David Martin
Pastor. Publisher. A miracle in the afternoon sun.
Embracing AI as an Opportunity to Create More and Better Books
"For a publisher whose entire operation depended on hiring human writers, AI wasn't an opportunity. It was an extinction event."
The Empire David Built
It was a creative machine that worked — until AI arrived. Suddenly what previously took months and lots of dollars could be accomplished in a fraction of the time and for the cost of a coffee.
What He Saw Coming
Despite trying to ignore (and stubbornly deny) the changing creative landscape David foresaw how his world was changing and was unsure exactly how to respond.
So, as a Christian believer and a follower of Jesus he did what he has learned to do in any situation he is faced with.
He prayed.
He had spent hundreds of thousands in annual production costs. Now he needed to find a new way forward — or watch everything he'd built disappear.
He didn't fight the fear with strategy. He didn't research his way out. He didn't attend a conference or hire a consultant.
He sat down and talked honestly with God about his concerns.
God spoke back, and clearly spoke the following words:
"Embrace AI as an opportunity to tell more and better stories."
David's perception of AI shifted from it being a threat to being an opportunity.
The threat became a gift.
The obstacle became a doorway.
A creative partner to create more and better stories.
3 Days Later
The Afternoon
That very afternoon, after his conversation with God, David opened Plotdrive.
He sat in his garden.
The Writing
A romantic thriller. Complete. Ready for publication.
The Result
Three days later it was published and selling.
"Not months of work. Not hundreds of dollars in fees for writers and editors. That afternoon in the garden, David didn't just write a book. He discovered a new economics of storytelling."
Not over weeks. Not with a team. Not after months of coordinating ghostwriters. In a single day, everything changed.
From Broken to Beautiful
The Old Way
Ideas often died in the pipeline because they were expensive to act upon.
Genre-locked because testing new genres was time-intensive and costly.
Constant project management with multiple writers and editors.
Writers often disappearing mid-project, leaving projects in stasis.
The New Reality
Ideas tested in days, with reasonable time and money costs.
Genre-liberated because AI research allows deep insights into genre tropes and testing.
Trend response could now be quick and fun.
Full creative control without needing tests and writing to be outsourced.
Reliable, always available, ready to work when inspiration hits!
David's process combines AI brainstorming with chapter-by-chapter execution:
David is a BOTH/AND, not an EITHER/OR person.
He still works with talented writers all over the world, but has also embraced AI into his creative process and workflow.
He likes a simple process where he jams with the AI to thrash out a premise, plot, character sheet, and chapter outline, then hits the book chapter by chapter:
Jam with AI
Thrash out premise, plot, character sheet, and chapter outline
Build chapter-by-chapter
plan → draft → edit plan → edited version → final read
And most importantly
Publish
One week for 30-50k words.
Repeatable.
Consistent.
His.
From that first afternoon in the garden — the fruit keeps growing.
From that first book written in an afternoon in his garden David has now written many books with AI in several genres, and is discovering new ways to work with AI every day.
Embracing AI as an opportunity rather than avoiding it as a threat is transforming his business and improving his creative output in ways previously unimagined.
Amazon Success
David's Plotdrive books have been some of his most popular, often appearing in the top spots in the Amazon charts.
"These are honestly some of the best books we've published. Readers are loving them."
Although many are fearful of AI "slop" deluging the stores, David's experience has lined up with the word he received from God. AI has not only helped him write more books, he is writing better books.
As with any tool, its how you use the tool that makes the difference.
Reader Response
The transformation was invisible to customers but visible in sales. Quality didn't drop — it improved.
The readers didn't notice a dip.
They noticed an improvement.
The AI books don't need traditional editors. David uses editors now as beta readers — not for grammar, but for the only question that matters: Is this story great?
Reader Reviews
Although David earns tens of thousands of dollars per month from his published books, multiple pen names, and thousands of books sold every single month, this isn't ultimately a story about revenue.
David is a pastor. He writes a daily newsletter for Christian authors, creatives and faith-driven entrepreneurs — Faithful Creatives. He writes nonfiction about prayer, and has a 100% free Online Bible School.
His story-driven fiction business is just one arm of his creative expression.
"Books you can trust."
— The strapline of his fiction business
"Jesus first, everything else follows."
— His philosophy
Find out more about David at David's website.
David is also a big fan of Plotdrive, the main tool he uses to realize his creative story ideas and take them to an eager and growing audience of fans.
David's story isn't a productivity hack. It's a transformation.
From fear to faith. From blocked to breakthrough.
AI looked like it would destroy what he'd spent years building.
Not by giving him a strategy, but by changing his heart.
36,000 words in a garden. A book still selling. A business rebuilt.
22 books monthly. Bestsellers. $25k months. Ministry funded. Freedom secured.
"The real test of a book is when someone clicks BUY NOW. Until you publish something, you are stumbling blind."
David sees clearly now.
The Invitation
David's journey started with uncertainty.
It was transformed through prayer.
It landed in a garden on an ordinary afternoon that became an explosive, creative journey he is still exploring and enjoying.
The same tool is available to anyone.
The same transformation is possible for anyone willing to stop fighting and start creating!
Plotdrive doesn't just change economics. For those willing to receive it, it changes what's possible — in an afternoon, in a garden, with nothing but an idea and the faith to begin.