As a healer or lightworker, your work revolves around guiding others, offering solace, and illuminating paths that might otherwise remain unseen. But when it comes to putting your wisdom into writing, doubt often takes center stage. You might wonder, Am I good enough? Will anyone want to read what I have to share?
If these thoughts sound familiar, you’re not alone. Self-doubt is a heavy burden that many first-time authors, especially those in helping professions, carry. Yet, your voice holds a unique power to uplift and transform lives—something the world needs more than ever.
This article is here to remind you that you don’t have to let self-doubt hold you back. With the help of AI, you can transform your ideas into a polished, impactful nonfiction book that resonates with readers. Think of AI not as a replacement for your creative spark but as a supportive partner—like a co-healer, quietly amplifying your message.
You already possess the heart and purpose; now it’s time to embrace the tools that will help you confidently step into your role as an author. Together, we’ll explore how you can use AI to banish self-doubt, refine your ideas, and bring your words to life with ease and authenticity.
The world is waiting for your light to shine—this time, through the pages of your book. Let’s begin.
To Defeat Self-Doubt, You Have to Understand It
This is a common problem that even plagues the most successful writers. In fact, the author of Fifty Shades of Grey (E.L. James) had to go to counseling after she became one of the wealthiest authors in the world.
Why? Because she suffers from imposter syndrome – not feeling good enough. So this is something that may not ever fully go away for you. Most six, seven and eight-figure authors will tell you that every time they sit down to write a book, they hate it.
Not the process, but their work. The readers love it, but that doesn’t matter. You have to start recognizing self-doubt and shoo it away whenever it rears its ugly head. This is an internal obstacle that isn’t a correct reflection of what you’re capable of achieving.
Part of the problem might be that you have a lack of formal training in this area. But that’s what’s so wonderful about nonfiction – everyone has a story to tell. No degree required – your life experience is your story. But maybe you’re a voracious reader and you feel like you can’t measure up to what your favorite authors can do.
But here’s the great thing about that: There are tons of readers on different levels. So even if you feel like you can’t write as complex and intricate as your favorite author, someone out there needs something simpler because the more complicated books aren’t a good fit for them.
Comparing your writing to someone else is like trying to argue over which flavor of coffee is better. Everyone is going to have opinions about light roast or dark roast, cream or no cream, sugar or black. Nobody is right or wrong, just different.
With nonfiction, your self-doubt might be due to a fear of criticism or even experiences with it. Everyone has an opinion and if you go onto the listings of the top bestselling authors, you’ll find tons of 1-star reviews because that book just wasn’t that person’s cup of tea.
But you know what else you’ll find? Tons of 4 and 5 star reviews because people loved it. And behind the scenes, a whole lot of sales! Your uncertainty about your abilities is unfounded, and I’m going to show you how AI can help alleviate most of your concerns.
Once you understand where your self-doubt stems from, make a plan to combat it before you launch your nonfiction career. You can reframe your mindset to work for you rather than against you.
Try thinking about it in terms of a fixed mindset versus a growth mindset. Your fixed mindset is unchangeable and believes that your writing talent is sub par. Anything you try to do won’t work and this causes you to give up easily.
On the other hand, with a growth mindset, you believe in yourself enough to know that you can improve your skills and embrace technology as a way to help you deliver the best product possible to your readers.
In the beginning, when you are a new nonfiction writer or someone who has not followed through often enough, you will suffer more self-doubt than someone experienced in completing their projects.
To some degree, a lack of confidence is going to fuel you to do better. You can use it to help you seek out new knowledge, be more consistent with your writing schedule, and take preventative measures such as editing your work to ensure readers are satisfied.
Let’s Talk About the Use of AI in Nonfiction
One of the most unfortunate aspects of artificial intelligence’s emergence in the nonfiction industry is that many have abused the technology to make a quick buck.
They have no moral compass and don’t care if the work they have AI create and publish sloppily disappoints their audience. By that time, they have already gotten their money. But if you have a true passion for being a nonfiction author and need help, AI can be a fantastic tool to help you achieve your goals. It is no different from someone who has the resources to hire a slew of professional editors, works with an agent who has feedback about strategies, and has a whole host of beta readers at their disposal.
