The cry from the author wilderness is that “nobody is buying my book.” And in most cases, that’s true.
That’s where AI comes in.
I use AI not as a writer, but as an adviser—a tool to refine my structure, improve grammar, and help sharpen character arcs. The words, the voice, the storytelling—that’s mine. I write because I love it. If I make a little money along the way, that’s a bonus.
But in a world flooded with books, how do you get noticed?
That’s the question that led me to experiment with AI-generated video.
I built this using a mix of AI tools. First, I created the images through countless prompts in MIDJOURNEY and DALL-E, then turned them into video using VEO2and SORA. The voices came from ELEVEN LABS, and I used D-ID to animate the facial movements when characters spoke. Editing was done in Final Cut Pro, with extra work on the stills in CANVA and AFFINITY PHOTO. Sound effects came straight from Final Cut Pro.
The whole thing took two days to put together. AI video is still tricky—I used up my credits on VEO2 and SORA, and while they got close, they weren’t perfect. I had to ditch some of the other AI video tools (Runway and Dream Machine) because they just didn’t work for me. AI still doesn’t grasp the basics of physics—at one point, my ship was sailing sideways in heavy seas, people were morphing into clowns, and the Coxswain in the water somehow split into two people.
But it’s exciting to be pushing the limits of this technology. A far cry from when I wrote my first book on a typewriter—because that’s all we had back then.
My book is full of absurd and outrageous moments, so I wanted the video to capture that spirit. Instead of a straight-up promo, I leaned into the weirdness to make something more engaging. Many more coming when I get time.
As retirement becomes my norm, I have more time to write and explore. And I love creating these characters and stories. I don’t expect to make a lot of money, but I love the adventure of writing. It’s like any creative pursuit or sports fanatic—we just keep doing it because we love it.
And yes, the book is on Amazon.
