Books by the She Writes AI Community
TL;DR This page summarizes ideas and plans for one or more collaborative books to be written by writers in the She Writes AI directory.
For more details on our SheWritesAI books, see below. To be among the first to hear news and announcements on our books, we invite you to subscribe (free):
Books in the “AI Everywhere” Series (Current and Future)
Book 1. Working title: “AI Everywhere, Vol. 1”
24 chapters are committed for Book1. It is now in final editing and layout.
See the Book1 detail page for more information about this book. We are currently aiming to publish it in 2026Q1, by/for International Women’s Day, March 8, 2026.
Book 2. Working title: “AI Everywhere, Vol. 2”
Book2 is in planning for potential 2026Q4 publication.
We’re contacting authors of proposed chapters that were not included in Book1 (deferred). We’re also open to additional chapter topics and authors, and have confirmed several new chapter commitments. DM if interested!
“AI Everywhere” Series Concept
Broad coverage of AI and data for people of any gender who are wondering, “What about AI in <topic>?” where the topic might be any of workplace, education, healthcare, etc. Chapters could also cover how-to topics.
A key goal of the series is to amplify the voices of women and nonbinary people on AI and data. Each volume in the series is expected to be a kaleidoscope of views of AI topics from writers all over the world.
Author Eligibility
Anyone in the SheWritesAI directory (or who meets the criteria and can be added) can potentially be a chapter author. Authors are expected to have already published several longer articles about 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.
Topics of Interest
Chapter topics must be about AI and data. Inclusion of under-represented, intersectional, and global viewpoints is especially encouraged, but not required.
For any given book in the series, the goal is to not have more than one chapter on the same topic. (So if you want to write about a specific topic, get in touch sooner than later, before someone else commits on that topic.) Length may vary for each book, but in general, chapters are likely to be in the range 2500-4500 words.
See the Guidelines below for details on chapter scope, audience, prerequisites, references, and more.
Book Logistics
Do you have skills you could contribute to support delivering these books and helping them find their audience? (e.g. cover design, editing, marketing, launch team, …) We’d love to have your help. Please get in touch!
What’s Next?
Book1 chapter authors and contributors: Refer to the private Google Chat workspace and subscribe to the chapter authors mailing list. Future tasks and deadlines for the project will only be posted there or sent via email.
Book1 launch supporters: Thank you in advance for your interest! Please DM us and/or join the subscriber chat 😊
Potential Book2 chapter authors: Please comment here, DM, and/or join the subscriber chat to share your ideas! Already-committed authors: Your Google workspace will be set up soon. Start working on your ‘pitch deck’ slide: up to 100 words on your chapter topic, and an author bio of up to 100 words.
Series Guidelines for Chapter Authors
Audience: Unless a specific target audience is stated at the start of the chapter, readers should be able to safely assume the chapter is for “anyone” with no specific prior knowledge of the topic. Explain all acronyms on first use.
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 to refer to 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.
Author bios: 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, acknowledgments, etc. Authors: Bios and photos will be drawn from the pitch deck slides for the book.
Selling: Avoid blatant self-promotion in the chapter itself. The end of the chapter, or 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. Each author can optionally provide a URL for a chapter resources page that will be included at the end of the chapter and on the book website. This page will allow you to add new resources after the book goes to press, as you create or discover them.
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 Karen Smiley 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. All facts and statistics provided by an AI tool must be independently verified by the chapter author.
References: Footnotes (brief explanatory comments) are ok. End notes (references) are encouraged. Sources must be cited (APA style), preferably with DOIs or URLs, and in alphabetical order for each chapter. If the URL is paywalled, indicate that. If the source is undated, include the date it was last retrieved. 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, tables, figures, charts, and illustrations are ok (optional but not required).
Design for 6x9 trade print size and B&W/grayscale only, since color drives up the cost dramatically for books that will be printed with most POD services.
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 by the chapter author for the image to be included in the book. Provide a caption that clearly attributes its creator, with a link, even if the license doesn’t require credit.
Minimize use of AI-generated images, unless the point of the section is highlighting how generative AI tools work. Any AI tools used to generate an image must be identified, along with the name of the human who generated it.
All images must have ‘alt text’ for ebook accessibility. (Amazon checks.)
Tables must be kept narrow enough to be readable on a mobile device (ebook) or in 6x9 trade format (print).
Keep text in images to a minimum. Any texts in images must be large enough to be legible when viewed on a mobile device.
Code: Short code examples are fine if they fit the topic (and the code's not proprietary or confidential, obviously). GitHub links pointing to a public repo with code referenced in the chapter are welcome.
Size: Each chapter, regardless of the number of collaborators (co-authors) on that chapter, should be in the range 2500-4500 words, not counting references (footnotes or end notes).
Language: American English.
Regional variants of English are ok as long as you briefly explain any slang or term you use which is not part of standard American English.
Those who write in American English should minimize use of (or explain) US-centric words or terms which people outside the US may not know.
Part of the 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.)
Spelling and Grammar: Use a checker before turning your chapter loose for peer review. Use only one space after periods. M-dashes are ok in moderation (editors will address this if needed). Longer sentences and bigger words are ok when appropriate; just keep in mind that readability will be lower. For our target audience, let’s aim for about 9th grade reading level. (If you’d like help with using a free, non-AI readability analysis tool on your chapter, contact Karen Smiley.)
Voice and Tone: The distinct voices you all bring are a key part of the specialness of these books. So we don’t need or want consistent voice/tone across the books, and we’re definitely not going to use AI to flatten you out. Each of your chapters should sound like YOU wrote it.
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. For example, 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 Karen Smiley on a draft of your chapter.
Cost Share: Publishing a quality book we can all be proud of will require some investment - either outlays for paying professionals, or substantial donations of time from experienced volunteers. 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 for that chapter can be shared between them however they agree.) For each book, we will look at options for publishing support and sponsor funding, as well as ways volunteers can handle aspects of publishing work to reduce outlays. Discussions will be held in our private book collaboration space (for committed chapter authors only). DM Karen Smiley if you have questions or concerns.
Process: Karen gives each chapter author their own folder in the Google Workspace. This is where files are managed from book inception through release.
Pitch: Chapters start with a 1-slide “pitch deck” - 100 words of what your chapter will be about (with focus on reader takeaways), 100 word bio plus photo. This is used to ensure chapters don’t overlap and will be used later for the chapter author page in the book and for marketing.
In Draft: Once writing starts, each author has full Editor rights in a Google Doc or Word doc. For books 2+, a template will be provided by our layout team with preset headings and page sizes.
In Review: When ready, an author declares their chapter ready for Peer Review by posting in the Google Chat group. One or more other writers will review with Commenter rights. Authors are expected to address these comments and confirm with the reviewer that their concerns are satisfied.
In Editing: Chapters then move into Editing. At this point, the contents of the draft file move to a limited-access copy where authors have Commenting rights, while Editors have Editor rights. Authors address Editing feedback by adding editing suggestions or comments, which Editors handle.
In Layout: Once Editing concerns are addressed, the chapter is moved to Layout and no further changes are allowed (unless the Layout person requests them, e.g. if a table or image is too large or isn’t readable at expected ebook or print sizes).
Final Review: When Layout is completed for the book, a proof copy will be provided for commenting so that authors can verify that their chapters and bio pages look good.
Publishing: The book then moves into Publishing, where the final layout file is loaded into book distribution portals and prepared for release.
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For more information on our current and upcoming books, see aieverywherebooks.com, aieverywherebook.com, shewrites.ai, or shewritesai.org/books.html (currently under construction!)