Instead of waiting months or even years to afford that or connect with the right people, AI steps up for you immediately and serves as a readily available assistant at all hours.
You can use AI to help you brainstorm ideas, enhance your creativity, ensure the pacing and structure of your work is correct, improve your title and descriptions, and even map out a worthwhile promotional strategy.
There are so many different AI writing assistants that you can choose from. Some of the most popular include ChatGPT, Claude, and others. You can have discussions with these tools just as you would a human editor, asking it what it thinks of your ideas, how you can make it better, or even asking for understanding about something if you are new to nonfiction publishing and don’t understand a popular concept authors need to know.
It can also assist you with researching your ideal audience, analyzing competing books, and finding gaps/angles to engage your ideal reader. For example, let’s say you are an expert in meditation and want to write a book about using meditation for manifestation. Using AI to help you analyze your competitor’s book reviews, you discover that the audience struggles to use meditation due to their anxiety, wandering thoughts, and inability to focus.
In just minutes (seconds, actually!), AI can help you research this angle in more depth and develop a working title, e.g., The Distracted Dreamer’s Guide to Manifestation and Meditation.
When you are working with AI as your assistant, where it acts as an editor, strategic agent, and beta reader, you can feel confident that you are going live with your publication in a way that is not going to put you in a bad light or make you the target of bad reviews.
There are some people who rely too heavily on AI. This is a technology that works best with human input and oversight. If you simply tell AI to write a self-help book on meditation, the results will be lackluster at best.
But if you oversee the entire process from start to finish, chatting back and forth with AI about your ideas and its input, the result will be a heightened story that hits on all of the reader’s expectations and eliminates your own self-doubt from the equation.
Working Hand-in-Hand with AI for Ideas
Every nonfiction author has different areas of writing that serve as an obstacle to them. You might be someone who easily comes up with ideas but has trouble carrying it out to the end.
Others are stuck in the very beginning phase of coming up with an idea for an overall book slant. Or, you might simply find yourself struggling to come up with an idea at one specific part of the story and need help from AI to get past it.
The best way to use AI for brainstorming and ideas is to first see what you can bring to the table. In order to get the juices flowing in your brain, you might use something like mind mapping, researching the bestsellers in your chosen genre, or even have open discussions with others in a writing group online.
Once you’ve done some brainstorming yourself, you can approach AI to ask it for feedback about your ideas, where it can be improved upon and what additional ones it has for you to consider.
Sometimes it will generate ideas that you don’t necessarily take, but they spark new ideas in your own mind. You can prompt AI like this: “Can you give me some ideas for a book on meditation and manifestation for people who get easily distracted? What are some angles that could make it unique?”
Here are just a few examples that ChatGPT provided:
- The “Micro-Meditation” Angle
Focus on short, effective meditation techniques tailored for people with limited attention spans. Highlight how even 1–3-minute practices can make a significant difference in manifesting goals.
- Science + Spirituality Balance
Explore the neuroscience of focus and attention in distracted minds, blending it seamlessly with the spiritual practices of manifestation. This dual approach appeals to readers who appreciate evidence-based methods alongside spiritual practices.
- Habit Stacking for Manifestation
Teach readers how to integrate meditation and manifestation practices into their daily routines using “habit stacking” (e.g., meditating while waiting for coffee to brew). This approach minimizes disruption and builds consistency.
This works for all aspects of book writing – it’s as if an editor was sitting there with you and you could have a simple chat about the direction you’d be taking.
Outlining Your Book with AI Is Easy to Do
Once you have a main idea for your book you may or may not outline it. Some people prefer to be pantsers, where they fly by the seat of their pants while writing. Others are plotters, needing an outline from start to finish so they know where it’s going.
Whether you outline the entire book ahead of time or do it as you go, AI can help, freeing you up from the self-doubt that previously plagued you when making decisions like this on your own.
You can either ask AI for a complete outline to work from or create an outline and then ask AI what it thinks, how it can be improved, etc. There are different outlines AI can create or help you improve based on various types of books.
Here are some examples of the most common outlines for nonfiction books:
- The Classic How-To Outline
This format is ideal for practical, instructional books.
- Introduction
- Define the problem your book solves.
