Lucy McCarraher is the founder of Rethink Press (a hybrid publisher specializing in business books) and BookMagic AI (an AI-assisted writing platform). Over 12 years, she has mentored over 2,000 entrepreneurs and business leaders through the book-writing process, making her the UK's most experienced business book mentor. Lucy's background spans theatre publishing in Australia, creating "video books" with celebrities like Prue Leith and Alan Titchmarsh, and pioneering work-life balance consulting. She has authored 13 books herself and developed a systematic process for helping non-writers transform their expertise into published books. Her philosophy: books should be "undercover sales agents," not marketing brochures—providing real value while building authority and credibility.
In this episode:
- The three P's: person, pain, promise positioning
- BookMagic AI's values exercise starting point
- Breaking writing into discrete, manageable stages
- Why AI shouldn't generate your actual book content
- Copyright concerns with AI-generated text
- Using AI for research and ideas, not writing
- The one-hour-early writing habit strategy
- Dictation feature for non-writers and dyslexic authors
- Planning every topic before you start writing
- Writing to one ideal reader, not a crowd
- AI-generated blog posts and social media content
- Why publishers reject AI-generated manuscripts
- Hybrid publishing vs. DIY self-publishing costs
- Distribution beyond Amazon KDP
- Multiple formats don't reduce sales
- Future features: end-to-end publishing in-app
Resources mentioned:
- Book Magic AI: https://bookmagic.ai/
- Rethink Press: http://www.rethinkpress.com/
- KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing): https://kdp.amazon.com/
- Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/
- Key Person of Influence: https://www.keypersonofinfluence.com/
Book recommendations:
- The Authority Gap by Mary Ann Sieghart: https://www.amazon.com/Authority-Gap-women-still-seriously/dp/0857527568
Connect with Lucy:
- Get your Free Trial for Book Magic AI: https://bookmagic.ai/
- Rethink Press: http://www.rethinkpress.com/
- Personal Website: https://www.lucymccarraher.com/
- Linkedin: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/lucymccarraher
Connect with Teddy Smith:
- @teddyagsmith
- Website: https://publishingperformance.com/?ref=ywm3mtc
- Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/publishingperformance/
- Pinterest - https://nz.pinterest.com/publishingperformance/
- Instagram - https://instagram.com/publishingperformanceinsta
- Youtube -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHV6ltaUB4SULkU6JEMhFSw
- Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/company/publishing-performance/
Discover More with Our Curated Starter Packs: https://teddyagsmith.com/starter-packs/
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.