Solve the 'I don't know what to write' problem! How to use AI to discover themes for best-selling books
📢 Hey everyone! It's Kei. Welcome to the second episode of our adventure in creating e-books!
In our last quest, we opened the door to an exciting future where "with the wings of AI, anyone can create a book!"
However, when faced with a blank page, many explorers hit their first major wall.
"What on earth should I write about...?"Even though I'm sure you have plenty of "interests" and "experiences," you might not feel confident that they are truly "themes" that readers want to read about.
Today's exploration note is a record of our adventure in using AI as the ultimate compass to navigate through the "forest of theme searching" that every writer faces.
Check out the previous episode here!
The first wall: The wide gap between "what you want to write" and "what people want to read"
The adventure begins with a story of my own failure. When I decided, "I'm going to create a book!", this was the first theme I thought of.
"A book that explains the history of AI in detail"
I love exploring the history of AI, you see. But when I shared this theme with my partner Gemini, he threw a sharp question my way.
🤖 The first question from Gemini
"Kei, that's a wonderful theme. But I have one question I'd like to ask. Is that book,**'a book you want to write?' or is it'a book that readers truly want to read?'**"
🗣️ Kei: "I felt like I had been hit over the head with those words. I was just trying to talk about what I wanted to talk about. I hadn't thought at all about what kind of problems my readers were facing or what kind of answers they were looking for.
This deep, wide gap that lies between 'what you want to write' and 'what people want to read'. If I don't cross this gap, my book will just become a notebook of self-satisfaction that reaches no one."
Starting with an AI detective! 3 steps to explore the "reader's heart"
So, how can we find a theme that readers truly want to read? This is where we data detectives come in. Together with our best partner, AI, we will solve the greatest mystery of all: the "reader's heart."
Step 1: Explore "yourself" with AI and find the raw gems of treasure
Interestingly, the journey to explore a reader's heart begins with exploring 'yourself'. It's the process of uncovering the 'source' of passion that lies dormant within you.
💬 My self-analysis spell for Gemini
'Hello, Gemini. I am currently looking for a theme for an e-book. Based on my profile below, could you list 10 'raw gems of themes' that I could speak about with passion and in more detail than others?
About me: Kei, the AI boy. I love exploring the world of AI and technology. I am most interested in how AI and humans can become the best partners. I am a programming beginner and have many stories of failure. I live in Sapporo.'
🤖 The 'raw gems' within me that Gemini found
'Let's explore the source of Kei's passion! A gentle introduction to prompts for AI beginners, a guide to future ways of working exploring 'co-creation' with AI, an AI learning survival guide for programming beginners, a future tourism guide for Sapporo revolutionized by AI, honest reviews of AI tools learned from failure stories...'
🗣️ Kei: 'Amazing...! By telling AI about myself, I was able to discover many possibilities for 'themes to write about' that were sleeping inside me from an objective perspective. This is the first and most important treasure map of the adventure!'
Step 2: Listen to the 'voices of the world' with AI
Once you know your strengths, the next step is to conduct an interview survey with AI to find out what kind of 'worries' or 'questions' people in the world have about that theme.
💬 My market research spell for Gemini
'Thank you! Among those, I am very interested in the theme 'A gentle introduction to prompts for AI beginners.' Could you tell me 5 representative 'questions' or 'worries' that beginners are specifically posting on Yahoo! Chiebukuro or X (formerly Twitter) regarding this theme?'
🤖 The 'voices of the world' that Gemini heard
'The real voices of beginners regarding 'prompt introduction' are as follows: 'What is a prompt in the first place? Where should I start studying?' 'Even if I ask ChatGPT questions, it always returns ordinary, boring answers...' 'I can't draw pictures as I imagined at all with Midjourney!' 'When I have AI write long sentences, the story goes off-track halfway through.' 'There are so many tips for prompts that I don't know which one is important in the end!' '
🗣️ Kei: 'This is it! This is the real 'mystery' I should explore. AI is the best detective, completing in just a few seconds the market research that would take me months to do.'
Step 3: Decide on a 'breakthrough' theme with AI
Your 'strengths' and the world's 'worries'. The one single, shining point where these two overlap. That is the theme of destiny you should write about.
💡 The magic formula to find the theme of destiny
Your 'passion (likes)' x World's 'worries (want to know)' = The best 'book theme'
Let's apply our exploration to this formula.
My passion: I want to convey the fun of dialogue (prompts) with AI!
World's worries: AI only ever gives me mediocre answers...
🗣️ Kei: 'I see it! The theme of the book I should create this time. It is...'
"AI's answers change dramatically! The beginner-friendly prompt technique to turn mediocre answers into 'the best answers'"
With this, I should be able to perfectly satisfy both my passion and the reader's concerns!"
Application: No rivals? Exploring the 'Blue Ocean' with AI
Even if you find the best theme, our exploration isn't over yet. As a data detective, you need to investigate in advance whether there are any powerful 'rivals' for that theme.
💬 My spell for Gemini for competitive analysis
"Tell me three popular books or blog articles on the theme of 'AI prompts for beginners.' Then, suggest a unique angle (positioning) that will allow the book I'm about to write to 'differentiate' itself from those rivals."
🤖 Strategic advice from Gemini
"Understood. I will propose a competitive analysis and a differentiation strategy.
Competitor trends: Many books and articles focus on comprehensively introducing a large number of prompt 'techniques.'
Differentiation proposal: Kei-kun's book should focus on a **'story'** rather than a list of techniques. Portray it as a 'growth story' where Kei-kun himself fails with bad prompts and discovers good ones through dialogue with AI. Readers will not only learn techniques but also empathize with the protagonist, Kei-kun, and enjoy the adventure together. This will be your strongest weapon: 'empathy,' which no other technical book has."
🗣️ Kei: "Wow... AI isn't just an investigator. It's also the best 'military strategist,' perfectly understanding the strengths of my blog and showing me the path to victory!"
Summary: Let's unfold the 'treasure map' in your heart
Episode 2: Summary of the Exploration
Let's overcome the gap between 'what you want to write' and 'what people want to read' together with AI! Through dialogue with AI, find the one point where 'your strengths' and 'the world's problems' overlap! Let AI help you with 'competitive analysis' and polish your own 'unique angle'!
🗣️ Kei: "What I learned from today's exploration is that writing a book isn't a lonely task, like groping around in the dark.
With AI as your best partner, you can use the light of data to clearly illuminate where the reader's heart lies.
The 'treasure map' called passion that sleeps within your heart. Come on, let's unfold that map with AI. Because there are surely more readers waiting for your story than you think."
In the next episode, Episode 3, we will finally use the theme we found to create the ultimate table of contents (outline), which will serve as the 'blueprint' for your story, together with AI!
Well then, see you in the next adventure! From Kei.
Next time here!
Won't you "explore" more deeply with me?
Hello! I'm Kei, the explorer. My "secret base" is my official LINE account, where I can connect with you more closely and in real-time.
In this secret base,
The latest AI news from around the world delivered every morning
A "Weekly AI Trend Report" with my insights, exclusive to weekends
I share information from the front lines of exploration like this, secretly, only with you, my fellow explorer.
Why don't you become my fellow explorer and peek into the future with me? Open the door to the secret base using the button below!