Crafting Irresistible Book Pages Readers and Bots Love with Wish I’d Known Then

Here is an episode summary generated by Gemini 3 Pro: If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the rapid changes in the publishing world—especially regarding Artificial Intelligence (AI)—you are not alone. In a recent episode of the Wish I’d Known Then podcast, hosts Sarah Rosette and Jamie Albright sat down with Thomas Umstattd Jr., the host of the Novel Marketing Podcast and CEO of Author Media. Their conversation was a treasure trove of practical advice, covering everything from the importance of physical health to the specific AI tools that can save you hours of work. Here is a summary of the key takeaways from this insightful interview. The Novel Marketing Conference: A Different Kind of Gathering Thomas kicked things off by discussing his upcoming Novel Marketing Conference, which stands out in a sea of writer events for one specific reason: no recordings. Unlike many conferences where sessions are recorded for later viewing, Thomas designed this event to be fully immersive and interactive. He describes it as “almost more of a workshop than a conference,” where attendees work in small “writer’s groups” and leave with a physical, actionable plan for selling more books in the coming year. The goal is to create a space for honest, unrecorded conversation and deep work, rather than just passive listening. The Foundation of Creativity: Your Health One of the more surprising but vital topics discussed was the role of physical health in an author’s career. Thomas shared his personal journey of prioritizing health, noting that “your body is the machine that your brain lives in”. He pointed out that many authors try to optimize their time but neglect their energy levels. You might carve out an hour to write, but if you are exhausted or brain-fogged, that hour won’t be productive. By treating health as a business asset, authors can improve not just their longevity but the quality of their creative output. Navigating the AI Revolution The centerpiece of the conversation was AI. Thomas offered a refreshing, balanced perspective that avoids both the “doom and gloom” and the “blind hype” often seen online. He noted that people tend to oscillate between thinking AI is “the end of humanity” or that it “creates nothing but slop”. His philosophy is simple: Don’t give AI the work you enjoy; give it the drudgery. A Practical Dictation Workflow For authors looking to speed up their drafting or note-taking, Thomas shared a specific workflow he uses to capture ideas while on the go: Hardware: He uses AirPods, which isolate his voice from background noise.App: He records using an app called “Just Press Record” on his Apple Watch or phone.Processing: He uses a tool called “Chapterize” to transcribe the audio.AI Cleanup: He then feeds that transcript into an AI tool (like ChatGPT or Claude) with a prompt to clean up the grammar and remove “umms” and “ahhs.” This stack allows him to dictate high-quality content while walking or driving, turning “dead time” into productive writing time. The Author Toolbox Thomas has developed a suite of tools specifically for writers, available at AuthorMedia.com. Some of the standout tools mentioned include: Book Cover Analyzer: Helps determine if your cover fits your genre conventions.Design Brief Generator: Creates a professional brief to send to cover designers.Character Namer: Tools that generate culturally and historically accurate names for characters (e.g., Victorian era names).Fact Checkers: Specialized tools for checking historical facts or checking medical facts without getting lost in a Google research rabbit hole. These tools are designed to work within “guardrails,” using pre-written prompts to ensure the AI gives you exactly what you need without requiring you to become a “prompt engineering” expert. Optimizing for the Future of Search A crucial insight Thomas shared is the shift from optimizing for search engines (SEO) to optimizing for AI. In the past, authors focused on getting their websites to rank on Google. Today, readers are increasingly asking tools like ChatGPT for book recommendations. Thomas explained that these AI models “read” the internet, including sites like Goodreads and Amazon. To ensure your book is recommended, you need to provide content that helps the AI understand who your book is for. He suggested adding “Director’s Commentary” or “Behind the Scenes” content to your book pages on your own website. This unique content differentiates your site from Amazon and gives the AI more context to recommend your book to the right readers. The Art of Pruning: Easiness, Joy, and Revenue Finally, the group discussed the challenge of having too much to do. Thomas introduced a framework he used in a mastermind group to decide what tasks to cut. He lists all his activities in a spreadsheet with three columns: Easiness: How easy is this task to do?Joy: How much joy does it bring ...