Why Every Newpub Author Needs an Editor Now More Than Ever
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.
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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.
But readers are starting to notice. Word is getting around, and the mere perception that a book might be A.I.-generated can destroy an author’s brand overnight.
Related: A.I. Books - The Death of the Author?
You won’t want to hear this part, but there’s no use sugarcoating it: No matter how much of your heart and soul you poured into your book, it won’t stop online randos from saying, “This looks like it was written by A.I.”
In the court of public opinion, perception is reality. Once your name gets tagged with the A.I. stigma, you’ll spend months; even years, trying to scrape it off. Readers will assume you cut corners. Your reputation will take a hit, and reputation is everything in newpub.
The tragedy is that good authors are getting lumped into the same bucket as the scammers.
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Here’s the good news: There’s a simple, actionable step you can take to protect yourself and your brand. Because an editor does more than polish your prose; he puts up a flashing neon billboard that says, “This book was written by a real person!”
Related: The Cure for A.I. Slop
Think about it. By definition, A.I. mills have to cut out editors. If they spent the time and money to have every book professionally edited, their churn-and-burn business model would collapse.
By contrast, when a reader sees that a book has been edited by a pro with a name and a track record, it’s ironclad proof the novel wasn’t spat out by a bot.
An editor’s presence confirms the human touch. Think of it as your certificate of authenticity.
How does it work? Simple: You’re my client; some troll with no verified purchase slides into your Goodreads reviews and starts pointing out bogus “A.I. tells.” All you do is post screen shots of your original draft side by side with the edited manuscript, complete with signed and time-stamped margin notes, that you got from me.
If human psychology has taught us anything, it’s that nobody believes the nutjob ranting on a street corner over the cool, collected pro with a manila folder full of receipts.
Too many newpub authors are tempted to save money by skipping editing. They think, I’ll just self-edit, or worse, I’ll let Grammarly do it. But believe me, the only LLM tool worse than writing A.I. is editing A.I.
Don’t be penny wise and pound foolish. I’ve looked into the slop churn crowd. Based on Amazon rankings, their total savings in writing time and editing costs mean they make around $500 per book, lifetime. That might sound good if you’re just starting out, until you realize that I’ve 20x’d that single-title revenue and helped new authors quadruple it.
And you’d better believe I hired an editor.
Without an editor, your book may come off as rough, amateurish, or worse; soulless. In today’s climate, readers will assume the worst: that you’re one of those A.I. hucksters flooding Kindle with literary shovelware. You’ll get dismissed out of hand before your story even has a chance.
Any money saved by cutting corners now isn’t worth the long-term career risk. In newpub, your name is your brand. Readers aren’t buying your book; they’re buying you. They want to know you care enough about your work, and about them, to bring them the best reading experience possible.
Having a professional editor’s credit on your book’s Amazon page is the clearest signal you can send that you take your craft seriously. Skipping this step is the surest way to break reader trust, or keep it from forming in the first place. And once readers stop trusting you, they stop buying from you.
The fact that the whole A.I. mill model depends on skipping editing gives you a big opportunity. By simply hiring an editor, you can distinguish yourself from the wave of slop crashing over Amazon.
Editing was always about more than fixing typos. Now, in the A.I. age, it assures brand protection, authenticity, and survival.
So don’t think of professional editing as an expense; think of it as the investment it is.
Because when loyal readers have to choose between a polished book that wears its humanity on every page and a rushed A.I. clone, they’ll choose the real deal every time.
If you like the gritty action of Berserk and the deep lore of Elden Ring, you’ll love the first epic book in my dark fantasy saga!
Brian Niemeier is a best-selling novelist, editor, and Dragon Award winner with over a decade in newpub. For direct, in-person writing and editing insights, join his Patreon.