No Pulitzer but there is hope
I am underwhelmed after having generated my first book. I still get a certain "Wow sensation" when working with AI so I was excited when I downloaded my book.
It came out to 162 pages (way too many) and most of the pages were very similar. I didn't read the whole book but every paragraph that I did read sounded like versions of the same paragraph over and over again.
I tried to prompt with a clear and systematic approach but I don't think there were enough questions to properly guide the writing. I think each chapter and sub-chapter should have had it's own prompt.
The final book will require a lot of editing. So much in fact, that I will scrap the entire book and write it with Claude.ai instead.
I wanted to like First Book AI but for $49 it just wasn't worth it for me. There are better AI tools out there that give you much more flexibility.
/R
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PS: I was surprised that the limit of 8 chapters and 3 sub-chapters was in fact a requirement and not a limit. I tried to submit a shorter outline but I got the following email.
"The outline does not meet the criteria because Chapters 3 and 5 each have only 2 subchapters instead of the required 3. Could you kindly adjust it to 8 chapters, each with 3 subchapters, and re-submit it for review?"
Casper_FirstBook.ai
Mar 26, 2025Hi there,
Thanks for taking the time to share your experience — even if it wasn’t what you hoped for. I really appreciate the thoughtful feedback.
You’re right that our structure is currently fixed at 8 main chapters with 3 subchapters each. This framework is in place to ensure the AI can maintain a strong, coherent flow throughout the book — something we’ve found to be crucial when generating long-form non-fiction. That said, we absolutely hear you: more flexibility would be useful for certain types of books, and it’s something we’re actively exploring.
Regarding content repetition — that’s also valuable feedback. While most users are happy with the first draft as a strong foundation, we always recommend reviewing, editing, and personalizing the book before publishing. For anyone looking to fully hand off a book without any revisions, First Book ai might not be the right fit just yet — but for those who want a serious head start, it can save weeks (or even months) of work.
And just for clarity: the $49 Tier 1 gives you one full business book (normally priced at $249), plus unlimited outline testing and structure previews. If anyone is unsure how the system works, we always recommend watching this 4-minute video guide, which shows a real 154-page, 73,000-word book: https://youtu.be/LkTAJWGDHkE
Appreciate you giving it a try — and if you decide to revisit the tool in the future, we’d love to help you get the most out of it.
Best regards,
Casper