What It Really Takes to Write a Book | Kevin Anderson

What actually happens between “I should write a book” and a book someone wants to read?

Kevin Anderson, CEO and editor-in-chief of Kevin Anderson & Associates, joins Eric Pratum on The Unfolding Thought Podcast to discuss why people write books, how their goals shape the process, and who helps turn their ideas into finished pages.

Kevin shares how Paychex founder Tom Golisano’s plan for a memoir became the business book Built, Not Born first. The memoir followed once readers had a reason to want more of his story. It’s a useful example of how an author’s goals, intended audience, and publishing strategy can change the book itself.

We explore how ghostwriters and editors find the thread connecting someone’s experiences, decide whether an idea can sustain a book, and uncover material the author takes for granted. Kevin also explains why traditional publishing, hybrid publishing, and self-publishing serve different goals, and why getting advice before finishing a manuscript can prevent a costly wrong turn.

The conversation turns to AI writing and the judgment needed to use it. Kevin describes useful applications alongside the problem of authors forwarding pages of AI feedback they haven’t evaluated. How do you recognize a weak answer outside your expertise? What does a human collaborator notice, question, or draw out that an author might otherwise miss?

We also consider what authors learn about their own thinking through interviews, drafting, and revision.

Then we ask what authorship means when someone else helps write the words. Kevin explains how ghostwriting can preserve a person’s ideas and voice, and why interviewing colleagues and relatives can reveal patterns the author cannot see. For anyone considering a book—or curious about whose work sits behind the name on a cover—this conversation opens up the decisions behind the finished pages.

Topics Discussed and Questions Answered

• How do you know whether an idea should become a book or an article?
• Why might the book you want to write need to come second?
• How do editors find the parts of your story you overlook?
• How should your audience and goals shape your publishing path?
• What goes wrong when you seek expert feedback too late?
• When does AI help, and how do you judge its writing and feedback?
• If someone else helps write the words, whose book is it?
• How can working on a book change the author’s understanding of their own ideas?
• What can the people around an author reveal about that author’s story?

About Kevin Anderson

Kevin Anderson is CEO and editor-in-chief of Kevin Anderson & Associates, which provides ghostwriting, book coaching, editing, and publishing guidance.

Episode Links

• Kevin Anderson & Associates: Visit ka-writing.com
• Tom Golisano’s books, including Built, Not Born and The Italian Kid Did It!: Visit golisanofoundation.org

For more episodes: Browse all episodes

Questions or guest ideas: Contact Eric

Read the episode transcript on Substack.