I let AI write the Back Cover Copy of my Book...

AI is a pretty crazy thing. I keep hearing about how writers use it for everything from editing to writing entire books. This concerns me; what are the limits? College students using it for term papers? Blogs built solely on AI content? It seems to be where the future is leading. 

With the old adage that the enemy of your enemy is your friend, I decided to see what AI software could offer me as I finish my novel, starting with marketing copy. This notoriously is more difficult for me to create, and my back-of-the-book cover summary has been notably bland. So, I fed Copy.ai the brief words I had written and asked it to produce marketing copy. I selected the adventurous tone, but you can even type in celebrities, and it will imitate their styles! The results were impressive, especially considering the little information I had to provide! 

​Here's just one example of the generated texts:

In 1929, Frances is a young immigrant ready to start a new life. After arriving in the U.S., she takes up work as a maid in the home of Sara Delano Roosevelt, one of the richest and most powerful women in America. But Frances quickly learns that the job is a lot more than dusting and washing dishes. Will Frances lose herself?

Here's another one it generated! While the details are not accurate to my book, I was impressed that it picked up the names of the Roosevelt children and twisted them into it!

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​New York, 1936. Life is hard when you don't have much money to spend. Frances is searching for a better life as she finds herself in the house of Sara Delano Roosevelt. Sara Roosevelt is a powerful woman with many secrets. Frances soon discovers that life in the house is complicated: navigating friendship with Sara's daughter and favorite, Anna; her son Elliot's affair with one of the maids; Sara's friend Uncle Joe's constant flirting with every lady he sees; and the fact that Sara bears a striking resemblance to Frances' mother, who passed away years ago.

Now, that sounds like a book I'd enjoy reading! Maybe I'll have to write that one in the future! 

While neither of these will make it to the back of my book, they did provide inspiration, tone, and a sprinkle of je ne sais quoi that made each appealing! I was genuinely impressed with the material Copy.ai produced! It seems there's no limit to how these AI systems can be used, from marketing copy to Instagram posts and everything in between! Though the notion of AI writing material felt intimidating, it was a handy tool to spark some inspiration- and on a free basic plan, no less! 

After about 5 minutes of playing around, I borrowed ideas from different AI-generated prompts and tailored them to my story to produce some marketing copy that I hope converts well.
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​Here we go:

In 1915, Frances and her family are quickly uprooted after the first gunshots of World War I. Frances doesn't know what will await her when she leaves Bohemia to immigrate to New York. She does know that a new domestic service job in Sara Delano Roosevelt's home will change her future — if she doesn't lose herself first.

Frances quickly discovers that life in the East 65th Street house is complicated: navigating a working friendship with Lyda, the cook, and limiting her distractions from Benjamin, a friend from the old country. But when Franklin Roosevelt visits for Christmas, Frances's world changes forever. 

What do you think? Does that sound like a book you'd pick up? And what are your thoughts on AI? Is it about to take the writing industry by storm- or has it already and I'm just beginning to notice? Let me know your thoughts in the comment section!