Bloomsbury Chief Warns of AI Threat To Publishing (ft.com) 44
The chief executive of Bloomsbury Publishing has warned of the threat of artificial intelligence to the publishing industry, saying tech groups are already using the work of authors to train up generative AI programmes. From a report: Nigel Newton, who signed Harry Potter author JK Rowling to Bloomsbury in the 1990s, also said ministers needed to act urgently to address competition concerns between large US tech groups and the publishing industry given their increasing market dominance in selling books across the world. The warning came as Bloomsbury reported its highest-ever first-half results on the back of the boom in fantasy novels, leading the publisher to boost its interim dividend. The group said revenues grew 11 per cent to $165.7mn, sending profits 11 per cent higher at $21.4mn, for the six months to August 31.
Newton pointed to the "huge" growth in fantasy novels, with sales of books by Sarah J Maas and Samantha Shannon growing 79 per cent and 169 per cent respectively in the period and demand for Harry Potter books, 26 years after publication, remaining strong. The next Maas book, scheduled for January, has already received "staggering" pre-orders of 750,000 copies for the hardback edition, he said, underscoring the resurgence of the book-selling industry. The group's consumer division will also publish new books in the expanding Harry Potter franchise -- such as a new Wizarding Almanac this autumn.
Newton pointed to the "huge" growth in fantasy novels, with sales of books by Sarah J Maas and Samantha Shannon growing 79 per cent and 169 per cent respectively in the period and demand for Harry Potter books, 26 years after publication, remaining strong. The next Maas book, scheduled for January, has already received "staggering" pre-orders of 750,000 copies for the hardback edition, he said, underscoring the resurgence of the book-selling industry. The group's consumer division will also publish new books in the expanding Harry Potter franchise -- such as a new Wizarding Almanac this autumn.
I read fantasy, have hangups, and don't like it. (Score:4, Insightful)
I want original ideas, clever plot twists, and novel descriptions. That's why I read unrealistic fiction in the first place and, so far, AI does not deliver anything but rehashed leftovers. I am also not a fan of woke re-imagined edited novels refactored by "sensitivity readers". I notice a lot of hate toward Tolkien and Lord of the Rings. A number of academics have targeted his work for being "racist". Every time, I see that big red leather-bound copy on my book shelf I smile and think "There's a lot of woke censors who'd love to see you burn, but you'll never burn. You're mine."
I think I'll have to start going back to old series I missed or re-reading the stuff from the 1980's and 1990's, because I'm just not willing to put up with propaganda-titles written by AI who's main goal is to "enlighten" me and fix my "racism". Reading is escapism for me and absolutely none of that is welcome. Since I'm not a slave, I choose not to engage with any book I don't find interesting.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Taylor Swift's political opinions are irrelevant (even if I agree with them).
With this mentality you might as well take voting out of the hands of citizens and hand it over to the 'professional' politicians, since the political opinions of the professional race car driver, violinist, or neurosurgeon are just as irrelevant.
Only their job defines their value.
Re: (Score:1, Troll)
I notice a lot of hate toward Tolkien and Lord of the Rings
They aren't very good books. The author uses WAY too many words on things. To much in the way of descriptions.
Then there is the complaints about Scifi being woke and women writing like women. That is like complaining that the sky is blue.
Read the back of the book first to make sure its the one for you.
Re:I read fantasy, have hangups, and don't like it (Score:5, Insightful)
I notice a lot of hate toward Tolkien and Lord of the Rings
They aren't very good books. The author uses WAY too many words on things. To much in the way of descriptions.
The weight of history appears to disagree with you, since they are - literally - the defining classics of the genre. Tolkien may or may not have been the best writer, but he was a gifted storyteller. (The same can be said of J.K. Rowling.) The difference matters.
Then there is the complaints about Scifi being woke and women writing like women. That is like complaining that the sky is blue.
The complaint isn't that it's women writing like women, or even that they're writing "woke" stories. The complaint is that being "woke" is the only thing they're doing. They sacrifice entertainment values for "enlightenment." It's boring to read, especially for those of us who read (fiction) solely for entertainment.
If I want to be enlightened, I'll read philosophy. If I want to be educated about how the world is, I'll read the news. When I read fiction, I want an entertaining story. And far, far too many sf writers these days simply don't provide that.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
You could say the defining classics of still life in the visual arts are the Lascaux cave paintings. That does not make them some great pinnacle of achievement, historically remarkable sure, but great? I don't know.
