George was at an event with 5,000 people when friends started texting him.
He walked in and found someone giving his exact customer journey framework, word for word, to a full room.
He had no legal ground to stand on. That was the day he understood what intellectual property actually costs when you haven't protected it.
This episode is the conversation that follows.
Robin Colucci is a book coach, journalist, and advisory board member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. In this second appearance on the show, she and George dig into copyright law, AI-generated content, what you actually own when you publish, and how to build a body of work that cannot be taken from you.
What You’ll Learn In This Episode:
Key Takeaways:
✔️US copyright law requires human authorship. AI-written content cannot be copyrighted. If you publish it, anyone who markets it better than you becomes known for your work.
✔️Traditional publishers are now requiring authors to contractually declare they own the copyright to their material. Breach of that is a legal exposure, not a technicality.
✔️AI is a research tool, not a writing tool. Use it to surface information faster. Do not use it to write your final content.
✔️A book is an intimate conversation with a reader in one of the most private spaces in their life. Treat it that way. AI cannot generate that.
✔️See the reader before you serve them. Readers do not care about your process or data until you demonstrate that you see them as a human being first.
✔️Accuracy still matters. As a thought leader or content creator, you are responsible for what you publish. That does not change because a tool generated it.
✔️You are the hammer operator. The tool does not absorb your responsibility for the outcome.
Timestamps & Highlights:
[00:00] — George's IP theft story and the question it raised
[01:28] — If AI wrote it, you don't own it: starting straight
[03:16] — The American Society of Journalists and Authors and why it matters now
[06:00] — US copyright law: what qualifies and what does not
[08:00] — The Shy Girl case: Big 5 publisher pulls title after 78% AI detection
[12:00] — What traditional publishing contracts now require authors to sign
[18:00] — How to use AI ethically in the writing process
[28:00] — AI for research: tips and guardrails
[40:00] — What makes a book actually land with a reader
[52:00] — Creating intimacy with the reader: what AI cannot replicate
[58:00] — See the reader before you serve them
[1:02:27] — Wrapping it together: AI as a hammer, not the carpenter
[1:04:24] — Where to find Robin and how to start a conversation about your book
[1:05:37] — Departing wisdom: accuracy still matters
Connect with Robin Colucci
Book coach, journalist, author of How to Write a Book That Sells YOU, and advisory board member of the American Society of Journalists and Authors. Her clients have collected over $6.3 million in advances from Big 5 publishers and hit bestseller lists from Amazon to the New York Times.
Website: worldchangingbooks.com
Email: robin@worldchangingbooks.com
Instagram: @worldchangingbooks
YouTube: youtube.com/@AuthorAlchemist
Your Challenge This Week:
If you create content for a living, share this episode with one other person today.
And if you have a book in you, reach out to Robin at worldchangingbooks.com.
Follow George: @itsgeorgebryant
Work with George:
The Alliance — Community for entrepreneurs building bodies of work they actually own.
1:1 Coaching — Limited spots. Apply at mindofgeorge.com/coaching-consulting/
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