I am excited, nervous, curious, and slightly terrified to share this.
Which usually means I am exactly where I am supposed to be.
I am looking for beta readers for my newest non-fiction book, Chasing Success in the Age of AI.
This book has been sitting with me for a long time. In some ways, it began years ago. In other ways, it feels like it could only be written now.
We are living in a strange and powerful time.
Artificial intelligence is changing the way we work, create, communicate, build businesses, write books, solve problems, and even define our value in the world.
For some people, AI feels exciting.
For others, it feels threatening.
For many of us, it feels like both.
And underneath all of it is a deeper question:
What does success mean now?
Not the old version of success.
Not the version handed to us by society, school, corporate ladders, hustle culture, social media, or someone else’s expectations.
I mean real success.
Heart-based success.
Human success.
Success that allows us to build value, find meaning, stay grounded, and remain deeply human in a world that is becoming more automated by the day.
That is the heart of this book.
Chasing Success in the Age of AI is a thought-provoking guide for people who are tired of chasing someone else’s definition of success. It is for men and women who are asking bigger questions about purpose, value, creativity, work, money, meaning, and what it truly means to live well in this rapidly changing world.
This is not a technical book about how to use AI.
It is not a doom-and-gloom book about machines taking over the world.
And it is definitely not another “grind harder, sleep less, dominate everything” success manual.
We have enough of those.
This book is about waking up.
It is about looking honestly at where we are, where the world is going, and who we choose to become in the middle of all this change.
It asks questions like:
What happens when AI can do more of what humans used to be paid for?
How do we create value in a world where knowledge is no longer rare?
How do we stop measuring our worth by productivity alone?
How do we stay creative, courageous, meaningful, and useful?
And perhaps most importantly:
How do we stop chasing success long enough to define it for ourselves?
That is the conversation I am opening in this book.
And now I need a few trusted readers to walk through it with me.
What I Am Looking For
I am looking for beta readers who are willing to read the manuscript and offer honest, thoughtful feedback.
You do not need to be a professional editor.
You do not need to be an AI expert.
You do not need to agree with everything I say.
In fact, I would rather you didn’t.
I am looking for readers who will tell me what lands, what does not, what feels clear, what feels confusing, what inspires you, what challenges you, and where the book could become stronger.
I want to know where the writing feels powerful.
I want to know where it drags.
I want to know which ideas make you pause and think.
I want to know which sections make you say, “Neil, you need to go deeper here.”
And yes, if you find the occasional typo, grammar gremlin, or sentence that appears to have been assembled during a caffeine shortage, you are welcome to point that out too.
Who This Book Is For
This book may especially resonate with you if you have ever questioned whether you are living your life or simply performing one.
It may speak to you if you have chased success and wondered why it still felt empty.
It may speak to you if you are curious about AI but do not want to lose your humanity in the process.
It may speak to you if you are a creator, coach, entrepreneur, leader, writer, professional, or deep thinker trying to understand what comes next.
It may speak to you if you believe success should include meaning, contribution, freedom, creativity, and soul.
And it may speak to you if you are tired of being told to keep grinding when your heart is asking for something more.
If any of that lands, this book may be for you.
What I Will Send You
If you choose to become a beta reader, I will send you a PDF copy of the manuscript with a watermark.
I am not asking you to edit the book line by line, unless something obvious jumps out at you. What I am really looking for is your honest reader response.
After you read it, I would love for you to send me a list of your thoughts, including what you liked, what concerned you, what parts resonated with you, what ideas made you pause and think, what sections felt strong, and what sections felt rushed.
I would also love to know where the book felt clear, where it felt confusing, where you wanted more depth, more story, more examples, or more explanation, and where you felt the energy of the book rise or drop.
You do not need to give me a polished book report.
Bullet points are perfect.
Honest comments are gold.
I am especially interested in the places where you found yourself nodding along, underlining a thought, arguing with me in your head, or saying, “Neil, this part needs more.”
That kind of feedback is incredibly helpful.
My goal is to make Chasing Success in the Age of AI stronger, clearer, more useful, and more meaningful before I release it into the world.
A book may begin in solitude, but it becomes better in community.
A Personal Note
I believe we are standing at a turning point.
AI is not coming someday.
It is here.
The question is not whether the world will change. It already has.
The better question is:
Will we change consciously, or will we simply be dragged along by the current?
I wrote this book because I believe we need more than tools.
We need wisdom.
We need courage.
We need grounded conversations about value, meaning, work, creativity, and the human spirit.
We need to remember that being human is not a weakness to overcome.
It is the very thing that may save us.
Interested in Being a Beta Reader?
If you would like to be one of my beta readers for Chasing Success in the Age of AI, please reply to this newsletter and let me know.
You can simply say:
“Neil, I’m interested in being a beta reader.”
I will follow up with the next steps.
Thank you for being part of my world, my writing journey, and this bigger conversation.
The future is changing quickly.
Let’s make sure we do not lose ourselves while chasing it.
With appreciation,
L. Neil Thrussell
Email me at neil @ neilthrussell.com if you are interested in being a beta reader.
