After finding my book’s unique angle (covered in Part 1), I faced the daunting task of transforming 1,357 pages of interview transcripts and decades of marketing experience into a cohesive 200-page manuscript. Here’s how AI revolutionized my writing and production process—and the unexpected challenges I encountered along the way.
The Production Timeline Reality Check
Remember when I thought I could write this book in 4-6 weeks? That delusion crashed hard against reality. Even with AI’s help, quality writing takes time. As I discovered during my research, “The most successful B2B marketers treat learning not as an occasional activity but as a core part of their daily practice.” The same principle applies to writing.
My original plan was to publish in mid-2024. Then generative AI exploded onto the scene in January 2024, requiring me to update many sections. Ironically, these same AI advances helped close the production gap by synthesizing interview notes, researching marketplace trends, ideating new content, proofing copy, and generating custom illustrations. Ultimately, generative AI cut my production lag by half.
The AI-Human Writing Partnership in Action
Stage 1: Structuring the Content Journey
The Challenge: How do you organize insights from 50+ interviews, 30 years of experience, and current market research into a coherent narrative? My book needed to guide readers through a transformation—from reactive marketers drowning in chaos to confident revenue leaders with high personal agency.
The AI Solution: I used AI to map the logical flow of concepts while maintaining emotional resonance. The four pillars structure (Act, Learn, Influence, Thrive) emerged from this collaborative process.
The Chapter Flow Prompt:
Analyze this book outline with four main pillars: Act, Learn, Influence, Thrive. For each chapter, suggest:
1) Opening hook that creates urgency
2) Key frameworks/models to introduce
3) Transition to next chapter that maintains momentum
4) Emotional arc from problem to transformation
5) Balance of theory vs. practical applicationThis process revealed that my original chapter order buried the most compelling content. AI’s analysis showed that starting with “Why Personal Agency Matters Today” would better hook readers than my planned historical overview.
Stage 2: Writing First Drafts at Scale
The Challenge: Writer’s block hit hardest when facing a blank page for each new chapter. The pressure to be perfect paralyzed my productivity.
The AI Solution: I developed a “conversation-first” approach where I’d verbally explain concepts to AI, then have it help structure my thoughts into prose. This mirrors how the brain naturally processes information—speaking activates different neural pathways than writing.
The Conversational Draft Prompt:
I'm going to explain a concept from my book verbally. Please help me transform this into engaging prose that:
1) Opens with a compelling story or statistic
2) Introduces the core concept clearly
3) Provides 3-5 practical examples
4) Includes relevant quotes from my interviews
5) Ends with actionable takeaways
Here's my explanation: [verbal brain dump]This approach helped me write the challenging Chapter 10 (“Put Yourself First”) where I share personal struggles with burnout. As I note in the book: “The virtues of sustainability and performance that apply to revenue growth should also apply to our well-being.”
Stage 3: Weaving in Expert Voices
The Challenge: With quotes from 50+ experts, I needed to integrate their insights naturally without creating a choppy “quote salad.”
The AI Solution: AI helped identify thematic connections between different expert perspectives, creating conversational bridges between ideas.
The Quote Integration Prompt:
Here are 5 expert quotes on [topic]. Analyze their perspectives and:
1) Identify common themes and contradictions
2) Suggest narrative transitions between quotes
3) Recommend which quote should anchor the section
4) Highlight unique angles each expert brings
5) Propose follow-up points to elaborate on each insightThis process revealed fascinating contradictions, like how some experts advocated for aggressive AI adoption while others urged caution—a tension that became central to Chapter 6 (“Ask the Right Questions”).
The Find-A- Quote Prompt:
It’s impossible to find every golden quote in 1,357 pages of transcripts. To ensure that nothing was missed across each interviewee, I created the following prompt.
For each of the 50 interviewees [attach interviewee list] please
1) Select three impactful and representative quotes for each chapter
2) Suggest narrative transitions between quotes
3) Highlight unique angles each expert brings
4) Propose follow-up points to elaborate on each insightStage 4: Creating Actionable Frameworks
The Challenge: B2B marketers need practical tools, not just theory. Every chapter required actionable frameworks readers could implement immediately.