- Share your personal connection to the topic.
- Set expectations for what the reader will learn.
- Core Concepts
- Introduce foundational principles or frameworks.
- Step-by-Step Guidance
- Break down the process into clear, actionable steps.
- Provide examples, case studies, or anecdotes.
- Advanced Tips or Troubleshooting
- Address common challenges and solutions.
- Conclusion
- Recap the journey.
- Motivate the reader to take action.
- The Problem-Solution Outline
Great for self-help or personal development books.
- Introduction
- Present the big problem the book addresses.
- Establish why it matters and who it affects.
- Understanding the Problem
- Dive into causes, misconceptions, or consequences.
- The Solution
- Introduce your method or philosophy.
- Explain why it works.
- Implementation
- Offer practical steps, exercises, or strategies.
- Success Stories
- Include real-life examples or testimonials.
- Conclusion
- Reinforce key takeaways.
- Encourage the reader to apply what they’ve learned.
- The Listicle Outline
Effective for books built around numbered lists (e.g., “10 Steps to…”).
- Introduction
- Set up the list by explaining its purpose.
- Share a personal anecdote or compelling statistic.
- Each List Item
- Dedicate a chapter to each point.
- Include explanations, examples, and actionable advice.
- Conclusion
- Summarize the list.
- Provide guidance on integrating the ideas into daily life.
- The Chronological Journey Outline
Ideal for memoirs, histories, or transformational narratives.
- Introduction
- Set the stage with a pivotal moment or question.
- Starting Point
- Describe the beginning of the journey or problem.
- Milestones
- Break the journey into key phases or events.
- Share lessons learned along the way.
- Resolution
- Highlight the transformation or solution.
- Conclusion
- Reflect on the journey and its broader implications.
- The Modular Outline
Useful for books that readers can dip into out of order.
- Introduction
- Provide a high-level overview of the book’s purpose.
- Thematic Chapters
- Each chapter covers a distinct topic or theme.
- Offer clear headings for easy navigation.
- Conclusion
- Tie everything together with a unifying message.
- The Case Study Outline
Effective for books rooted in real-life examples.
- Introduction
- Introduce the overarching topic or problem.
- Case Studies
- Dedicate each chapter to a specific case.
- Analyze the problem, approach, and outcome.
- Lessons Learned
- Summarize insights from the cases.
- Provide actionable advice.
- Conclusion
- Reflect on the broader implications.
- The Q&A or FAQ Outline
Great for books addressing specific questions or concerns.
- Introduction
- Define the scope and audience for the book.
- Organized Questions
- Group related questions into sections.
- Answer each question in detail.
- Additional Resources
- Include worksheets, checklists, or appendices.
- Conclusion
- Summarize key advice.
- The Research-Based Outline
Best for books grounded in data or expert knowledge.
- Introduction
- Introduce the topic and why it matters.
- Background
- Explain the history or context.
- Core Findings
- Present research, data, or expert opinions.
- Use chapters to focus on specific aspects.
- Practical Applications
- Translate findings into actionable advice.
- Conclusion
- Reflect on the importance of the research.
- Suggest future directions.
- The Framework Outline
Centered around a proprietary method or system.
- Introduction
- Explain the need for your framework.
- Overview of the Framework
- Introduce the system as a whole.
- Deep Dive into Each Component
- Dedicate chapters to each part of the framework.
- Implementation
- Offer step-by-step guidance on using the framework.
- Conclusion
- Celebrate the transformation the framework enables.
- The Hybrid Outline
Combines elements of multiple formats.
- Introduction
- Introduce the topic and audience.
- Part 1: Foundational Concepts
- Cover the basics or set the stage.
- Part 2: Practical Strategies
- Offer actionable advice or steps.
- Part 3: Case Studies or Examples
- Showcase real-world applications.
- Conclusion
- Tie everything together.
Choose an outline that best fits your topic and audience. You can always adapt or mix and match elements to suit your book’s unique needs!
Let’s continue with the previous example and ask AI to create an outline for the book based on two of these outlines so you can see the difference.
Here is the prompt I gave ChatGPT:
Book title: The Distracted Dreamer’s Guide to Manifestation and Meditation.
