AI Didn’t Write My Book, But It Definitely Helped Me Launch It

Written By Rich Clum

When I started writing Nebraska Ave., I didn’t have a design team or even a budget to be quite honest.

I had a story, a laptop, my design skills, and a healthy distrust of the Florida humidity.

What I did have was access to some powerful (and sometimes chaotic) generative AI tools—and I decided to put them to work.

No, AI didn’t write my book. Every bizarre moment, shady character, and possibly-haunted house came from my brain. But when it came time to bring that world to life for funsies and to help promote this endeavor, AI was my MVP.

ESPECIALLY when it came to building teaser reels.

This blog series is pretty much a behind-the-scenes look at how I used tools like Adobe Firefly and ChatGPT to:

  • Design a whole suite of merch (swampy t-shirts, stickers, bookmarks, water bottles, etc.)

  • Build promo reels that scream “Florida Gothic meets soft launch”

  • Design QR sticker campaigns and weird giveaway swag

  • Create a book brand that’s part southern horror, part Florida man fever dream

Whether you’re a writer, a marketer, or just GenAI-curious, I’m sharing the process, what landed, and the hilarious missed approaches (a little pilot humor *wink wink*).

I’ll also include tips on what I’d do differently next time and what you can steal for your own launch.

Next up: how I prompted a generative AI to design merch to help promote my work. Spoiler: the gator came out surprisingly fashionable.

Follow along here or on LinkedIn for the full series.

Got a project of your own and want help bringing it to life (with or without Florida wildlife)? Let’s talk.

 

Nebraska Ave. – now available on paperback and Kindle

Rich Clum