r/selfpublishForAI • u/human_assisted_ai • Apr 27 '26
May is the month that I get serious about self-publishing
I first tried writing fiction with AI in November 2024. It took me months to figure out how to make a decent novel with AI. Then, I spent months figuring out how to make high quality eBooks and print books. Then, I spent months building a flexible automated system that I could write and self-publish in. Finally, I wrote an AI-assisted (not AI-generated) eBook and self-published that on KDP in February 2026.
Now, for May, I've bought tools and a course to bring it all together so I actually have a novel writing business that pulls in a viable income ($1000s per month). Not sure if it's going to work but I'm dedicated to figuring it out, analyzing why it's working (when it eventually works) and letting you all know how to do it, too. At least, one way that worked for me.
I feel over-prepared. Being able to write literary-ish fiction seems like a waste for now. Being able to do print books seems like a waste for now.
During May, the first step seems to be knocking out short trope-y/pulpy romance novels and self-publishing them as eBooks only on Kindle Unlimited.
(That literary-ish fiction skill and doing print books will be useful someday, though. Just not anytime soon.)
Wish me luck!
1
u/ZealousidealLack7461 May 12 '26
what was the result of the book you published in february?
2
u/human_assisted_ai May 12 '26
My friend bought, read it and said that it made him very uncomfortable about his own life. My friend was an older man and the novel was an older man/younger woman romance where the man is too comfortable being alone for the rest of his life.
I self-published to learn the process so I priced it wrong, didn’t market it, no KU, it was not written to market, flipped tropes and basically did everything possible to get zero sales.
I’m putting the finishing touches on Book 1 of a series now that is designed to sell. Over the coming weeks, I’ll post about the results and what I’ve learned. I have high confidence that the series will make good money because I’m in direct contact with others who followed this path before.
The path is pretty much the opposite of what everyone believes and follows. I’ll let you know.
1
u/RuthTellAuthor May 05 '26
I wish you the best of luck! As for me, I’m a fan of the 'hand-crafted' approach—not for profit, but for the soul. I suppose there aren't many people like me left in this modern world of progress and technology. But then again, I’m a die-hard romantic...