Summary:
Spines plans to publish 8,000 AI-generated books in 2025, sparking backlash from authors.
Authors will pay between $1,200 and $5,000 for editing and distribution services.
Canongate and other industry figures criticize Spines for lacking regard for quality.
Concerns raised about originality and quality of AI-generated works.
Spines claims authors retain 100% royalties, but critics label it a vanity publisher.
Controversy Surrounds Spines' AI Publishing Plans
Writers and publishers are expressing strong criticism towards a startup named Spines, which has unveiled plans to publish up to 8,000 books next year using artificial intelligence. The startup intends to charge authors between $1,200 and $5,000 for services including editing, proofreading, formatting, and distribution, all aided by AI technology.
Independent publisher Canongate voiced their disapproval, stating that these startups "don’t care about writing or books" in a recent Bluesky post. Spines has been accused of taking advantage of hopeful authors and automating the publishing process with minimal attention to quality and craft.
Author Suyi Davies Okungbowa criticized Spines, claiming they represent opportunists and extractive capitalists. In contrast, Spines co-founder Yehuda Niv asserts that the company is not a vanity publisher but rather a publishing platform that allows authors to retain 100% of their royalties.
Despite these claims, many in the industry, including Deidre J Owen, co-founder of Mannison Press, argue that Spines is indeed a vanity publisher, merely speeding up the self-publishing process.
Anna Ganley, CEO of the Society of Authors, warns writers to think carefully before entering any contracts that require them to pay for publication, highlighting concerns over originality and quality of AI-generated content.
Spines aims to cut the publishing timeline down to two to three weeks, competing with other fast-tracking initiatives, including a new imprint by Microsoft that also seeks to expedite the publishing process.
A representative from Spines has yet to comment on the backlash.
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