Speaker 1:

Coming up today on David Vs Goliath.

Vikrant Shaurya:

They would be able to write their entire book using ChatGPT maybe in less than one week.

Adam DeGraide:

Scaring the crap out of you, if you’re a creative individual.

Speaker 4:

Welcome to today’s episode of David Vs Goliath, a podcast dedicated to helping small businesses leverage technology to not only help them compete against their large competitors, but win.

Your host is currently the CEO of Anthem Business Software, a three-time Inc. 500 recipient, and a serial entrepreneur with a passion to help small businesses everywhere find, serve, and keep more customers profitably. Please join me in welcoming your host, Adam DeGraide.

Adam DeGraide:

Hey, everyone, it’s Adam DeGraide with a remote edition of the David Vs Goliath Podcast. I’m doing some traveling, doing some musical recording, working some business shows for my business, Anthem Software, and Automate My Social. Which today’s episode is brought to you by automatemysocial.com, where you can automate up to 100% of your business’s social media, the creation of the post, the posting, the management, everything, tracking, data, everything you need, all through the software. Save time, save energy, save money. One of our recent clients saved almost $50,000 a year by signing up to automatemysocial.com. Check it out.

And by the way, if you’re a business looking for more in-depth digital marketing services, my parent company, anthemsoftware.com, that’s A-N-T-H-E-Msoftware.com is a place for you to check out, because we manage not only the software CRM aspect, automating of social media, we do all the marketing services for businesses, including websites, SEO. We specialize primarily with insurance agents, CPAs, and law firms, and IT professionals and contractors in general. But hey, hit us up, you never know, maybe we could work together. It’ll be a lot of fun.

Well, today we’re going to be interviewing Vikrant. He’s the founder from a company called Authors On Mission. It’s a fascinating conversation. I just got done interviewing him. This is just the intro I’m creating right now. We talk a lot about ChatGPT and how it’s killing the creative spirit. Stay tuned for this. You’re going to love it. Here we go. Vikrant, welcome to the David Vs Goliath Podcast.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Hey, thank you so much, Adam, for having me. Looking forward to it.

Adam DeGraide:

I thought it was interesting being the founder and the creator of Authors On Mission. You try to help guys like myself write a book, because they’re too busy to have the time to actually get that done, or for a myriad of other reasons. And I think this will be a fascinating discussion today. Why don’t you tell the folks a little bit about what Authors On Mission does and how you do it?

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah, sure. So, simply, there’s a survey on Forbes, that Forbes did a few years ago and they figured out that 81% Americans wants to write a book, and out of those 81%, only 1% of those 81% try to start, they start writing a book and 1% out of those 1% actually are able to complete the book.

We help increase that percentage. We have done for you book writing, publishing, marketing services, so that we can help entrepreneurs, coaches, thought leaders, speakers, turn their book ideas into number one best-selling book through our done-for-you services. So, this is what we do at Authors On Mission.

Adam DeGraide:

Now, are you picky on who you choose to actually write a book for? Because I think a lot of people that listen and watch the David Vs Goliath Podcast, they’ve always told me I should write a book. I’ve started it, like you said, I just don’t have enough time to do it.

And so, that’s the biggest problem. I’m running businesses, I’m a father, I’m running a family, I’m doing my hobbies, I’m playing golf, I’m writing music, and there’s so much to say, and in some ways I feel like the podcast that I am doing right now is like my video book to the world. So, I know there’s something to be said about having a physical, tangible book. When you vet people, do you turn down people ever?

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah, most of the time, actually. So, first of all, we only work with people who want to write non-fiction books. We don’t do fiction books. Also, we try to understand if, is there any specific mission they want to achieve with the book? If their goal is just to write a book without any reason, we try not to work with them.

