Gutenberg watch out! Take your stuffy printing press and step aside. There’s a new revolutionary technology sweeping across the publishing industry. And we’re not talking about the electric pencil sharpener (although those are pretty cool). 

We’re talking about artificial intelligence (AI), robot writers, generative AI (think ChatGPT).

We’re living in the era where science fiction books are becoming more like movie documentaries. (Maybe we’re mixing mediums there, but you get it.) The advent of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and others are transforming the way authors work and make money. AI is being used in a ton of awesome ways to save writers time, hone their craft, come up with interesting new ideas and make the overall writing process easier. 

Let’s check out five ways artificial intelligence is reshaping the publishing world so you can learn how to stay ahead of the curve.

What Is Artificial Intelligence?

Before we dig into how artificial intelligence is being used by authors, let’s do a quick overview of the most cutting edge tools out there.

AI has really put its big-boy pants on in recent years. Which, depending on how you feel about the rise of AI, this can either be really cool—or totally freak you out. If you’re in the latter group, keep an open mind. AI is already having a massive impact on the writing world.

The most popular program now is OpenAI’s ChatGPT. If you haven’t heard of ChatGPT, you probably need to take your earbuds out of your ears more often. It’s currently in version 4.0, with both a free and paid version available.

Millions of people around the world are tapping into ChatGPT’s power. In fact, some sources estimate that, in 2023, over 100 million people are using ChatGPT. This makes it the fastest growing software application of all-time. Woah.

And ChatGPT is just one of the many AI tools out there. Other tech companies like Meta and Google are working to develop their own AI software. Elon Musk is even throwing his hat into the ring.

How Does AI Work?

ChatGPT is based around a branch of AI called Natural Language Processing (NLP). But before you get too skittish about AI taking over mankind with its unlimited power, keep in mind that it’s not thinking on its own or coming up with stuff out of thin air. Remember, despite the hype, these AI models are still machines that need human input…for now (cue evil robot laugh).

You plug in a prompt—like “Explain quantum computing in simple terms”—and the model searches its web of knowledge and spits out an answer. It pulls from neural networks, massive amounts of data, information sources across the Internet, deep learning and statistics.

ChatGPT’s answers can be super helpful, funny, creative or sometimes not that useful. You can even have a conversation with ChatGPT and it will answer back. Fun stuff. One of the keys lies in making sure your prompts are specific enough to give you valuable information.

How AI Is Transforming Publishing

Publishers and writers are finding a ton of new and exciting ways to leverage these AI tools to help them with their work.

Since there are so many ways to make money online on publishing platforms like Amazon, it pays to use the most cutting edge writing tools.

Here are just five of the ways AI in publishing is being used.

1) Editing and Proofreading

Think about it. Your very own, personal, and free, AI “Editor-in-chief.” How cool is that? Someone (or something) to look over that first draft, automatically fix typos, inaccuracies, grammar issues, and suggest new wording. Writers are now using AI editing tools to polish their work and get it out the door faster.

2) Developing story, characters and fictional worlds

If you’re an author who makes their living by using self-publishing tools like Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing, AI can help you develop the plot or characters of your next bestselling novel.

Or maybe you’re building a fictional world and need some help coming up with names for your new planets. (By the way, here’s what it came up with: Zephyria, Eurydion, Aquilonia, Pyralia and Galaxia Prime. Could be better, but not bad.)

3) Researching

Maybe one of the best ways AI is being used today by writers is in research and fact-checking. Tools like ChatGPT have access to huge amounts of information and can quickly scan the web to help fill in your own knowledge gaps.

So if you’re writing a piece about modern Turkey, you don’t have to text your friend who spent the summer there in college and ask them questions about it. Plus, they probably barely remember much of it, anyway.

Instead, send AI on a wild goose chase hunting down random Turkish facts and tidbits for your writing project. Some authors are reporting that AI tools cut in half the time it takes them to do their work. Those are some pretty good gains! AI is also great at putting together outlines on subjects. This can save you a ton of time figuring out what order to put things in.

‍4) Smashing through writer’s block‍

Sick of staring at the blank page waiting for inspiration to strike? Do you have a deadline and the dang thing isn’t writing itself? Brain fog got you down?

Playing around with AI tools like ChatGPT even for just 15 minutes can do wonders to break through writer’s block. Put in a few funny or ridiculous prompts—make it as off the wall as possible—and watch its magic work. Then add some of your own ideas on top of what the AI comes up with and you’ll be well on your way to getting back to your writing work.

AI is also great for coming up with lists (like the planets mentioned earlier). You can use AI to generate ideas for your writing projects. Maybe you’re trying to find the best title for your essay. Ask ChatGPT or other programs to give you five title options.

Or ask it for a list of names if you’re stuck trying to figure out what to call the protagonist in your mystery novel. Or maybe a list of cities in Europe that you want your character to backpack through on their epic journey of self-discovery.

One writer used it to come up with a list of business names for a bakery. And the results were really good!

‍5) Managing Social Media

Publishers of all sizes are also leveraging AI tools to manage their social media game. Once the work is published, the word has to get out through marketing and social campaigns.

Think of the power of these tools. As a self-published author, you no longer have to hire an expensive social media team to manage your brand and marketing. AI tools can save you a ton of time by automating the mundane parts of social media management.

AI can also reverse engineer some of the social media companies’ complex and secret algorithms to get your posts seen by more people. Some sources report that AI is already generating 6% of all traffic in the publishing world.

AI can look at your content and pick the elements that will perform the best, including which format to use (videos, images or text) and even come up with the best time of day to post for each channel. Some publishers are also using chatbots to better communicate with their readers.

All of this means you’ll have more time to engage with your fans, work on your next project, or just sit on a beach drinking your beverage of choice (we don’t judge).

Don’t Get Left Behind

There’s no question about it. AI is disrupting the writing profession and publishing industry in big ways. And for the better!

Yes, some writing jobs will probably be replaced by AI. And other writing roles will be changed. But some new writing jobs that involve AI will open up that haven’t even been considered yet.

So while AI won’t be totally replacing human authors anytime soon, authors who leverage AI tools will soon be replacing authors not using them. Human beings will always be able to beat AI when it comes to bringing emotion and depth to the writing craft. But wouldn’t you rather enhance your writing process with AI tools instead of swimming against the current?

Don’t wait until ChatGPT version 75 comes out. Start learning how to use these tools now to transform your writing career and tap into the power of artificial intelligence. It could be the edge you’re looking for. Your writing superpower!

Effectively harnessing AI tools will save you time, help you hone your craft, give you the opportunity to focus away from some of the mundane tasks involved in the writing process and make you more money.