AI BOOKS
Writer’s block? There’s an app for that
Nigel Newton, founder and CEO of Bloomsbury the publisher behind Harry Potter, says artificial intelligence could help writers overcome creative blocks.
He believes AI can “get people going” by helping them write the first paragraph or chapter, or even spark ideas in art and music.
But while it might support creativity, Newton doesn’t think it will replace well-known authors.
“People trust big names,” he said, adding that poor-quality AI content will likely push readers toward established writers.
Bloomsbury’s success has been driven by authors like Sarah J. Maas, whose A Court of Thorns and Roses series has sold over 70 million copies worldwide.
Here’s what’s new:
Bloomsbury’s CEO says AI can help writers beat creative blocks.
The publisher’s academic division grew 20% thanks to an AI deal.
Authors continue to fight AI firms over copyright use.
Big names still rule the bookshelf
Recently, the company’s revenue in its academic division jumped 20%, helped by an AI licensing deal, though consumer sales fell by a similar margin, partly because no new Maas book came out this year.
Still, Newton’s optimism contrasts with ongoing disputes between authors and AI companies.
In the US, Anthropic agreed to pay $1.5 billion (£1.1bn) to settle claims that it used copyrighted books to train its AI models.
Using AI for writer’s block is the new “five coffees deep”. - MV