Hi Reader,

I'm going to make a prediction: in one year, having published a book won't mean anything. AI is making it easier than ever for people to take an idea, pump out 60,000 words on a topic, and call themselves an expert in it.

So people who are building real authority—and attracting a real audience—are going to do something different.

These days, anyone can "write" 60,000 words using AI. Those words may or may not make sense, but the point is that the "author" has a book-shaped object wrapped in a professional-looking cover, and they're counting on the fact that most people aren't going to crack it open to see what's inside.

But here's the problem.

People do open books. They do read them. And when they realize that there's nothing worth reading between the covers, they'll put it down and forget all about you.

(In the best case scenario. Worst case, they *absolutely* remember you as the person who tricked them into reading a book's worth of generic ideas they could have gotten from their own Claude subscription.)

Readers are becoming distrustful of anything generic.

I think you're already seeing this when it comes to newsletters and social media. Audiences are attracted by real people with real stories—not generic "authority content."

So here's my prediction.

A year from now, saying you wrote a book won't matter when it comes to growing your authority. What will matter is going through the process of writing a book.

Because writing a book is about more than simply creating an end artifact that you can publish.

• It forces you to wrestle with your ideas,
• to articulate them better,
• to grow stronger in your thinking,
• and to create something entirely unique and—therefore—highly valuable.

That process, infused with your own powerful story and personal voice, is what makes you an authority.

And those books will always rise to the top of a field of slop.

More than that, if you're wrestling with your ideas and making them grow stronger, you're also building your authority even before your book is published.

The trick is to translate that authority into concrete proof.

Think about where you're at right now.

• If a podcast producer searched you out right now, would they see someone worth booking?
• If a dream client landed on your site after a referral, would they immediately want to work with you?
• If you were invited to speak at a conference tomorrow, would your online presence back up why you belong on that stage?

This is all stuff I honestly still struggle with, which is why I was so thrilled to meet Tiffany Neuman at a conference last spring.

Tiffany (an award-winning brand designer who's worked with companies like Burt's Bees and Adidas) got tired of watching good people getting passed over for opportunities they're absolutely qualified for, because the way they were showing up online didn't match their real genius.

People with:

• A website pieced together by different contractors at different times, so nothing quite fits together.
• Messaging that sounds different different depending on where people find them—LinkedIn vs their site vs a podcast bio.
• A brand story that changes every time they try to explain it because they've never actually nailed down their story.

It all keeps your target audience from seeing your actual expertise.

Tiffany calls this the Authority Gap.

I see this happening with the authors I work with, who have a brilliant idea and a business model that could be helping tons of people—but they can't articulate the heart of what they're writing, and what they do.

I can help you do that with your book.

But Tiffany's all about helping you do that with your total online presence.

In a couple of weeks, Tiffany's running Make Your Message a Movement: The Authority Gap Workshop Series.

• What: Three live sessions to help you close your Authority Gap, so the opportunities start matching your actual expertise.
• When: Sept 21, 23, and 25.
• Where: Virtual! Join from anywhere.

It's normally $197, but Tiffany's offering it to my audience for $47.

A total steal, given the level of work you'll be doing with her.

​Grab your spot here.​

And if you're feeling stuck in the weeds, remember that the work you're doing wrestling with your project is incredibly valuable.

Committing to that wrestling is what will set you apart from people who would rather shortcut the process.

Talk soon,

Jessie

P.S. The workshop starts Monday, Sept 21 at 12pm ET, and it's going to be packed with valuable info. If you missed the link to this, here it is again: 👉 Sign up to attend!​

Not sure if this is right for you? 😉 Hit reply and let's talk.