🤖 Where Do We Draw the Line with AI in Self-Publishing?Last week, I published a YouTube video about how authors and creators are getting attacked online for publishing what people are calling "𝗔𝗜 𝗦𝗟𝗢𝗣." It got me thinking... 𝗪𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗨𝗟𝗗 𝘄𝗲 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗔𝗜 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀? I'm planning a follow-up YouTube video about this, but before I record it, I want to hear what YOU think! First, let me be clear. 𝗜'𝗺 𝗡𝗢𝗧 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶-𝗔𝗜. I actually love AI and think it's one of the most powerful tools available to self-published authors, especially those of us who don't have huge budgets or teams behind us. But I also think there's a difference between 𝗔𝗜-𝗔𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗗, 𝗔𝗜-𝗚𝗘𝗡𝗘𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗔𝗜-𝗗𝗘𝗣𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗧 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴. Here's how I see it: ✅ 1. AI-ASSISTED: AI Helps YOU CreateThis is where I think AI really shines! Brainstorming book ideas and titles Helping with research (while verifying the facts!) Organizing your ideas and creating outlines Improving the flow of your own writing Identifying plot holes and gaps in your story Offering feedback and suggestions for improvement Helping with editing and formatting 𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿. 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿. I'm 100% supportive of this! 🎨 2. AI-GENERATED: AI Creates Some of the Content Now we're getting into a more interesting area. For example, using AI to generate illustrations for a children's book. Personally, I'm supportive of this, too! Not everyone has the artistic skills to draw their own illustrations, and not everyone has hundreds or thousands of dollars to hire a professional illustrator. AI has made publishing more accessible to people who might otherwise never be able to bring their ideas to life. 𝗕𝗨𝗧 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵. AI-generated illustrations are often the FIRST thing critics notice. If an illustration has that recognizable AI look, people are quick to call it out. And unfortunately, some immediately assume that if the illustrations were AI-generated, the entire book must have been written by AI, too.

This is an open invitation to talk about your book. 👉 If you already have a book published, feel free to share about the book. 🔗 Links are OK. 👉 If you're working on a book, share about what you're working on and where you're at in the process.

Let's have some fun... Take your photo and use this prompt to see what your author Tarot Card says for you... "Create a personalized “Author Destiny” tarot card that reveals the next chapter of my author journey. Invent a meaningful card name, include symbolic imagery connected to writing and publishing, and add a short, encouraging message. Make it magical, beautifully illustrated, and specific enough to inspire action. This is for creative fun, not a real prediction."

I know a lot of us are building our businesses while we're struggling or living on a monthly salary — I am too. I wanted to share a few grants I've been looking into, because somebody might need this today. All of these are free or low-cost, and please hear me on this: a REAL grant will never ask you to pay to RECEIVE it. If anybody asks you for money to release grant funds, that is not real. Walk away. 1. Galaxy Grant — $2,500, free to apply, for women and minority business owners. I signed up for this one. It closes this Saturday, October 31, and winners are announced the first week of November. galaxyofstars.org 2. Verizon Small Business Digital Ready — $10,000, free. You sign up free, take any two free courses or events by December 7, and that unlocks the application. digitalready.verizonwireless.com 3. Amber Grant — $15,000 a month, plus a $75,000 grant at the end of the year. October's category is Creative Arts, which is perfect for us writers and creators. This one does have a $15 application fee, but they will waive it if you email and ask before you apply — I got mine waived. It also closes this Saturday, October 31. ambergrantsforwomen.com If even one of these helps you take one intentional step forward, it was worth sharing. We're in this together. 🌹 — Jacqueline, Red Rose Brand

🎉 Huge congratulations to @Jessica White on publishing her very first book on Amazon KDP! Inspired by her family dog, 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘉𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘥𝘰𝘨 is such a cute way to celebrate a very stinky pup! 🐶💕 ➡️ GET IT ON AMAZON NOW Let’s show Jess some support! Download it FREE on Kindle or grab a paperback copy—and join me in congratulating her on becoming a published author! 📚🎉