Authors, do not be AI-fraid

It's been a tough week for authors in this new AI world, but we must keep our heads

If you’re actively writing, chances are you’ve had your attention caught by some of the big AI stories recently. I would very much like NOT to talk about AI here, to sweep the covers over my head in that regard and continue writing only about mindset and craft and industry tidbits. However, if I do that, I can’t truly represent what it is to be an author right now - because AI is impacting all of our careers and wellbeing whether we like it or not.

Substack’s decision to partner with Pangram and bring AI detection to the posts here has been getting a lot of pushback this week. I agree that it’s disconcerting to feel policed in this way. However, when you post something, you do get the chance to let Pangram ‘read’ it first, so you can’t really get caught out. And you can switch the program off if you want to – although of course that can be read as a statement all of its own.

And then, at the end of last week, there was the revelation that a huge contract for a debut author had imploded because the author’s agents had determined the book, called Call Me, I’ll Hide the Body, was partially built by AI. The details are so muddled right now that it’s impossible to judge what’s actually happened, but the author, Jerry Falade, denies writing the book with AI. To back up Falade’s case, there are plenty of reports of Pangram mis-detecting original work as AI-authored. This is very scary for all working authors, who fear being caught in an AI witch-hunt and forever labelled as writer-cheats.

The more you read about this case, the more complexities surface. According to an article in Futurism, the publisher’s problem isn’t AI itself but questions around copyright, a throwaway statement deserving of a much deeper dive. Meanwhile, Falade has also spoken out about the fact that three Black authors have suffered major deal cancellations this year for purportedly using AI, suggesting that this is reflective of racial bias in publishing. As quoted in The Guardian:

Three Black authors received major publishing deals this year, and all three later had deals cancelled or disrupted following suspicions about AI. There seems to be a troubling assumption that when a Black writer produces work that attracts significant attention, the work could not possibly be their own. Meanwhile, there are popular white writers who have publicly mentioned using AI for their writing processes and they’re still doing fine.

The situation has also raised questions around the state of publishing more generally, such as this one from Sarah Fay:

As a result, I’ve been left thinking a few things:

1) There’s an essential values clash around AI that will never go away, because AI was built primarily for profit and speed, not to enhance our human capacity for creativity. It’s the technological wild west out there, with enviro-destroying data centres in the planning everywhere to ‘keep up’ with demand. AI is revolutionising some workloads at the same time as it destroys job opportunities for others, and many people have decided to cash in now and deal with the impact and repercussions later. No one can yet be sure how this is going to pan out, but many of us feel in our bones that there is much trouble ahead.

2) All these issues around AI are bigger than any individual author, but no one is yet drawing any clear lines for us. There’s no leadership or consensus, because the tech is really too new for that and, as with many things nowadays it’s moving so fast that leaders are constantly playing catch-up. Considering the level of impact it has on our industry, it’s disconcerting to be relying on commentary in substacks and newspapers because of a dearth of direct updates and consensus from sources such as agents, publishers, or groups that represent authors. And this lack of clarity is forcing everyone to decide and announce their own boundaries – leading to lines drawn all over the place. Publishers in particular are behaving in confusing and contradictory ways, from suing Big Tech to capitalising on opportunities and windfalls, with many publishers trying to do some level of both at the same time.

The weight of all this shouldn’t be loaded onto authors. We need more decisions to happen upstream, at governance and industry-leadership level, with clear oversight as to how this tech should be used, and the ramifications for over-reliance on it.

3) To ensure we can prove that all our creative work happens independently of AI, authors now need to take regular backups so we can explain our working process if any accusations were to be levelled at us. I usually edit some of my work by hand and keep these notes in one of those cardboard boxes that reams of printer paper comes in. I’ve always felt like a bit of a hoarder for this – but now it will be a vital part of my process. Likewise, I’ll be backing up my work by emailing myself copies every day.

4) The best thing we can do – as always – is to stay focused on the work. All of this is a depressing distraction, but we can’t let these worries take over and dominate our days or we’ve already lost. I suspect that in the longer term, elements of AI will prove really useful in helping authors strategise about their business and outreach - because a lot of us are very stretched with all the marketing and outreach work required alongside the writing. Perhaps (and I say this uncertainly) there might even be acceptable ways to use AI as a creative sounding board. However, I hope there can be a consensus around limits, for the sake of humanity’s creative health. To outsource the deepest parts of our creativity means jumping on a very slippery slide with no idea where we’ll land.

