Navigating AI in the Publishing World

How to navigate a rapidly changing publishing world as a writer

Maybe you saw the recent publishing controversy that’s been sweeping social media lately. The horror novel Shy Girl by Mia Ballard was recently pulled from bookshelves by its publisher after accusations of AI use put the author’s integrity into question. Speculation immediately swirled as the debate about use of AI continues. On the one hand, you have readers and authors grateful and even relieved that the publisher maintained credibility and dedication to books written by humans.

But on the other hand, Ballard has claimed no AI was used. As she is a woman of color, many people are rightfully pointing out that other authors have blatantly used AI with no repercussions to damage their sales or reputation, equating this to a modern day publishing “witch hunt.”

As for me? I just spiraled into a pit of anxiety and fear.

Fear #1 – The Age of Humans Writing Books is OVER

Not gonna lie, this was my first gut reaction. How long will it be before publishers push aside writers and simply outsource book writing to a robot. It’s cheaper. It’s faster. And apparently, no one can tell the difference. Or worse, no one cares, this just want a fun book to read.

When you say it like that, the future feels bleak, doesn’t it? How on earth can we writers compete with that kind of outlook? And those writers who are using AI to write their novels can crank them out at a rapid pace–much fast than I can.

Fear #2 – EVERYTHING IS AI

The other fear that plagues me is the reality that one accusation could derail everything I’ve been working toward for the past 20 years. I have no idea if Ballard’s claim that she didn’t use AI is true or not, but I will say, where it her leg to stand on? If anyone can make an accusation about a writer, who’s to say that it can’t happen to me? Or another writer?

Especially when you hear stories of people using classic literature with these “AI detectors” and it comes back as WRITTEN BY AI. (Man, that Jane Austen was way ahead of her time, huh? And Emily Dickenson with all her em dashes? Dead giveaway.)

But it leaves me with this sense of foreboding dread that I don’t have any protection against a potential accusation that apparently can’t be substantiated.

Where do we go from here?

It all sounds and feels hopeless, doesn’t it? AI isn’t going anywhere, so we may as well except our fate. That we may as well give up now and turn our souls over to AI and just become the batteries we’re meant to be.

Except for one teeny, tiny problem: I refuse.

I can’t control how people will view or receive my writing. I can’t predict what publishing will do in the next twenty years. I can’t decide how other people will use AI and how that will affect me and my writing going forward. But I don’t have to.

Decision #1 – I will continue to create and write because that’s what humans do.

Humans have been telling stories since the dawn of time, and we will continue for as along as we are on this earth. AI doesn’t change who we are or how we interact with one another. It doesn’t get to control what I create who I share it with. It cannot generate anything original or unique or connect with a reader on a personal or emotional level. Humans are flawed. And that’s what makes us beautiful storytellers.

Regardless of what the publishing landscape looks like, I had made a decision a long time ago that I was going to write and share my stories. It didn’t matter what it looked like. Agent or no agent. Publishing deal or no deal. Those things are amazing, and I’m so grateful to have them, but that isn’t what makes me a writer.

Writing does. And AI can’t stop that.

Decision #2 – Regardless of what others may do, I will continue to be the writer of my stories.

That means that my writing will not be perfect. My plotting and character development will not always be amazing. I’ll have first drafts with typos and plot holes and characters that disappear halfway through. I’ll have crutch words that I’ll have to edit out. Maybe it’ll even mean that I’ll lose readers. I don’t think it will, but who knows.

But it will be mine. It will be authentically me. It will be stamped with the raw, explosive emotions that make us the beautiful messes we are. And it will be a step toward preserving the things that make us human.

How I plan to use AI

Now, this doesn’t mean I’ll never touch Gemini or ChatGPT. I’ve found them to be useful tools. I’ve created meal plans, workout plans, schedules and numerous things for school using this tool. So it’s not like I never use it.

But for writing, here are the ways I believe are ethical uses of AI:

Research – especially doing all the Google search leg work for you. Pulling the articles or blogs up instead of wading through endless pages myself. (Always double check the validity of the links, just to be sure.)
Language – If I need a word translated into another language, I’ve used AI overview for the translation. That being said, you should still have it fact check by an actual speaker of that language.
Productivity and Time Management – Writing schedules, word count goals, due dates, etc. can be mapped out and structured for you, instead of have to do the math yourself.
Reverse dictionary or Thesaurus – If I’m looking for a particular word that I can’t think of, I’ll use it almost like a reverse dictionary.

Unethical uses of AI (in my opinion):

To draft or write out scenes or storylines
Generate plot ideas
Generate world building
Generate characters, character development, or dialogue (the one exception *maybe* being a character name?)
To edit or revise a story

Continue the Conversation

I know the conversation around this topic is big and messy. And I’m not even saying I have the right ideas around how to use AI. But if, like me, you’ve been panicking about the future for writers, I hope you find a little piece and encouragement to keep moving forward in your writing, without fear of AI.

We’re humans. We know how to continue surviving.

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