A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Looking Ahead to the Approaching Days of AI Book Generation and the Changes It Portends for Publishers, Authors, and the Book INdustry

 

It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. 

This week, we discuss a recent statement made by a company, called Spines. They state that they intend to publish 8000 books in 2025, using AI for fast book generation. Quality aside (it is very likely not going to be there), these books will flood the market, making it harder for readers to find quality books. If more companies do the same, it could be quite damaging to the publishing industry -- and these companies will only survive, it would seem, due to the excessive quantity they are putting into the market (and, given the amount, they might even thrive). Here is the damage that could be done:

Market Saturation: With such a high volume of books, the market could become saturated, making it harder for individual titles to stand out and gain attention from readers and reviewers.

Quality Concerns: Producing a large number of books in a short time frame might lead to concerns about the quality and thoroughness of editing, proofreading, and overall content.

Impact on Traditional Publishers: Traditional publishers, which typically release fewer titles annually, might struggle to compete with the speed and volume of the new publisher. This could lead to financial strain and potential job losses within the industry. One side effect might be a ramped up movement to produce ebooks first or only, thus avoiding the cost and loss of print books. (Even some large publishers are moving to start with ebooks rather than print books for a new author.) For series that will for sure come out on time (multiple books on the same topic by an author), publishers might turn to a subscription model, but most books do not lend themselves to this.

Impact on Authors: Authors already struggle in gaining visibility for their books in a saturated market; this will make it just that much harder -- and more expensive. They may need to turn to crowdsourcing for funding production and/or promotion and engaging the community more actively prior to the release of the book.

Bottom line: This change is coming. How shall authors and publishers prepare -- and compete? That is something to think about as we enter the new year.

See more Publisher Conversations with Authors HERE.

The Tuesday talks reflect real discussions between the management of MSI Press LLC and our own authors or those would-be authors who come through our doors but don't make the cut--yet. If you have a topic that you would like addressed, leave the question in the comment section. Chances are, in our 18 years of publishing first-time and experiences authors, we have had a conversation with one of our authors that we can share with you.

                             

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Julia Aziz, signing her book, Lessons of Labor, at an event at Book People in Austin, Texas.

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Steven Greenebaum, author of award-winning books, An Afternoon's Discussion and One Family: Indivisible, talking to a reader at Barnes & Noble in Gilroy, California.

   

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