Usually, the clients we work with, they have maybe a business already or they have a coaching or a consultation practice and they want to scale it. They want to generate more leads, they want to get more clients. They want to establish their brand. Or, they want to share their legacy. So, these are the people we really want to work with. Out of, I think 50 to 60% of the people who come on a call with us, on this consultation call, we say no to them, that this is not a right fit. We provide them resources, we provide them guides and free resources on how they can write it themselves, but we don’t have expertise in creating, for an example, fiction books. And we don’t enjoy working with those people who don’t have a specific mission they want to achieve with the book. If they just want to write a book just for the sake of the writing a book, we don’t want to work with them.

Adam DeGraide:

I understand. I can imagine. I actually did write my first book, hold on one second. I have it here with me.

Vikrant Shaurya:

It is the-

Adam DeGraide:

It’s a kids book.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Oh, right. The Adventures of Jackson.

Adam DeGraide:

I did The Adventures of Jackson, the Young Field Mouse. It’s a story, Vikrant, that I’ve been telling my kids for, oh my gosh, at this point, 27 years. I’m aging myself right now, but it’s the illustrator that I got was amazing. I mean, the illustrations are just so well done.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah.

Adam DeGraide:

And I really haven’t done a lot to promote it, but it’s a great story. I get contacted all the time for people who want to promote it, turn it into this and that. Again, once again, it’s just not the highest priority to me, but it was an idea that I had. And my wife wrote a book as well, too, and she said, “You tell this story all the time. Why don’t you just put it into a book?” I said, “You know what? Why not? That way, at least my grandkids, my great grandkids, and maybe some other strangers that hear about it…” It’s called The Adventures of Jackson, the Young Field Mouse.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Awesome.

Adam DeGraide:

He loses his parents, he’s going to find his way back. So, that’s a book, for example, that you would not write.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah. But the thing is, just because you mentioned children’s book, my wife last week has started a company, it is also a publishing company. We became parents one year ago, and she had some knowledge and ideas of how this publishing industry works.

Adam DeGraide:

That’s great.

Vikrant Shaurya:

So, she created this company only for moms, and she’s helping those moms.

Adam DeGraide:

That’s great.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Either these moms will become an author or their babies will become an author. So, these children’s book, these story books would be under the name of their babies. For an example, if the baby’s name is Johnny, then how Johnny is doing some sort of adventure and there’s going to be name of the parent and the author name is going to be Johnny.

Adam DeGraide:

Great.

Vikrant Shaurya:

And the entire illustration, the character would look something like Johnny.

Adam DeGraide:

I think that’s smart. I think that’s totally smart and that’s amazing. Well, we’re going to take our first break from our first corporate sponsor, automatemysocial.com. And when we come back, I want to talk to you about AI technology and if that’s affected the book writing. I think that would be fascinating for our watchers, listeners. Stay tuned. You’re with your handsome host, Adam DeGraide, and Vikrant from Authors On Mission. We’ll be right back.

Speaker 5:

Do you own a business? Do you have or need a social media presence? If you are like most businesses, you spend either no time or too much time and money on your social media strategy, spending thousands of dollars per month only to get mediocre and inconsistent results. This leads to frustration and in some cases, sleepless nights.

Introducing automatemysocial.com. Automate 90% of your social media and never have to think about it again. That’s right, automate your business’s social media posting and strategy, like forever. Automate the essentials and customize only what’s needed. Save time, save money, and get better results with automatemysocial.com.

Our patent pending technology gives you the ability to automatically create your social posts and distribute them immediately, like in seconds, across all your social media platforms. Stop the madness of paying someone to create, post, and manage your strategy, and let our software do the work so you don’t have to. Oh, and if you’re an agency or social media manager, you too can let our software do all the work and you can get all the credit. It will be our little secret.

With automatemysocial.com, you can have it all. It’s easy to use, never complains, and never asks for time off or more benefits. See this amazing new software application at automatemysocial.com. If you own a business or manage client social media and want to save time, energy, money, all while increasing your return on investment, then let’s get this party started at automatemysocial.com.

Adam DeGraide:

And we’re back for the second segment of the David Vs Goliath Podcast. So, Vikrant, one of the hottest topics in technology now and in the world is ChatGPT and all of the nonsense that goes along with AI. And Google, and Yahoo, and Bing, and these cats are putting restrictions on computer-generated content, however, printed content, email, social media, things that don’t affect search engine optimization or search engine rankings, that’s not as important.

