How Writers Can Successfully Co-Exist With AI

If you’ve been to any publishing conferences, writers group meetings, or down the rabbit hole of any creative blogs or social media groups, you know there’s, a big, giant, scary elephant in every single room right now.

AI. Artificial Intelligence. The biggest threat to creativity since… well, the beginning of time. At least that’s how it’s being talked about.

We think there is a better way. We really, really do.

Does AI pose some significant threats to the business of writing? Absolutely.

From AI-generated content being dumped on Amazon daily to replacing the need for book-length products, AI is without a doubt changing the way we consume knowledge.

We get it, okay? This is a big deal.

Career authors who have historically been the “owners” of a certain storyline, process, or brand, are suddenly finding that AI can regurgitate in seconds what they have been building for years. Artists of all kinds are threatened by AI.

And of course, there’s the already miniscule margins that publishers and authors are dealing with when it comes to book sales.

The simpler AI makes production and sales, the less the author and publisher sees on the back end.

The doom and gloom is everywhere.

First off, we need to stop with the wishful thinking that AI will just “go away”.

It’s not going anywhere. You know it and we know it.

So let’s just stop with the “I’ll only publish with partners who refuse to use AI for any reason” or “we need to band together as authors and put a stop to this” talk. It’s not happening.

Instead, let’s focus on how we as creatives can co-exist with AI in a way that keeps us sane, productive, and most importantly, hopeful about the future of our creativity.

Here are 3 suggestions for authors on how to successfully co-exist with AI:

1) Use it.

Notice we didn’t say “use it to write your next book”, or “use it to get ideas for your next creative project”. We said use it– for anything.

Use it to meal plan for the week, use it to write an email to your boss, use it to get ideas for your next vacation itinerary.

Wrap your head around how useful it is, and what it’s capable of.

We think you’ll notice that while it’s incredibly powerful and time-saving, it’s not fool-proof, and is only as powerful as the information you give it.

In other words, relax.

Your book idea is far more nuanced, creative, and engaging than anything AI is spitting out. At least for now.

2) Look for it.

People talk about how incredible AI is, how AI generated content is indecipherable from human generated, how this is the ruination of society as we know it.

Yes, we know that many people aren’t using basic critical thinking skills when looking at social media posts nowadays, but there are plenty of us that can identify a flowery, insincere, AI-generated email or social media post when we see it.

When this happens, take a deep breath and remind yourself that authenticity always wins. Always.

3) Accept it.

Again, we’re not saying that you should “accept” that AI is taking over books as we know it.

But when AI can help you, accept the help.

Here are 5 ways smart authors are using AI to save time and money:

Discovering high-performing keywords and phrases for targeted Amazon advertising campaigns
Researching and identifying influential book promoters across social media platforms
Compiling comprehensive lists of publishing conferences, book fairs, and industry events worldwide
Crafting structured, professional marketing materials from press releases to one-page sell sheets
Generating fresh content marketing angles you might have overlooked in your promotion strategy

Each of these applications allows you to focus on what matters most—your creative writing—while AI handles the time-consuming research and organizational tasks.

Again, we are not saying that AI should be used in the writing of your book.

We firmly believe that your book should be your unique and serious intellectual property. Just because AI can help you in writing it doesn’t mean it should.

The truth is that if you are a writer and you don’t love or at least get fulfillment from actually writing… well, maybe you have bigger existential questions to answer than the threat of AI.

We can probably all relate to this sentiment: