'Spines', a self-publishing service that automates proofreading and production with AI, reduces delivery time by about 30 times, and returns 100% of royalties, receives backlash from the existing publishing industry
A self-publishing AI service called '
The Bookseller - News - New publisher Spines aims to 'disrupt' industry by using AI to publish 8,000 books in 2025 alone
https://www.thebookseller.com/news/new-publisher-spines-aims-to-disrupt-industry-by-using-ai-to-publish-8000-books-in-2025-alone
Writers condemn startup's plans to publish 8,000 books next year using AI | Books | The Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2024/nov/26/writers-condemn-startups-plans-to-publish-8000-books-next-year-using-ai-spines-artificial-intelligence
AI Publishing Startup Plans To Release 8,000 Books Next Year - Slashdot
https://slashdot.org/story/24/11/27/1347207/ai-publishing-startup-plans-to-release-8000-books-next-year
Spines is a tech startup that uses AI to proofread, translate, design covers, publish, and distribute books for a fee. Co-founder and CEO Yehuda Niv says the company can speed up publishing times from six to 18 months to two to three weeks. Authors receive 100% of royalties and retain full copyright.
Prices range from $1,824 to $5,496, and there are options to have a human proofread or cover designed instead of an AI. In comparison, Spines' prices are cheap compared to other self-publishing services, some of which can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
'Our goal is to empower authors,' said Niv. 'When aspiring authors approach literary agents, they are turned down 99% of the time because they're not a household name or the right person. Instead, going to a publisher that specializes in self-publishing can cost tens of thousands of dollars, require expertise in every step of the process, like cover design and book marketing, and can take more than a year to deliver. Spines uses technology to streamline the publishing process so authors can focus on what they do best: writing great stories.'
These services have sparked outrage from people whose jobs involve the manual publishing process. Anna Ganley, who represents the trade union for authors, illustrators and translators, said, 'The chances of achieving what authors expect are very slim, and there is little guarantee that this is the best path to publication. In the case of systems that rely on AI, there are concerns about the lack of originality and quality of the service,' warning people to think very carefully before entering into any contracts.
On the other hand, some believe that the publishing industry could benefit from using AI for repetitive administrative tasks. Editorial consultant Anne Hervé said, 'Most major publishers have seen an explosion of work over the last 20 years or so, and people's responsibilities have expanded dramatically. I think many publishers are looking for ways to relieve pressure and offload the easier tasks to AI. For example, metadata entry is very important but time-consuming. Streamlining this task with AI could free up more creative work.'
When asked about the possibility that automated AI processes could negatively impact human proofreaders and designers, Niv replied, 'We're not trying to replace human creativity. We're focusing on humans looking for the newest, most efficient ways to publish their manuscripts and distribute them around the world. We don't want an AI to paint the Sistine Chapel, we want an AI to do the washing up.'
Spines has published 273 books by September 2024, and its goal is to publish up to 8,000 books by 2025. Spines is next exploring the development of audiobooks that can replicate the author's voice.
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