Do you have any plans to work alongside of an AI? Has it impacted your business in a positive or a negative fashion? And I’m curious, because how long have you been doing this for? And this is a recent thing. Is it so new that you don’t even know the impact yet? These are some of the questions that I have.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Actually, we have already started integrating the AI thing in our business model three months ago itself. So, this ChatGPT came, I think in November last year, and I was doing heavy research on that for two, three months. And then, I launched an entire program that goes along with the package that we offer, where if someone is going to go through the program, they would be able to write their entire book using ChatGPT, maybe in less than one week. And a really, really good book.

Actually, in the training program, I showed them how I created a very rough draft. Of course, it wasn’t a good draft, but I wrote the entire first draft of the book in less than 10 minutes.

Adam DeGraide:

That’s amazing.

Vikrant Shaurya:

There’s a proper step-by-step training on that. So, whether we accept this or not, all of these AI things are going to completely revolutionize the way we are working in any industry, not only the-

Adam DeGraide:

I totally agree. I, 100% agree.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah. So, ChatGPT specifically is completely for content, not only for the content, it can help you write better codes, it can help you create softwares. So, it is completely changing the game. There are some softwares out there that can create amazing illustrations, something like Midjourney, if you’ve heard about it, that works on-

Adam DeGraide:

No, I’m going to write that down.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah. So, Midjourney is really, really super dope. So, if ChatGPT is on top of the content game, Midjourney is on the top of the image and illustrations and design game. It is completely taking most of the job of these illustration artists. And you just have to-

Adam DeGraide:

I don’t know if that’s good though. I mean, I know that it’s a reality and I know that we have to deal with it, but I don’t know. And some of these things are even creative. Some of the art that I’ve seen it create, they’re masterpieces. If you and I looked at them, we’d be like, “Oh wow, that’s a masterpiece.” But then, does it discourage those that are given God-given talents from using their God-given talents or not developing to the fullest? These are things we’re all going to have to struggle with as we go forward in the future.

And I don’t know if you saw Elon Musk the other day on Tucker Carlson. I’m a huge Tucker Carlson fan, and I like Elon as well, too. He’s concerned that these things obviously can be programmed to not only replace people’s jobs, but to not be truthful and to also, to skew things and to borrow things because it’s all based on what’s already existingly out there or it’s been programmed to think, find, and do.

So, there are a lot of interesting things going on with it. I feel bad for the illustrators, but my encouragement is, don’t give up on it. Learn how to work alongside of it. Right? And I think that’s really the challenge we’re all going to have. And so, you find, is it making it more affordable to do the books for people now?

Vikrant Shaurya:

It is making more affordable. It is making way more efficient. It is taking less time for our clients to get the book done. At the same time, when you talk about the AI, not only the AI, any new technology comes in the world, some jobs are gone and some new jobs are going to come, right? For example, maybe 20 years ago when computers were not there or internet was not there, people were doing all sort of these accounting on paper, right? On the registers. Right? And these people were maybe very good at mathematics and then computer came and then Excel sheets and everything. They completely took the entire job of these accountants who were doing all of these jobs on these pen and paper.

Same thing is going to come over here. People used to think it would be coming, then it would start, first of all taking the jobs that were very monotonous like data entry and all of those things. But it is happening the other way around. It is first of all, taking all the jobs, the creative jobs, actually. The content writing, the coding, and now the designing and the illustrations as well. And I’ve personally talked to some of the ghost writers and designers, they’re very, very, very, very frustrated because now they don’t have any option, they have to come into the game of learning how to use these type of-

Adam DeGraide:

Yeah. What I wonder though, and this is just me, the ramblings of an insane person. Do I really want to lose the creative aspect of human art? I’m a musician, a very good one, and I work with incredible singers, very good singers, excellent melody writers that write melodies. That’s only a few years away from that being a problem as well for people. And so, do we really want to have an existence where everything is generated by a computer, everything sounds too good, too perfect?

