AI is everywhere. Doctors use it to find hidden cancers, car mechanics troubleshoot with it, and airports use it to confirm passengers’ identities after an international flight. But should authors use AI when creating a book? In a word, no.
Keep reading to find out why using AI platforms, such as ChatGPT or Claude, is a bad idea for authors.
Logistical Reasons Authors Should Avoid AI
There are a number of logical reasons authors should not use AI. Here are a few of them.
1. AI Doesn’t Belong to You
When creating a book, you want it to be yours forever. Unfortunately, you can’t copyright anything created with AI. That includes words and images.
So, if someone decides to copy and paste your AI-generated book into their own book and sell it, they can, and there’s nothing you can do about it.
That said, if you only want to publish a book to make money, there’s a better route. Instead of using AI, find a public domain book you love. Then republish that book. Find a cover artist to make a great cover, market your book well, and you may sell lots of copies.
2. Agents and Publishing Houses Are Leery
While every publisher and literary agent is different, many don’t want to touch authors who submit AI-generated content.
At Argyle Fox Publishing, we don’t accept manuscripts written with the assistance of AI. We also don’t allow artists to use AI to create art for our books.
Our stance on AI in publishing is that it can help with spellcheck, but that’s about it.
3. Printing and Distribution Problems
Even if you decide to self-publish all on your own, you may run into issues if you use AI to write or illustrate your book. Why?
When you upload your manuscript to Amazon’s KDP or IngramSpark, you have to state if you used AI in the creation of your book. Our research indicates that the following may happen when you state that you used AI in some way:
- Your book’s online listing may include a disclaimer that you used AI in your book creation.
- Books written with AI may not get the typical distribution enjoyed by other books.
And don’t try to dance around this by lying. If your printing and distribution company finds out, your book will get pulled immediately. Additionally, your account will get reviewed and possibly terminated.
A Human Reason Authors Shouldn’t Use AI
Humans are storytelling creatures that live and die by the stories we tell and hear. While stories can be fact or fiction, we read for authentic human connection and understanding. Authors who use AI cut themselves off from such authenticity.
At its core, AI is the opposite of authentic. The name of the technology alone—artificial intelligence—makes that clear. Sure, AI is a great tool for adding numbers together or detecting potential problem spots in your liver, but it can’t explain the human condition. At least not in a real way. Why? Because it’s a computer program, and no computer program has never held someone’s hand or felt fear when standing near a cliff. You have. Use that to your advantage. Hold fast to your humanity by writing your story in your own words.
If you can’t write a story, that’s okay. You have options. One of the most popular options is to turn to a ghostwriter, such as The Southern Ghostwriter. In fact, many people who asked AI to write their books are turning to ghostwriters to rewrite their manuscripts. Editing also helps your human story shine. At Argyle Fox Publishing, we edit all our authors’ books to make every one as strong as possible, so readers can better see the passion and purpose of your very human writing.
Ready to publish your story? Take the first step today. Submit your manuscript for consideration.