The AI Solution: I used AI to pressure-test my frameworks for completeness and clarity, ensuring nothing was lost in translation from concept to application.
The Framework Development Prompt:
Review this framework for [Personal Agency Assessment]. Evaluate:
1) Clarity of each component
2) Logical progression from basic to advanced
3) Missing elements based on common challenges
4) Real-world application scenarios
5) Potential confusion points for practitioners
Suggest improvements while maintaining simplicity.This resulted in frameworks like the “Agency in Action Superpower Matrix” that helps readers assess their current position and identify development priorities.
Stage 5: Fact-Checking and Verification
The Challenge: With hundreds of statistics and rapidly changing market conditions, ensuring accuracy was critical but time-consuming.
The AI Solution: While AI helped identify claims needing verification, I learned the hard way about its limitations. As I emphasize in Chapter 6: “Always verify AI outputs and maintain human oversight. Cross-check critical information across multiple sources before incorporating AI-generated content into customer-facing materials.”
The Fact-Check Prompt:
Review this chapter section and identify:
1) All statistical claims requiring sources
2) Statements about market conditions needing updates
3) Technology descriptions that may become outdated
4) Expert quotes requiring attribution verification
5) Internal inconsistencies with other chapters
Flag items as: Verified, Needs Source, Needs Update, or QuestionableThe Unexpected Production Challenges
The Revision Avalanche
Just when I thought I was done, AI’s evolving capabilities meant constant updates. Features I described in January 2024 were obsolete by March. This forced me to build “future-proofing” into my content—focusing on principles over specific tools.
The Authenticity Balance
The biggest challenge? Maintaining my voice while leveraging AI’s capabilities. I discovered that over-relying on AI created technically correct but emotionally flat content. The solution was using AI for structure and research while reserving the storytelling and emotional elements for my human touch.
As Brian Gentile notes in my book: “AI is a propellant, a supercharging amplifier that will make every human way better, more productive, and more capable.” The key word is “amplifier”—not replacement.
The 80/20 Rule of AI Writing
I found that AI could handle about 80 percent of research, organization, and initial drafting. But the final 20 percent—the personality, nuance, and emotional resonance—required human creativity. This aligns with findings in my book that “marketers using AI effectively spend 62 percent less time on routine tasks, allowing 47 percent more time for strategic thinking.”
What Would Have Been Impossible Without AI
- Pattern Recognition Across Interviews: AI identified that 73 percent of my interviewees mentioned “pipeline anxiety” without me prompting—leading to my opening kidney stone story.
- Comprehensive Citation Management: Managing 200+ citations and endnotes would have taken weeks. AI organized them in hours.
- Multi-Version Testing: I created three different versions of each chapter opening and tested which resonated most with beta readers.
- Real-Time Market Updates: As market conditions shifted, AI helped update statistics and examples to maintain relevance through the publication date.
Key Lessons for Marketers Writing with AI
- Start with Conversation: Explain concepts verbally to AI before writing—it unlocks clearer thinking.
- Maintain Source Documents: Keep all original research separate from AI-generated content for fact-checking.
- Build in Buffer Time: Even with AI acceleration, quality writing takes time. Plan for multiple revision cycles.
- Trust but Verify: As I emphasize throughout my book, “AI is your copilot, not your replacement.”
- Preserve Your Voice: Use AI for efficiency, but ensure your personality shines through in final drafts.
Looking Ahead
The writing process taught me that AI doesn’t replace human creativity—it amplifies it. By handling the heavy lifting of research and organization, AI freed me to focus on what matters most: crafting a narrative that inspires B2B marketers to develop their personal agency.
In Part 3, I’ll explore the biggest challenge of all: maintaining authentic voice while leveraging AI’s capabilities. How do you ensure your book sounds like you, not a robot?
Ready to develop your personal agency in the age of AI? Get your copy of “Some Assembly Required” at https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FJZDXZCK
Coming Next:
- Part 3: Maintaining Your Authentic Voice
- Part 4: Unexpected Discoveries & Future Implications