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah.

Adam DeGraide:

And then we go back to the old days where we start banging pots and pans, but it could even do that as well, too. Right?

Vikrant Shaurya:

It can do that as well.

Adam DeGraide:

I worry about this a lot, because as a creative individual and someone who loves creativity and values it and sees an intrinsic value that God has given these people, these gifts and talents. To strip that from them is a challenge. But anyway, we’re going to take another break from our second sponsor and then when we come back, I want to shift gears a little bit and talk about your business and exactly how somebody would find you.

So, you’re with Adam DeGraide, your handsome host of the David Vs Goliath Podcast, scaring the crap out of you if you’re a creative individual as we discuss the ChatGPT phenomenon and artificial intelligence. Here’s another message from an important sponsor. We’ll be right back.

Speaker 6:

At ISU Armac Agency, we want to be your one responsible source for all of your insurance needs. From a rocket engineer in California to several hospitals in Illinois, our personal lines team specializes in hard to place risks and high net worth clientele. With two locations and 20-plus agents, we can write in all 50 states to better serve our clients with needs in multiple states.

Family-owned and operated since 1962 and four generations carrying on the tradition of insurance. Celebrating our 60th year in the industry, we are truly proud of where we have come from and where we are going. With over 300 carriers nationwide, our agency can offer individuals and businesses more choices and better prices. ISU Armac brings a wide variety of solutions to the table. For more information, visit us online at www.isu-armac.com.

Adam DeGraide:

And we’re back for the final segment of the David Vs Goliath Podcast. I’m sure a lot of our watchers and listeners, Vikrant, are shaking a little bit as they think about the future, but to your point, you can still be creative, you can still have a creative outlet and you can pivot. So, Authors On Mission, when did you start it? How many people work alongside with you right now?

Vikrant Shaurya:

We started this company, I think, around eight, nine years ago, over a decade now. And since then we have worked with more than 500 clients one-on-one, with our services.

Adam DeGraide:

That’s excellent.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah. And we have right now, people who are working full-time with us, I think, 12 or 13 people. Right? Then some of them, there’s some maybe five, 10 more people are there who are working part-time. Then we work with contractors, like ghost writers, editors. We have a team of around more than 500 writers and editors, proofreaders who are in our circle of influence.

So, for an example, if a client starts working with us, we ask them to fill out a form and based on the form, we match them with the perfect angel writer and they decide actually who’s the person they want to work with. We match them with five writers, they can interview all of them, and then they decide who’s going to be the perfect ghost writer for their book. So yeah, it’s over a decade now that we have started this company.

Adam DeGraide:

I give you kudos, man, it’s a great concept and it’s no small feat to start any business to serve over 500 anything, over time. And I bet you’ve worked with all different types of personalities, those who love you, those who hate you. In order to be truly loved, you must be equally hated. I tell people that all the time. And that’s really, really interesting.

So, I think about myself for example. I’ve got at this point, hundreds of hours of content, advice, interviews that I’ve done, myself, Vikrant. I think this is an educational piece for our people right now. I came to you and said, “I want to write a book. Here’s my title. Here’s my idea.” And I’ve got a few, by the way. How would you work? Would you still need to interview the person if they have this much content and this much stories that they’ve told online and things like that? What would be the process of working with somebody that has a lot of content? And then, what’s the process with working with somebody who has little content?

Vikrant Shaurya:

Although we have a set system, we have created this system called Angel Writing System, which is a hybrid version of a ghost writing system. But in some cases, we also try to not make it very rigid. It also depends on clients to client, how they want to work with the writer. Some clients are extremely busy, they don’t even have time for maybe two, three interview sessions in a week. So, even if they come on a one-hour call in a week, we are fine with that.