Angle: Habit Stacking for Manifestation: Teach readers how to integrate meditation and manifestation practices into their daily routines using “habit stacking” (e.g., meditating while waiting for coffee to brew). This approach minimizes disruption and builds consistency.
Please create two different outlines based on the title and angle above:
- The Classic How-To Outline
- The Listicle Outline
Here is the response I got:
The Classic How-To Outline
Introduction
- Hook: Share a relatable anecdote about how distractions derail dreams.
- The Problem: Explain the challenge of staying consistent with manifestation and meditation for busy or easily distracted people.
- The Promise: Introduce habit stacking as a simple, practical solution to integrate these practices seamlessly into daily life.
- Why This Book?: Highlight how it’s tailored for the “distracted dreamer” who struggles with traditional methods.
Core Concepts
- What is Habit Stacking?
- Define the concept and its psychology.
- Explain how small, consistent actions lead to big transformations.
- The Power of Meditation and Manifestation
- Briefly introduce their benefits for focus, intention-setting, and achieving goals.
Step-by-Step Guidance
- Identify Your Daily Routines
- Help readers analyze their existing habits and find natural opportunities for stacking.
- Anchor Meditation and Manifestation
- Teach simple ways to pair practices with routines like brushing teeth, making coffee, or commuting.
- Examples: Mindful breathing while waiting in line, visualization during a morning stretch.
- Start Small and Build Consistency
- Explain the importance of starting with tiny, manageable habits.
- Introduce tools like habit trackers or phone reminders.
- Create Your Personalized Ritual
- Guide readers through building a daily flow of stacked habits tailored to their goals.
- Example: Morning mantra → 2-minute meditation → Gratitude journal.
- Overcome Common Challenges
- Offer tips to address distractions, forgetfulness, or lack of motivation.
Advanced Tips and Tricks
- Combine habit stacking with mindfulness apps or tech tools.
- Introduce “habit chaining” for advanced readers—building longer sequences of stacked habits.
Conclusion
- Recap the power of habit stacking in transforming lives.
- Encourage readers to reflect on their progress and celebrate small wins.
- Provide an inspirational closing message about realizing their dreams through small, consistent actions.
The Listicle Outline
Introduction
- Opening Hook: A quick story about someone achieving a big dream through tiny, consistent habits.
- Why Habit Stacking Works: Introduce the listicle format and explain how this book is a step-by-step guide for busy, distracted individuals.
- What You’ll Learn: Promise readers 10 actionable habit-stacking techniques to integrate meditation and manifestation into their daily lives.
The 10 Habit-Stacking Strategies
- The Coffee-Brew Pause: Practice mindful breathing or set intentions while waiting for your morning coffee.
- Shower of Gratitude: Turn your shower into a gratitude ritual by mentally listing things you’re thankful for.
- Commute with Clarity: Use your travel time for visualization exercises or listening to manifestation affirmations.
- Teeth Time Tuning: Meditate or recite affirmations during your tooth-brushing routine.
- Meal Mindfulness: Pair mindful eating with focusing on your goals for the day.
- The 5-Minute Clean-Up: Use tidying up as a trigger for short meditative exercises, like repeating mantras.
- Screen-Free Morning Ritual: Replace your phone-checking habit with a quick manifestation journal session.
- Fitness with Focus: Incorporate visualization into your exercise routine (e.g., imagining success during a run).
- The Evening Wind-Down: Reflect on the day’s wins and set intentions for tomorrow while prepping for bed.
- Cue-Based Manifestation: Link practices to specific triggers (e.g., meditating every time you pour water or light a candle).
Conclusion
- Recap: Reiterate the simplicity and power of habit stacking.
- Next Steps: Encourage readers to pick one habit from the list to start today.
- Inspiration: Close with a motivational reminder that small, daily efforts compound into life-changing results.
AI generated these outlines in just seconds. First, you can see that both give you an excellent foundation. Second, just by glancing at the two, I feel like the Listicle may be the better choice for an audience that gets distracted easily. It is clear, easy to navigate, gets to the point, and doesn’t seem overwhelming.
Interestingly, the Listicle would not have been my first choice – had I not asked AI to give me an example of the outlines, I likely would not have pursued that option.
