What hope is left?

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are revolutionizing the publishing industry. That is the polite term for what is happening. There are other, less polite views from those who object to any sort of software doing all the work in a fraction of the time it would take an actual cover artist to do it. There are fears it will put a lot of software artists out of work.

In 2025, these technologies will play an even more significant role in content creation, editing, and distribution in various ways as the algorithms grow more and more sophisticated and generate content indistinguishable from human-written text. Used in journalism it can and probably begin to produce more news articles, reports, and summaries.

These algorithms study our behaviour online. This allows them to “provide personalized content recommendations” or, as some see it, plague us with ads of what to buy next. It is claimed publishers will be able to provide more of what we actually like. Tools like  Grammarly  already assists writers with editing. I've used it myself and wished it were swifter. By 2025, such tools will offer more suggestions and reduce the time required for manual editing. 

It will be tempting. I can see that. But I also have fear that if authors turn to using AI to “write” six books a year for them, what hope is left for the struggling author who can manage to hold a job and write at night and perhaps publish a title every two years?

Paine's 18th century bridge

Here we have a picture of the attractive little bridge Paine built around 1750 to cross the river Wansbeck on the Wallington estate. There's a second picture further down the page with a vehicle going across to give some sense of scale.

It is definitely only wide enough for one car at a time. Though the river looks nothing more than an ambling stream, which it is, mostly, this is the river than devastated Morpeth a few months ago.

The public library, inundated and out of action for such a long time, is only now getting back to normal.

I spotted TheRichList yesterday, and sad to say there are few authors listed.
The numbers refer to the Rank in the list this year, followed by rank last year, then the name, the current wealth and the losses suffered due to this year's credit crunch:

101 (144) Joanne Rowling £499m Fall £61m Novels, Films
344 (510) Barbara Taylor Bradford £166m £7m Novels
600 (879) Jackie Collins £90m no change Novels
863 Lord Archer £65m £7m Novels
1077 Jack Higgins £50m £10m Novels
1348 Sir Terry Pratchett £40m no change Novels
1771 Katie Price £30m -Fashion

Not exactly inspiring, is it? Just as a comparison, here is the Queen:
244 (260) The Queen 270m Fall of £50m

Quaestor2000

I have added three new names to my list of links today. One for Quaestor, my new publisher, and two gentleman who have also been signed up with me. Brian and Alistair write historicals - in fact Quaestor publish only historical novels in their fiction range. At last - a publisher who actively seeks to publish historical fiction!

I was in Corbridge yesterday enjoying a brief spell of sunshine in between the rain showers, and spotted this bold yellow beauty growing through a wall. I've no idea how thick the wall is, but it is about eight feet high, and certainly no crumbling, disintegrating structure. Yet here was this flower pushing its way though the stone and cement, reaching for the sun. If that isn't Persistance, then I don't know what is. It could be an icon for all struggling authors - keep going through the darkness - you never know when you'll see the sun!

Peerages

This might possibly be my 4th post on peerages. I'm really getting obsessed with the topic, but it fascinates me. Today I did a small piece over on the Authors and Books blog in which I mentioned that Your Majesty came into use at a certain date. Henry VIII introduced it, copying the Kings of France, but it did not become standard form until James I. So all those early medieval romances should not use the address Your Majesty but Your Grace.
There's a great post on this blog here if anyone wants to learn more.

A new blog in town

Authors and Books is the new blog in town. Check it out here

Anne Whitfield is the lady who set it up and I made my first post today. Benita Brown is there, along with Anna Jacobs and Emily Bryan.

I'm well aware I haven't completed my task on titles and forms of address, but I will as soon as I get to the library again. Things have been against me this week - notably the weather - rain and wind does not encourage me to walk to the library, I'm afraid, and I've been working hard on a second draft of my Regency. But I will do it on Monday even if I have to get the mini out and drive to the library!

A second draft is so much easier because the hard graft has been done already, and the end is a known quantity. Now the important little bits can be added in where they need to be added, and extraneous bits, no longer deemed important, can be cut. I'm cutting severely because I know I need a couple of thousand words at the end to add a little more oomph to my final pages. They'll be fun to do, once I get there.

I do wish I was better at titles. Heiress's Dilemma doesn't sound all that enticing, does it? Perhaps I'll think of something soon.