But usually our system is, we have on average, two calls a week, where the writers actually interview you and exactly understand your book ideas, your message, your stories, experience. And the thing is the writer has to talk to you before they can understand your personality and your unique voice. Along with that, they can go through all of their resources, for an example, if you have done a lot of podcasts and for an example, you have written a lot of blogs and emails and social media thing, they can go through that and of course, take all the information.

But before that, they have to understand your why, your mission, your purpose, before they can actually start writing a book. And once the mission is cleared, then they’re going to work with you, brainstorm with you, and create a book outline for you, right? A book outline or the skeleton of the book. And now they can interview maybe just once every chapter, and then they’re going to write the entire chapter based on that. They can share the chapter one with you. You can go through that. If you’re happy with that, then we’ll move to the next chapter. If you have any feedback, you can just provide the feedback, or maybe a Zoom call or a phone call and they’ll fix it. And then you move to the next chapter.

So, chapter by chapter, we complete the entire book and we offer unlimited revisions to make sure that the book is the way you have imagined or dreamed. So, not only we’ll write the book, we take care of all these steps that is post-writing, like editing, proofreading, cover designing, ISPN, description of the book. And then we do the publishing, distribution, book cover designing, e-book formatting. And once the book is published and distributed, then we also take care of marketing, we get sales reviews, and then we also guarantee that the book is going to be number one bestseller either on Amazon or Wall Street Journal, depending on which package you have chosen.

Adam DeGraide:

So, basically if somebody worked with you and they wrote a book and they get it, they can also self-publish it with you, and then you have the relationships to be able to market it.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah.

Adam DeGraide:

Now, do you sell a separate marketing package to manage that? I would imagine there’s a fee for writing the book, then there’s a fee for marketing, and then there’s a fee for rolling it out?

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah. So, usually the client … 80 to 90% of the client we work with, they go with the whole package, the entire package where we cover the writing, designing, publishing and marketing, everything, all done for you.

Adam DeGraide:

What is the range in something like that? What does that range in pricing cost?

Vikrant Shaurya:

So, Amazon, it is around $30,000 where we take care of the writing, editing, designing, publishing, marketing, and we make it a number one bestseller. Wall Street Journal is actually an add-on. It is on a higher level, it’s going to be more than $100,000. But then we have launched another package using ChatGPT. You can just write the entire book and then we take care of all the other steps like editing, designing, publishing, marketing.

Adam DeGraide:

So, we can leverage AI to write it.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Adam DeGraide:

We proof it together.

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yes.

Adam DeGraide:

That’s cost you less money and time.

Vikrant Shaurya:

It is-

Adam DeGraide:

And then I maximize marketing dollars to go … That’s fascinating. Well, how could people find out about you, connect with you online and learn more?

Vikrant Shaurya:

Yeah. So, simply if they can visit authorsonmission.com, there are hundreds of testimonials and case studies on our website itself, like the clients who have gone through our services. If you think that you are able to resonate with them and resonate with their stories and their problems they had before and now exactly what they have, they’re able to achieve in their business using the book. And then simply book a call with us.

There’s a button where you can just simply click on that. It’s going to take you to the [inaudible 00:26:05] page where you can just simply pick the time and date and our author strategist is going to go on a call. They’ll check whether we are fit to work with each other or not. If we’re all good, they’re going to offer you the best package. And if you’re fine with that, then we move to the next step, which is onboarding, and then we start working with you.

Adam DeGraide:

I love it. I love it. Well, this has been fascinating, especially the fact that you guys are already leveraging ChatGPT. I think it makes all the sense in the world. And for all of you writers out there, I still love you, got a soft spot for all of you artists. You’re my friends, I love you as well too, and we got to stick together. Humankind is going to be … I am a speciesist, I guess, is what they say, Vikrant.

Vikrant, thank you so much for joining us on David Vs Goliath Podcast. Think about all the things you learn here on this podcast, from sales tips and tricks to how to hire the right people to even leveraging ChatGPT and helping your business. You get all those tips right here, inspiration, education, and most importantly, activation, on the David Vs Goliath Podcast. I’m your host, Adam DeGraide, and I’ll see you next week. Have an awesome day.