise for greater impact21:07 The importance of integrating your personal connection with the topic23:33 Yolanda Bogart’s blend of personal story and professional expertiseMusic licensed through Soundstripe.Code: GQU4SKOQMNCKWJB4