Books
Ideas on one or more collaborative books to be written by writers in the
directory. (Look for this image for posts with book updates.)
1. Working title: “AI Everywhere”
Chapter Authors and Contributors: Collaboration details were moved to our private SheWritesAI book collaborator space in the AI Vanguard Society. However, as of Oct. 3, that pilot is ending, so we are shifting to either a Signal group or a Google chat group. Please check your email or DM
.Concept
Broad coverage of AI and data for people of any gender who are wondering, what about AI in X? where X = any of workplace, education, healthcare, etc. Could also include how-to chapters.
Goal is to highlight the voices of women and nonbinary people on AI and data. Intersectional and global viewpoints are especially encouraged.
Anyone in the SheWritesAI directory (or who meets the criteria and can be added) is eligible to be a chapter author. Authors are expected to have already published several longer articles on their AI-related topic on Substack. For ‘new’ authors who have recently migrated their writing to Substack, articles on another site (e.g. LinkedIn, Medium, Wordpress) count; just provide links.
Chapter Plan
Here’s a summary of the current chapters and the countries associated with the authors.
Collaborating Authors
, (silentpillars), , , with , , , with , , , , , (2), , , , , , Katie Grillaert with Nandita Rahman, , , , , , , , , , Logistics: TBD
Do you have skills you could contribute to support delivering the book? (e.g. cover design, editing, marketing, …)
Marketing support:
Guidelines (draft)
Prerequisites: The book shouldn’t require a degree in AI to be useful to a reader. Avoid jargon. For most chapters, the chapter author should cover enough of the basics that a reader won’t need a primer elsewhere to get value from reading the chapter. The exceptions might be the technical tutorial chapters, like on agentic AI, or something domain-specific like manufacturing Those chapters should clearly state up front what background they assume a reader already has on the topic (e.g., you know what an AI agent is, know Python, …). Including a link to a primer is required for any chapter with clear prerequisites for readers’ knowledge, and optional for all other chapters. Chapters with similar prerequisites may be grouped into sections.
Be concise. Topic should be covered well enough to teach basic ideas and raise awareness about pros and cons of AI regarding that topic.
Each chapter will be followed by a short (1 page with photo if desired) bio of the chapter author(s). Bios can include links to author newsletter, books, social media, etc.
Avoid self-promotion in the chapter itself. Chapter author bios can point readers to your Substack newsletters and/or your books or websites to learn more about the topics or engage your services.
AI Usage: Uses of AI for writing the chapter content should align with the Authors Guild’s guidelines for “human-authored” works. If this is a concern, DM
and we’ll figure something out, such as using Credtent.org labels for AI usage.Fact-checking: This is the responsibility of each chapter author.
References: Footnotes or end notes are ok and encouraged. Sources must be cited (APA style), preferably with DOIs or URLs. If the URL is paywalled, indicate that. Any article links provided by an AI tool must be validated by the chapter author and confirmed to say what the tool says the article said. Hyperlinks with embedded referral codes are ok for the ebook version, but if you earn money through an affiliate code in that link, say so.
Images: Images are ok for tables, figures, charts, and illustrations.
Design for B&W only, since color drives up the cost dramatically for books that will be printed with most POD services.
Image must have a caption that clearly attributes its creator, with a link, even if the license doesn’t require credit. The license under which it is used must be stated. If it’s not a self-creation or the license doesn’t clearly allow use without permission, written permission from the creator must be obtained for the image to be included in the book.
Avoid AI-generated images unless the point of the section is highlighting how generative AI tools work. AI tools used to generate the image must be identified in this case.
All images must have ‘alt text’ for accessibility.
Code: Short code examples are fine if they fit the topic (and the code's not proprietary or confidential, obviously).
Size: Each chapter, regardless of the number of collaborators (co-authors), should be in the range 3000-4000 words. (Tentative; we may adjust this target before commitments are finalized, based on the number of chapters we end up committing for the book.)
Language: English. Part of chapter content can be repeated in a second language if the writer wishes, provided the chapter stays within the total word count limit. (Only do this if you’re a native-level speaker of the second language and can validate the accuracy of the translation in the chapter subject area. Do not rely on an AI translation tool.)
Voice and Tone: The distinct voices you all bring are a key part of the specialness of this book. So we don’t need or want consistent voice/tone across the book, and I’m definitely not going to use AI to flatten you out. Each of your chapters should sound like YOU wrote it. Use regional slang if you like — just explain it briefly so our global audience can understand.
Thought leadership vs status quo: If you have strong beliefs, don’t be afraid to stake them out. Just keep it respectful and professional. My ask for most chapters would be to identify both pros and cons, build credibility and show balance, before staking out a position. Some chapters will be more suited to nuance and balanced views than others. Like in ethics - avoid polarizing statements bashing people who either won’t touch AI or won’t brush their teeth without it. But don’t feel the need to gloss over blatant biases or harms, either. If you aren’t sure, tag
on a draft of your chapter.Cost share: Publishing a quality book we can all be proud of will require some funds. One good thing about a collaborative book is that N chapter authors can share these costs and pay only 1/N. (If a chapter has 2 co-authors, the cost per chapter can be shared between them however they agree.) We are looking at some options for publishing support and funding. Discussions will be held in our private book collaboration space (for committed chapter authors only). DM me if you have questions or concerns.
What’s Next?
Chapter authors should refer to the private book collaboration space on Mighty Networks. Future tasks and deadlines for the project will be posted only in the Mighty Networks book collaboration workspace or sent via email.
Please comment here and/or join the subscriber chat or the Mighty Networks SheWritesAI Public Lounge to share your ideas!
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