SHOW NOTES
A monster mix-up in the last episode (manticore vs. minotaur, if you’re keeping track) sends host Inger E. Johnson down an unexpected path this week — straight into one of publishing’s hottest debates: AI. She unpacks the difference between generative and assistive AI, shares her own experiment running a manuscript through an AI writing platform, wrestles with where to draw the line on ghostwriting, book covers, and transparency, and even lets AI weigh in on what her personal author “brand” really is. It’s a candid, still-figuring-it-out conversation about technology, authorship, and what makes human storytelling irreplaceable.
Talking Points
• How one simple mistake sparked an unexpected conversation about AI.
• The difference between generative AI and assistive AI—and why the distinction matters.
• Why AI has become one of the most debated topics in the publishing world.
• Practical ways authors are already using AI for research, editing, proofreading, and marketing.
• The ethical questions surrounding AI-generated writing, book covers, and creative ownership.
• Where should authors draw the line when using AI?
• Why transparency about AI use is becoming increasingly important.
• A real-world experiment comparing AI-generated writing with human storytelling.
• Discovering your author brand—even when you write across multiple genres.
• What AI revealed about the common thread connecting three very different books.
• Why lived experience remains one of an author’s greatest strengths.
• How authors can embrace new technology without losing their unique voice.
• Questions every writer should ask before making AI part of their creative process.
• Why the future of publishing may depend less on whether AI can write and more on what makes human stories unforgettable.
