We’ve all been there. You’re well past the staring-at-a-blank-page phase, maybe even rounded the corner on idea-vomit month, and now you’re in the thick of it and wondering can’t I just use a book shortcut for this?

Maybe you want to open up an AI tool. Or just try to hide that part of your argument that’s not quite syncing. You might even start nit-picking words to fix an idea that just isn’t quite there. 

In any case, it’s a frustrating phase of the writing process. And yes, there are tools and resources that can help. But no, unfortunately there are no silver bullets, no single AI platform, and no quick fix tech that can actually replace what your manuscript needs: deep, creative thinking.

We get asked a lot about the tough parts of the writing journey, and how to best get through them. With so many flashy tools and plug-in style prompts claiming to help you short-circuit your book, let’s look a little closer at what these so-called ‘shortcuts’ actually offer, and what you might be missing out on by using them.

Shortcutting the planning phase

The most common place we see people reaching for AI tools or looking for bookshortcuts is in the planning stage. And take it from a team of professional writers who have written dozens of books: planning is NOT the right time to lean on a non-human brain. Here’s why.

AI has a sneaky way of making illogical ideas sound clear. That’s kind of the opposite of what you want while you’re planning your book. In the concept-building stage, all your effort should go towards clear thinking (not necessarily clear wording or writing) – and even more importantly, the journey that you’re going to take your reader on. When you look back at your plan, you want your ideas to feel so obvious to you that it will keep you focused. 

If you rush through the part of the process where you build that clarity, you’ll end up with a confusing mash of half-baked ideas, nothing to lean on later down the line, and a missing reader journey that considers their transformation, not just your information. An unclear plan also tends to lead to meandering manuscripts, slower writing times overall, and structural problems. 

The irony is that a few days of rushing at this planning phase in the interest of ‘saving time’ almost always leads to wasted weeks spent editing. 

So just remember:

Rushed or AI-generated book planning = generic or unclear focus down the line & slow, expensive edits.

Book planning by hand, using a thoughtful, thorough, proven strategy = tighter manuscripts, clearer ideas, faster edits.

Shortcutting the research phase

This is where a bit of outsourced help may prove effective, especially for a busy author – with caution. 

A lot of thought leaders come to us with thousands of words of content they’ve already created. Between emails, blogs, papers, and keynote speeches, they have accumulated a wealth of thinking and IP over the course of their career. The question we often hear from them is, Can I hand this over to you or to AI and have it compile my writing into book content?

The answer is a tentative ‘maybe’. The thing is, starting with your own writing is a huge leg up in the book journey. You’ll already have a practised, established style and voice; plus, you’ll have done lots of fantastic research and thinking that is likely all relevant to your book topic. It’s very possible that those resources can give you the basis of a few really great chapters.

However, writing a book isn’t the same as writing a blog. What makes a piece of work interesting and compelling is the way that it brings your reader on a journey. Quite frankly, blog content rarely translates well into a cohesive narrative. 

Our advice, if you want to leverage AI for research, is to prompt your tool to compile and organise your notes for you. Here are a few examples of how we’ve found it helpful:

• Asking AI to translate interview transcripts into notes with timestamps
• Using AI tools to help create timelines (but be sure to double check them for accuracy!)
• Find a wider range of research and sources related to your topic

(Not) Shortcutting the writing phase

This is the part of the process we just can’t in good faith recommend using AI. When it comes to drafting and voicing your ideas, nothing will ever beat human writing. Even for authors who may not feel super experienced or confident writers, we promise that your book will always be better off if it starts with human-created sentences.

We could probably write a whole book about why AI-generated content isn’t good (for authors or readers!) but let’s just focus on a few really practical reasons. 

First, because AI writing takes more effort and time to edit. Not only do you have to go back through with a fine-tooth comb to add in voice, texture, and natural language, but you also often have to re-structure and re-write whole sections. Trust us, we have tested (and continue to test!) these tools. So far, we find that the overall time it takes to get to a great manuscript is actually longer if an author uses AI-generative content.

Second, because drafting with AI comes with serious copyright risks. As we covered in depth with legal expert Erin Austin on our podcast, any content created by AI may not actually belong to the author. If you want to maintain rights and IP over your own book, steer clear of any AI-powered drafting. 

And finally, because AI writing dilutes great ideas. Have you ever noticed when reading through generated content that you start to mentally check out? AI is very good at making nonsense sound logical, and turning complex ideas into over-simplified, weak concepts. It’s far easier to strengthen human writing than it is to reverse-engineer off-base generative text. 

In short, we’d encourage you to avoid AI when it comes to drafting your manuscript. You’ll end up saving time, protecting your IP, and ensuring your content is as strong as it possibly can be.

Shortcutting the editing phase

When you type the last words of your first draft, it’s one of the best feelings in the world! You’ve conquered so much, poured so much love and effort in, and now? Well, now it’s time to roll up your sleeves and dive right back in. 

Editing can feel tedious, confronting, and exhausting. It’s also when you’ll start to have more conversations and collaboration with others in your manuscript. Your editor will challenge you. You’ll probably have to cut out words you love. And often, the process feels much longer than you first expected. 

Many authors, feeling too excited to publish or too tired of their manuscript, have a tendency to rush the editing process. But the problem is that the editing is often where some of the biggest lightbulb moments happen! Some of the best hooks, strongest ideas, and most important connections come during the editing process. 

Our advice is to set up a plan that ensures you won’t be tempted to shortcut the editing of your book. Here are three ways you can do that:

1. Set aside time and budget at the start of your journey. In New Zealand, we recommend a healthy budget of $6,500+ and two months to get your manuscript from first draft to polished final draft ready for a publisher.
2. Talk to an editor sooner than you think. If you’re in The Better Book Project, you’ll automatically get eyes and thoughts on your writing from the early stages, which is great! But if you’re on your own, make sure you share your work with someone you trust while you’re writing. This can help you spot structural issues or argument inconsistencies before they snowball into big problems.
3. Remember you can’t be the only editor of your own work. While you will absolutely craft and reshape your book, an outside perspective is absolutely vital. Even within our team of professional ghostwriters, we always collaborate for this phase. Make sure you get someone who can see your work from an unbiased point of view, and preferably someone with professional editorial expertise.

The good news is that editing doesn’t rest all on your shoulders as an author. Whether you work with us or another editor, they’ll be able to take some of the mental load and support you through the last push of the book process. 

Book shortcuts may not work, but streamlining does

The truth is that the hard parts of the book process exist for a reason. Planning forces clarity. Writing forces commitment. Editing forces honesty. None of those stages are optional if you want a book that genuinely moves your reader.

That being said, not all the hard pieces have to feel like a slog. When you have a strategy in place for the book itself and for how you’ll write, you’ll be much better prepared for every stage. And with consistent support, company, and expertise, those hard moments don’t have to feel lonely but can instead become huge milestones and turning points for your thinking and creativity.

When it comes to book shortcuts, remember that tools can help. Support can help. Experience can help. But what cannot be replaced is the deep, creative thinking that turns a collection of ideas into a meaningful piece of work. 

So if you are in the thick of it and wondering whether there is a faster way through, the better question might be this: what is this phase of the process trying to teach me?

Because the work you are tempted to avoid is often the work that will make your book worth reading.