If you had to brainstorm these outlines without the assistance of AI, it would take quite a while, and you would likely experience some frustration in the process.
AI’s input gives you a starting point and the confidence that you’re heading in the right direction.
With that said, you don’t want to be so strict in adhering to an outline that there’s no room for flexibility. You are the brains behind your creation, and you don’t know what you’ll come up with as you develop your book.
If you think of something in chapter four that is brilliant and fun, go for it – and just work with AI to course correct the remaining chapter outlines to stem from that new change rather than the original idea.
Your outline is meant to be a living document – meaning it can and will change as you progress through your book. Using AI can help to simplify that process by keeping you organized and rearranging things quickly and easily so your topics and thoughts flow coherently throughout your book.
Draft-Writing with or Without AI
Idea brainstorming and outlining is part of the most difficult process for many writers. For others, it’s actually getting into the draft. Every sentence you type, you might look at it with disdain.
But it’s time for you to silence your inner critic and allow the process to unfold with confidence. Your first draft is just that – a draft. It is not the final copy that everyone is going to read and judge you by.
You can write without any form of self doubt nagging at you now, thanks to artificial intelligence technology. AI will be waiting in the wings, ready to polish up your draft as soon as you are finished.
What you have it do for you depends on how much assistance you need or want with the process. For example, some people only want AI to polish up their work for grammar and spelling.
Others need help editing the draft so that it results in better pacing or an enhanced representation of what they were hoping to convey. That might mean more refined talking points, incorporating real life examples, and so on.
There are people who publish works where they oversee what goes into a draft, but they have AI do the writing for them. In some cases, you will have to disclose this because it is AI generated, not AI assisted.
You can write a simple draft and tell AI that you want it to improve upon your work so that it is in line with bestselling books in your chosen genre. You will find that the edited version is often ready to go immediately.
But it’s your responsibility to read through what it alters – whether it keeps most of your own writing intact or significantly enhances it. You have to approve the changes and additions, and even go back to AI and ask it to alter something you don’t agree with.
You can even use AI as a beta reader whenever you feel as if your work is finished. Chapter by chapter, you can feed it to this machine and ask it to give you feedback such as a pros and cons list or advice about what you need to do to improve it even more, just as a real beta reader might do for you.
Confidently Publishing with the Help of AI
This is a tool that can assist you whether you are self-publishing or going the traditional route where you are sending your work to an agent and hoping to get picked up by a publishing house.
AI can help you with your manuscript submissions and cover letters. It can help you write the blurb that will sum up what your book is about for both readers and professionals.
It has the ability to help you with formatting, additional pages you need to include such as your copyright statement, and more. If you are self-publishing, you can even get AI to help you figure out what kind of cover design is going to be the best option for your genre and intended audience.
When your book goes live, you can lean on AI as much as you need or want to in order to help you build a formidable author platform on your own domain, as well as on social media.
AI has the ability to conduct social listening analysis, competitive analysis, data analysis, and future predicting so that you are continually aware of the needs of your audience and trends in the industry.
This helps you formulate a plan to promote your books better and more effectively in a way that people will respond to and engage with. It can map out an entire social media strategy for you on any platform, and continually update it so that you know exactly what you need to do each day.
Now is the time to embrace your journey as a nonfiction author. You can continue to learn and grow at your own pace, but you don’t have to sit on the sidelines while others pass you by when AI has made it possible for everyone to take part in this process and enjoy it.
Now that you know you are not alone in the book writing process and you have the confidence to tell your story, it’s time to take the first step toward sharing your light and wisdom with the world.
With this FREE resource, “Unlock Your Story: Effortlessly Find and Validate Your Nonfiction Book Idea with the Magic of AI”, you’ll discover how to turn your unique insights into a book that truly resonates.
Whether you’re overwhelmed with ideas or feel like you have none at all, this free guide will meet you where you are and help you take the next step with ease. AI is your secret weapon for breaking through creative blocks, saving time, and ensuring your message shines brightly.
✨ Don’t wait—your story deserves to be told.
Click below to grab your free guide and begin your journey as an author today.
Your readers are waiting. Let AI help you uncover the story that only you can tell! 💫