Drift and Return and life pivots

 I've been working on the audio book for Drift and Return today and remembering how much this book moved me as I was writing it.

I've been thinking a lot about life goals-- and what happens when you reach them.

Long ago, my goal was to have a book published. Success! Mahu came out in 2010.

Then I was lucky enough to find outlets for my published work, and the goal became the next book, and the next, and so on.

When the Kindle came out and I saw the opportunity to make money, I jumped on that, and kept producing more and more books.

But another pivot was coming. I wanted to slow down, enjoy life, take care of my husband and dogs.

Drift and Return is about people who come to pivots and need coffee-- and the love of dogs-- to make the necessary changes.

At Amazon https://amzn.to/4eWf5zF

 and in Kindle Unlimited

RODE

The RODE Revolution: Why AI Changes Everything for Creators

In a recent analysis by Mark Williams (TNPS), building on ideas from Nadim Sadek’s book Quiver, Don’t Quake, a powerful concept emerges: RODE — the Ratio of Dream to Effort.

RODE describes the gap between what we imagine and what we can actually create. Historically, that gap has been huge. Writers needed years to develop craft, capital to publish, and access to distribution. Most ideas never made it into the world.

What AI does is radically shrink that gap.

According to Sadek, AI isn’t replacing creativity—it’s acting as a “vision partner,” helping creators move from idea to execution faster than ever before. In RODE terms, effort drops while creative output rises, meaning more people can produce high-quality work with far less friction.

But here’s the twist: when creation becomes easy, attention becomes scarce.

In this new landscape, the value shifts away from production and toward:

• Discovery
• Trust
• Curation

This is what Williams calls the “curatorial premium.” When anyone can create content, what matters most is who can signal quality and earn audience trust.

For publishers—and increasingly for authors—the key asset is no longer the ability to produce books. It’s judgment, taste, and credibility.

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What This Means for Authors (and Your Marketing)

Here’s the part you should take seriously:

You no longer have a production problem. You have a signal problem.

AI can already help you:

• Generate marketing copy
• Draft ads and blurbs
• Create visuals and campaigns

But so can everyone else.

That means your advantage isn’t “using AI.” It’s:

• Choosing what to say
• Positioning it clearly
• Building trust with your audience over time

In RODE terms:

• AI lowers the effort of creating marketing assets
• But your judgment determines whether they actually work

If you apply this well, you should be using AI to:

1. Increase volume intelligently (more ads, posts, variations)
2. Test positioning faster (different hooks, audiences, angles)
3. Refine your brand voice (not outsource it)

The winning move isn’t “more content.” It’s better-filtered content.

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Bottom Line

RODE explains why this moment feels overwhelming: everyone can create now.

But it also explains your opportunity.

If you develop a strong point of view, consistent voice, and clear audience promise, AI becomes leverage—not noise.

And the authors who win won’t be the fastest producers.

They’ll be the most trusted curators of their own work.