We have always done this work because we love it and believe in the value of it, even when it’s a struggle. So let’s hold that thought closest of all, and do all we can to protect our creativity fiercely, like our lives and our livelihoods depend on it.

Keep calm and carry on writing, my friends. Do not be AI-fraid.

1.

The Anthropic settlement has been given final approval in the US courts, but I don’t feel too much like high-fiving on this one. Anyway, this means authors will be getting their share of the settlement soon.

2.

In another horrid sign of the times, as featured on The Rest is Entertainment podcast, UK magazine Take A Break have replaced their short story writers with AI generated stories

3.

An important read from Jane Friedman as the Association of American Literary Agents changes their membership requirements (Agent Business Models May Be Shifting: What I Fear Will Happen on Jane Friedman’s website)

I believe most agents work in good faith and protect the interests of their clients, and I imagine little will change in the business practices of well-regarded, established agencies. But starting September 1, when the new AALA Canon of Ethics goes into effect, authors must be more diligent and sharp in evaluating who they partner with.

4.

In Australia, there’s a great initiative happening for Australian booksellers, as described in the Sydney Morning Herald:

In response to the tough conditions faced by bookshops (perhaps all retail), the ABA this week called on the Albanese government to introduce a Bookshop Vitality Tax Offset “to help sustain Australia’s bookshops and protect the nation’s reading culture, literary ecosystem and community life”. (You may have missed this with much attention being paid to the prime minister’s speech about AI and his backing for creative copyright.)

The offset would “provide targeted tax support for eligible Australian bookshops facing mounting cost pressures and increasing competition from online retailers and discount department stores”.

It has taken inspiration from the offsets in place for film production and other schemes overseas and proposed “refundable tax offsets for bookshops with annual sales below $10 million, and non-refundable tax offsets for bookshops with annual sales between $10 million and $40 million”.

The policy framework proposes: a) funding from both federal and state governments to support bookshop events for Australian authors and community and cultural events; b) the tax offset scheme for sales of Australian authored books from Australian publishers, with a view to improve margins, competitiveness and community investment; c) rates relief programs, particularly in regional areas where bookshops serve as essential cultural infrastructure; d) support to strengthen the Australian book supply chain by refreshing legacy systems, and e) $165,000 from the federal government for skills training and certification program development and delivery.

Read more in Publishing Perspectives here. And also some more buoyant news as the Australian Government commits to copyright: read about the next steps from the Australian Society of Authors.

5.

I can always rely on Matt Haig to lift my spirits, and I loved this news, reported in The Guardian, that he’s planning to open a bookshop in Brighton, UK:

“We won’t be pushing things we don’t want to push,” he said. “Just good books. Curated by me and people I trust. Mind-bending books. Tearful books. Banned books. Fun books. Graphic novels. Kids’ books. Grown-up books. Really cool music and art books. Books with words. Books that have no words but are really gorgeous to flick through. Books that are actually vinyl records. The best dead and living writers.”

There will be “the occasional evening event”, he added. “No stuffy vibes. No genre snobbery. No high/low book classism.” Dogs will also be welcome at the shop.”

I only wish I lived close enough to be a regular!

And here’s a few more links for you:

• A Book’s Best Bits: Metaphors (Annabel Smith, Thinks I’m Thinkin’)

• Five experts give some tips around getting published (The Conversation)

• Dua Lipa’s Freedom-to-Read Crusade: The pop star’s latest literary cause is good PR—and a complicated topic (The Atlantic, paywalled)

• The long list for the Booker Prize is out.

• Are cinematic audiobooks better storytellers? (Bookstr)

• The rise of the ‘hot literati’: how reading became sexy. Celebrities are hosting literary clubs and designers are launching products emblazoned with the classics – but does reading’s trendy turn have a darker side? (The Guardian)

I’m digging deep into my novel at the moment, and then heading overseas, so there will be one more post next week and then Resilient Author will be going into hibernation for a little while. Paid subscriptions will be paused until I’m back towards the end of September.

However, I’m not completely hiding: if you’re keen to come to an event this month then I’ll be talking part in Stories from the West at the State Library on Saturday 8th August - which is an all-day event, with my panel - Place Steals the Scene: Locations with main character energy (with Rosanne Dingli, Elizabeth Green, Tasma Walton and David Whish-Wilson) - at 3.15 pm. And I’m truly delighted to be helping to launch Tess Woods’s wonderful book The Cairo Bridal Shop on 31st August at Subiaco Library. Tickets here.

Until next time, my friends. Have a great week and I hope the words are flowing.

MY AI REPORT: Nothing in this post was generated by AI.

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