Brave New Bookshelf Episode 54 - Unlocking Bestseller Potential: Alessandra Torre and JD Lasica on Authors AI & Marlowe

By Danica Favorite November 20, 2025

In Episode 54 of Brave New Bookshelf, hosts Steph Pajonas and Danica Favorite sit down with Alessandra Torre and JD Lasica, the founders of Authors AI. The conversation dives deep into how AI is reshaping the writing and publishing process—especially through their flagship manuscript-analysis tool, Marlowe.

If you're an author looking to level up your craft, understand your manuscript more objectively, or simply write and edit faster, this episode is packed with practical insights.

Meet the Guests: Alessandra Torre & JD Lasica

Alessandra Torre is a bestselling author of romance and domestic suspense (writing under multiple pen names), and JD Lasica is known for his high-tech thrillers. Together, they launched Authors AI to give writers access to high-quality, data-driven editorial insights traditionally limited to big publishing houses.

Their mission is simple: empower authors with tools that make writing better, faster, and more successful.

"I think a lot of authors are afraid of critical feedback, and a lot of authors are really wanting it."

Alessandra Torre, on authors' reception to feedback.

How Marlowe Started

Marlowe was inspired by The Bestseller Code by Dr. Matthew Jockers—a data-driven study of what makes books commercially successful.

Building on this research, Alessandra and JD worked with engineers and developmental editors to create an AI system that can identify bestseller patterns, storytelling strengths, pacing issues, character depth, and more.

Since launching in 2020, Marlowe has evolved into a sophisticated editorial assistant that thousands of authors rely on before sending their manuscripts to beta readers, editors, or agents.

What Marlowe Actually Does

Think of Marlowe as a developmental editor in your pocket.

Authors upload their manuscripts and receive a detailed report covering:

Character development
Plot structure and cohesion
Pacing and tension
Narrative arc
Repetition patterns
Emotional beats
Comparisons to bestsellers in the same genre

Unlike some AI tools that give overly positive or vague feedback, Marlowe provides balanced, constructive, actionable insights grounded in data—not opinion.

Visual Reports & Benchmarking Against Bestsellers

One of Marlowe’s standout features is its visual reporting. Authors can see:

Graphs of rising and falling tension
Pacing charts
Character presence breakdowns
Structural comparisons to genre bestsellers

This allows writers to understand how their story functions, not just whether it works.

Danica & Steph Put Marlowe to the Test

Both hosts used Marlowe on their own manuscripts, and the results were eye-opening.

They found:

Concrete suggestions for strengthening character motivations
Structural issues that aren’t always obvious during self-edits
Plot areas needing more tension or emotional depth

Most importantly, Marlowe surfaced issues that human editors might miss—or that authors may be too close to the story to spot themselves.

"It doesn't always come up with the right recommendations and we don't want AI to be writing our next book."

J.D. Lasica, on AI's limitations.

AI Tools the Pros Are Using

Alessandra and JD also shared their go-to AI tools that complement Marlowe, including:

ChatGPT for brainstorming and research
Otter for transcription
Eleven Labs and Freepik for creative assets
Claude and Ideogram for writing support and visuals

These tools form a strong ecosystem for authors who want to optimize their workflow without losing creativity.

Special Offer for BNB Listeners

Listeners can try Marlowe with 25% off any report or subscription.
Use code BRAVE25 at checkout.

Key Takeaways

Marlowe provides developmental-editor level feedback using data and AI.
The tool offers objective, bias-free analysis that helps authors improve faster.
AI tools can dramatically shorten the writing and editing process.
Benchmarking against bestsellers gives authors an advantage in understanding their genre expectations.

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

Want more insights on the evolving role of AI in publishing? Listen to this episode of Brave New Bookshelf on your favorite podcast platform.