Why A.I. Means Authors Need Editors More, Not Less

For as long as authors have written books, editors have been the last, best line of defense between a writer’s brand and the often cutthroat market. But in 2025, editing has taken on a new and unexpected role. Quality assurance is no longer your editor’s only job. Now, editing pulls double duty proving your book was written by a human being.

That’s not hyperbole.

It’s our new reality.

Odds are, you’ve seen accusations like the above already. Amazon is being flooded with books churned out by large language models. Neither lovingly crafted works of fiction nor thoughtful nonfiction, they’re the textual equivalent of spam.

And here’s the rub: The publishers running these A.I. sweatshops actually brag that their books aren’t edited. Why? Because editing takes time and money, and their entire model depends on reckless speed. To them, publishing a book is just pulling a slot machine. If they slop ‘n drop onto Kindle Unlimited fast enough, maybe they’ll hit a payout.

Read the full post on Substack.