Welcome back, my pretties!

Confession time: I’ve been cheating on my thesaurus. Yes, I’ve been sneaking off for a little late-night fling with an AI tool. Scandalous, I know. Before you cast me out of the indie author coven, let me reassure you—I haven’t replaced my trusty brain with a bot. I’ve just … experimented. And I’m willing to bet a good number of you have, too.

Whether we like it or not, AI is the noisy new neighbor in our indie publishing village. It’s knocking on doors, peeking through windows, and making everyone mutter under their breath about what it all means for our books, our businesses, and our sanity. Some are embracing it as the fairy godmother of productivity. Others are glaring at it like the frenemy who borrows your best dress and “forgets” to give it back.

So let’s talk honestly about AI in the writing room: the panic, the possibilities, and the practical ways we can use it without losing our souls. Whilst this magazine remains agnostic about the use of AI in the indie author world, I believe it’s always good to engage in healthy debate whatever the topic, especially when it’s an area that ignites such heated conversations. This article reflects where I am on the subject at this moment in time. My stance may change in the future.

The Panic: Robots Stealing Our Quills

You’ve probably seen the headlines and the TikToks: best-selling authors posting videos of handwritten edits with captions like, “No robots were harmed in the making of this draft.” There are even books being sold with shiny stickers declaring it was “Human Written” (as if that weren’t the default for, oh, all of history).

The panic is real. Authors are terrified AI will flood the market with generic copycat books, undermine reader trust in what’s authentic, and devalue the blood, sweat, and tears we pour into our stories.

I’ll admit, the first time I asked an AI tool to “write a Cozy Mystery scene with a talking Pomeranian,” my heart sank. In ten seconds, it spat out a perfectly serviceable, if soulless, scene. I thought, If a bot can do this, what am I even for? But then I read it again. The dialogue was flat. The humor was strained. And the “adorable” Pomeranian was weirdly obsessed with tax law. Seriously, what algorithm thinks readers want a canine lecture on capital gains? That’s when it hit me: AI can mimic voice, but it can’t be me. It can’t be you, either.

The Reality Check: Humans Still Win at Storytelling

Here’s the thing: Storytelling is not just about stringing sentences together. It’s about lived experience, emotional resonance, cultural nuance, and that indescribable spark of humanity. AI doesn’t know the joy of laughing with a friend until your ribs hurt, or the heartbreak of losing someone you love, or the mischievous glint in your dog’s eye when he steals your sandwich.

Readers don’t fall in love with efficient text. They fall in love with your voice.

That’s why, despite the hype, AI novels aren’t topping bestseller lists. Readers can tell when a story has been stitched together by an algorithm. It lacks the fingerprints of a human heart. And in a world drowning in content, authenticity is the one currency you can’t counterfeit.

Tools, Not Ghosts: How Indies Are Using AI

Now, before you think I’ve turned full Luddite and plan to smash my laptop with a hammer, let me be clear: AI has its uses. It’s a tool—and a powerful one, if you keep it in its place.

Here are some ways indies are already using AI without compromising their art:

  • Brainstorming titles and subtitles: Sometimes the bot’s thirty suggestions are all dreadful—but suggestion 31 might spark the idea for a title that will catch readers’ eyes.
  • Blurb help: Distilling a ninety-thousand-word novel into 150 snappy words is torture. AI can offer a rough draft that you can then polish into gold.
  • Ad copy: If you need five variations of a Facebook ad and your brain has left the building, AI can save your sanity.
  • Metadata and keywords: Creating or updating metadata is a boring but necessary task for any publisher. Why not outsource the drudgery to a machine while you sip tea?
  • Line editing: Think grammar checker with a boost. AI won’t replace your editor, but it might catch a rogue comma or three.

I could go on, but do you notice one key thing that’s missing from that list? Drafting your actual book. That, my friends, is the one job only you can do.

Protecting Your Voice

So how do you keep AI in its place and ensure your voice stays center stage? There are a few golden rules:

  1. Write your first drafts yourself. Even if they’re messy, even if they’re riddled with typos, that raw, imperfect draft is where your magic lives.
  2. Use AI as seasoning, not the stew. AI can spice things up, but if you let it cook the whole meal, you’ll be left with bland mush. It’s always important to taste-test your food before putting it in front of paying guests. The same goes for your books. Is your AI creation too salty, too sweet, or just right?
  3. Keep a “just for fun” project. Perhaps you are using AI to speed up your production line, especially with nonfiction books, and whilst efficient, you feel it’s draining your soul. Then draft something that will never touch an AI tool, never see the light of day, and exists purely to remind you why you love writing. Although I would argue you should use that creativity to improve your main work-in-progress, you do you.
  4. Fact-check everything. AI is notorious for confidently making things up. If it tells you Agatha Christie once moonlighted as a trapeze artist, don’t take its word for it (though I’d read that novel)!
  5. Talk to your readers. Be transparent if you’re using AI in your workflow. Many readers don’t care if you used a bot for your blurb—but they care deeply that you wrote the story.

The Future Isn’t Written Yet

AI is here, and it’s not going away. But neither are we. Humans have been telling stories since we were scratching mammoths on cave walls. Technology has always changed the tools—printing press, typewriter, word processor—but it hasn’t changed the heart of storytelling.

So yes, experiment with AI if you want. Use it to save time, cut through the boring bits, or spark new ideas. But remember: Your readers aren’t here for a string of neatly arranged words. They’re here for you. Your perspective. Your quirks. Your emotional truth. That’s something no algorithm can replicate.

Final Thoughts (or the Bit Where I Get Philosophical Again)

AI can feel like a frenemy—helpful one minute, unsettling the next. But like any tool, it’s only as powerful as the hands that wield it. The hammer can build a house or smash a window. The pen can sign a love letter or a lawsuit. It’s not the tool. It’s the storyteller.

So, my pretties, don’t fear the robot overlords just yet. They still can’t make a decent cup of tea—or write that story only you can tell.

Happy writing,
Susan x

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