Another debate has erupted on Book Twitter about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the publishing industry. The spark for this discussion was an article from The Bookseller highlighting a new publishing startup called Spines. This company says it aims to disrupt the industry by publishing eight thousand books by 2025, primarily using AI technology.
Ha.
Spines: The AI Publisher
Spines, founded in 2021, is a technology startup that claims to streamline the publishing process through AI. The company offers services that include proofreading, producing, publishing, and distributing books—all for a fee that can reach up to five thousand dollars per book. This rapid turnaround promises to take just three weeks from manuscript to published title.
The Cost of AI Publishing
Color me cynical, because the financial implications of Spines' model are significant.
For aspiring authors, paying five thousand dollars to publish a book is a lot, especially when quality human editors can be hired for under two thousand dollars. And a human editor can provide more than editing--they can teach writers in ways AI cannot. My first editor massively leveled-up my writing chops. I felt like I'd gone through a college writing course by the time she was done.
Plus, you can hire a human cover designer for under $150. Authors can upload their books directly to Amazon, etc. for free. Marketing can get spendy and time consuming, but trad publishers are terrible at marketing, so that's on most author's shoulders in any case. Bottom line: five grand seems crazy to publish a book.
The Quality Debate
Critics of AI publishing like myself argue that AI-generated content lacks originality--because it's CONTENT. There's no soul, no art, no risk.
AI is fundamentally a copyist, producing text that's just average, rather than exceptional or unique. And let's face it -- there's a lot of "just average" on the book market already.
(And no, I'm no Tolstoy, but I like to think I'm producing something more than "content.")
AI as a Tool: A Double-Edged Sword
That said, I have experimented with AI for tasks like research, generating ideas, or as a thesaurus. This blog post was partially generated by an AI that took the above video and converted it to text. It even picked out the stock photos for this blog and inserted the original video at the top.
But I worry that relying too heavily on AI will make my stories... boring. With the rise of corporatization, books, movies, and music are already starting to look and sound the same. AI threatens to accelerate this trend.
Remember the '80s? When popular music included bands like Oingo Boingo, the B-52s, Guns and Roses, and the Stray Cats, all rubbing shoulders on the same radio station? The accountants wouldn't allow such innovative music today. AI just makes things worse. It feels like we're devolving toward the mediocre.
Self-Publishing vs. Vanity Publishing
But back to Spines. The company promotes itself as a self-publishing platform, but it looks a lot like a vanity publisher. Vanity publishers charge authors to publish their books without guaranteeing any sales. This model can be exploitive, especially if an author invests $5k without seeing a return.
Market Impact and Author Earnings
The publishing industry has already seen a decline in average author earnings. With the rise of AI publishing, many fear author earnings will continue to plummet as the market becomes saturated with low-quality, AI-generated content.
Personally, I think authors who dare to write with originality and individuality will survive. But that could be wishful thinking on my part.
Historical Context: The decline in author earnings reflects broader industry trends and changing consumer behavior.
Market Saturation: More books could mean less visibility for quality works. But as I mentioned above, I think originality will still stand out--perhaps more so as the wider market looks more and more the same.
Value of Traditional Publishing: Many authors still see value in traditional publishing routes, but frankly, most authors don't get much marketing support. The main benefits I see to "trad pub" are the editing and the ability to get you into bookstores more easily. But even those benefits are being eroded. Most of my books today are published through an author's cooperative, misterio press, for this reason.
Ethical Considerations
Another issue is the ethical implications of using AI in publishing. (Yes, there are still some people who care about ethics).
Recently, it was reported that publishers like HarperCollins have sought permission from authors to license their works for training AI models. This raises questions about authors' rights and the potential misuse of their intellectual property.
I had the first three books in my Paranormal Museum series used for AI training without my knowledge or permission. I'm still feeling salty about that.
AI's Role in Traditional Publishing
Despite the concerns surrounding AI, some argue that it can serve as a helpful tool for indie and traditional publishers. AI could streamline certain processes, such as populating metadata or aiding in market research. But will the reliance on AI come at the expense of human creativity and quality control?
The Future of Publishing
The debate surrounding AI in publishing is just beginning, and its implications could reshape the industry in profound ways. While some view AI as a threat to traditional and indie publishing, others see it as an opportunity to innovate and streamline processes. They believe the key will be finding a balance that maintains quality while embracing the efficiencies that technology can offer.
Conclusion: The Path Forward
How much AI is too much AI?
I've been included in a class action lawsuit against the company that used my books to help train their AI, and I'm all-in. It's scary how AI can recreate the voices of my characters--because my characters were part of their training! Will people think my original work is AI because my original work was used to train AI?
But...
A couple years ago, I wrote an audio drama for my Paranormal Museum series. I'd given up any hope of ever producing it--until I discovered an AI that could do it for me, complete with sound affects and actor voices. (And I just used Grok to tell me what the term for this kind of fictionalized podcast would be). Would I be a giant (and unethical) hypocrite for using it?
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