As the publishing industry continues to grow and evolve, forward-thinking publishers are looking to employ artificial intelligence tools to assist them in streamlining their workflows and maximizing opportunities.
Preparing to Launch with AI Tools
Before utilizing any new AI tool, however, publishers should be sure to develop clear policies around the use of AI in their business and then articulate those policies to their authors and the agents they work with.
Preservation of an author’s or a publisher’s copyright requires thought when creating a sound policy, especially as the U.S. Copyright Office has posted guidance stating that AI-generated content cannot be protected by copyright (copyright.gov/ai/ai_policy_guidance.pdf). Therefore, publishers need to consider whether they want their staff to utilize AI tools at all, or if the usage is restricted to only closed-systems or only certain applications.
Staff then need to understand what they are allowed to utilize and why those decisions were made, especially if they might need to articulate the policies to a concerned author. Publishers may also want to consider outlining their policies in their contracts so that there can be little room for misunderstanding how these tools are used in day-to-day business functions.
With an AI policy in place, a publisher can responsibly employ AI tools to improve their workflows from contract through distribution.
Contractual Insight
As a publisher goes to market and grows their business, it is crucial for them to look inward and understand more about the rights, contracts, and other metadata about the titles in their lists.
Certainly, if a publisher has a simple author contract where all rights are assigned to them as the publisher, recording rights and royalty metadata in your contracts and rights systems is a simple task. But if a publisher has a more complicated contract structure where they might owe an author or illustrator royalties based on format or type of sale or distribution, or if the title(s) contain third-party materials like photos that carry certain usage restrictions, then it is important to make sure that all systems hold the correct data and can roll up to provide insight on any payments that might come due, or inform on any overall restrictions on sales or license opportunities.
This might seem like an obvious statement, but many publishers simply don’t have the systems in place to allow them this insight.
One solution might be to use an AI system to help discover this information residing in author and illustrator contracts, or in any permissions or licensing agreements. Programs that publishers likely already utilize, like AdobeSign or DocuSign, have AI workflows that can provide insights into key terms, deadlines, fees, and percentages. If a publisher has a lot of contracts to wrangle, however, one of the dedicated contract life cycle management systems available in the market at various price points and capabilities can help publishers with deeper contract intelligence, all while keeping their business data secure.
Time-Saving Content Development
Many people come to publishing after writing their own book. But when those working in publishing need help selecting the next great manuscript or editing a book that is close to being ready to publish, some AI tools may provide just the right insights to push through to the next step without additional burden on existing staff.
Microsoft Copilot and Adobe’s AI assistant are embedded within these programs and might provide just the right suggestions for everything from grammar corrections to summaries and even sensitivity reading. A publisher may choose to level up with one of the many off-the-shelf options that can do everything from help manage a growing slush pile to acting as a second set of electronic “eyes” on a proofreading project.
Supercharged Operations and Distribution
Unsurprisingly, nearly any function, from production to distribution and marketing to publicity, can take advantage of AI tools. Most publishers are likely aware of marketing tools and insights in Meta’s social media world, but publishing-specific tools can assist publishers with everything from inventory management to subscription model management and audiobook production to project management.
Beat Them or Join Them
Finding and taking down pirated copies of books could reasonably be a full-time job for someone on a publisher’s staff. Thankfully, there are AI tools that can help publishers take measures against pirated or counterfeited copies or help prevent counterfeit copies with digital rights management (DRM) and watermarking tools.
Should a publisher wish to legally allow their content on AI platforms in an effort to generate revenue, there are even companies offering licensing models to work with certain large language models (LLMs) through responsible licensing.
AI has become ubiquitous in daily life, and publishers should take the time to not only develop their philosophy and policy toward AI tools and platforms but also decide how they might want to use AI to modernize their business practices. To learn more about what AI tools are available to help publishers to manage or streamline their business, the IBPA Legislation & Standards Committee has published an AI Resource Center with examples of software available: ibpa-online.org/general/custom.asp?page=AIresourcecenter#ResourcesForBackOfficeFunctions
And if you have a recommendation for another tool that should be on the list, you can add your suggestion in a handy form on that page, too!
MJ Courchesne is the owner and principal consultant of Gryphon Publishing Consulting. She has over 25 years of experience in trade, academic, and direct-response publishing and specializes in licensing, subsidiary rights, and permissions. Courchesne served as an adjunct professor for 16 years in The George Washington University’s MPS in Publishing program. She currently serves on the Rights Committee of the Book Industry Study Group (BISG), as vice president on the board of directors for The Big Easy in Buffalo, is a member of the Society of Children’s Books Writers and Illustrators, and is the rights and permissions manager for Big Ideas Learning. She is also the IBPA Board secretary.