Something is happening that is hurting authors big time, and the problem is, well, authors mostly. Some readers, but really it is the equivalent of co-workers turning on each other. And it's already gotten pretty damn ugly. Publishers are afraid. Some authors are afraid. Other authors are angry. Readers are trying to figure it out. The new era of publishing is emerging, and we have no idea what that landscape will look like. I have opinions - oh, yes, of course I do, but the primary one is this: Perfectionism has always been the enemy of creativity, especially at the drafting stage. Trying to get your first draft (which is supposed to be &@#$ anyway) to a level of perfection before writing "the end" is one of the number one reasons novels remain unfinished. Now, we have another factor. Authors are trying to ensure that nothing in their draft "sounds like" they used AI. There's nothing that will kill your creativity faster than fear. A good editor can help you, in the revision and editing process, ensure that your manuscript sounds like you, not AI. But even the classics have been flagged by AI checkers as AI - because AI detectors are horrible at what they do. What's the solution? Refuse to worry about it, especially in the early stages of your draft, unless you are actively using AI and trying to scrub that voice from your fiction. In that case, I would have different advice for you. And one more thing. It's none of your business if another writer chooses to use AI as an assistant or not. The only requirement is that a story be good, regardless of how it gets there. Now, purely AI generated slop with no human input? That's a different story. But stop with the accusation of "that author used AI in their process. They aren't a real writer." STOP. It is so easy for someone to point the finger at you or anyone else. Use the right tool, and it will tell you we have been using AI since 1910. STOP. Don't want to be a target yourself? Never, ever, label or accuse another writer. If they want to acknowledge they use AI, let them control their own narrative.

So over on Substack (you find and follow me without a link), I've been talking about author voice. Here's a question I want you to consider. If someone ran the last five pages you wrote through an AI detector, what would it say? Not because AI detectors are reliable. They're not. But because the question reveals something important. If your answer is "I'd be nervous about that" — why? What is it about your prose that might read as machine-generated? Is it the sentence variety? The absence of specific personal detail? The way your dialogue sounds like everyone and no one? The way every metaphor is just competent enough? If your answer is "I'd be fine" — what makes you confident? Can you actually articulate what makes your prose distinctly yours? Do your sentences have a rhythm? Does your imagery follow a logic that belongs to your particular imagination? Do your characters carry a worldview that only you could have given them? I'm not asking to scare you. I'm asking because voice is the only thing that AI cannot replicate from scratch. It can imitate and produce statistically likely prose. But it cannot be you, because being you requires living your specific weird irreplaceable life and then having the courage to let it bleed onto the page. So: what bleeds onto your pages?

AI is changing publishing fast, and we want to know how YOU actually feel about it. Troy and I have launched an Author AI Sentiment Survey specifically for authors, writers, and creatives so we can gather real community insight about AI’s impact on publishing, creativity, careers, audiobook narration, cover design, and the future of storytelling. This is NOT a pro-AI or anti-AI campaign. We genuinely want honest responses from: Authors who love AI Authors who hate AI Authors who feel conflicted or uncertain Authors still figuring it out Our goal is to collect meaningful data from the writing community and contribute to larger industry conversations with actual author perspectives instead of assumptions. 📝 TAKE THE SURVEY HERE: https://printtopro.com/author-a-i-sentiment-survey/ A few important notes:• Please share this with AUTHORS and creatives• We’re aiming for at least 1,000 responses• The survey will only be open for a limited time because AI sentiment is evolving rapidly• If requested, we may later create a separate reader-focused survey We truly appreciate your help with this project. The more responses we gather, the more accurate and useful the data becomes for everyone in the publishing space. — Stacey & TroyPrint to Pro