I like LOTR but I would say there has been better fantasy written since. JRRT's level of detail careful attention to all those details are what make the story so immersive and make the universe its told in one that is rich and complex, you know like the real world where things like the conflict
Re: (Score:2)
You could say the defining classics of still life in the visual arts are the Lascaux cave paintings.
You could, but a lot more people would agree with me than with you.
Re: (Score:2)
Tolkien was a great writer but a mediocre editor. I am a speed reader so his perspicacity is no detriment for me, but I can get why other people might be put off. He could have gone over the story again and made more of what he wrote into allusion instead of going into it in depth.
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Wah! Wah! Someone wrote a book I don't want to read! Wah! Wah!
If you don't like it, read something else and quit crying about it! Christ, you right wing freaks are the biggest fucking snowflakes on the fucking planet.
Get over yourself. It's not like you morons actually read books anyway. Your shelf full of performative crap by Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly's ghost writers isn't fooling anybody.
Re: (Score:1)
If you don't like it, read something else and quit crying about it!
Since that is precisely what I said I do, I'm not sure why you're so hostile towards someone you agree with. Perhaps it's because it's not about what someone says, but rather just you waving your tiny little dick at the world to prove what a loser you are.
Christ, you right wing freaks are the biggest fucking snowflakes on the fucking planet.
Get over yourself. It's not like you morons actually read books anyway. Your shelf full of performative crap by Ann Coulter and Bill O'Reilly's ghost writers isn't fooling anybody.
There's your mental illness peeking through: You literally cannot conceive that someone could disagree with you in any way unless there's something wrong with them (which is to say, you project your illness onto others in a feeble attempt to feel "normal,"
Re: (Score:2)
Then skip those books and find something else.
Re: (Score:2, Troll)
Well hell, you should be right at home with all those alt-right fantasy books where the man, invariably someone formerly in the military, is upset his wife doesn't bow down to him and complains all he wants is to have a good life for his son (never a daughter). The one who talks about god and the bible, but will never offer up help to someone in need because the person is "lazy
Re: (Score:2)
I agree with MIPSPro's stated point. Most fiction published today, at least in the sf & fantasy genres, is political propaganda, and is badly written garbage that provides less entertainment values than the black filler between the commercials. (The sort of books you mention are, in fact, even worse written garbage, indistinguishable from the lefty-woke garbage because it's just as unreadable). Nearly all commercial fiction is written by no-talent hacks, but that's nothing new.
But my all time favorite
Re: (Score:2)
my all time favorite novel is Cordelia's Honor
That is such a good book! I love that mentioned it. That whole saga is pretty good. Might be a female author, but totally not the type I'm put off by. The ones I have issue with are the ones who write really detailed political intrigue style novels. As someone suggested, I read the back cover, and often put those back on the shelf. However, if it appeals to me, I'm not going to put it back on the shelf just because it was written by a woman.
Re: (Score:2)
So ... You got your panties in a twist because a woman dared to write a book and while you insist that your indignation is justified, you realize that it's a stupid thing to get worked up about and so you're claiming that you're not so far gone as to let that dissuade you from reading the book anyway.
Do you think this is normal?
Re: (Score:2)
So ... You got your panties in a twist because a woman dared to write a book and while you insist that your indignation is justified, you realize that it's a stupid thing to get worked up about and so you're claiming that you're not so far gone as to let that dissuade you from reading the book anyway.
Yes, these are called preferences, and folks have them. I have noticed women tend to write more intrigue novels with more descriptions of interpersonal relationships. That's called a heuristic and I'm not afraid to use them. It doesn't matter much if you don't like it how I decide on my preferences, and your petulant pearl clutching attitude is amusing. You're the kind of asshole who scolds his friends and family for being cautious a high crime area because it's "racist". Cry or cope harder, as you will. *y
Re: (Score:2)
LOL! That's not "preferences", kid! You should get a gold medal for those mental gymnastics!
Also, stop pretending your bigotry and misogyny is insight. It's not. You're just a shitty person.
Re:I read fantasy, have hangups, and don't like it (Score:4, Insightful)
I hate to break it to you kid, but science fiction and fantasy has always been "political propaganda", or what the rest of us call 'social commentary'. The fact that you completely missed this simple and obvious fact says a lot more about you than it does about allegedly "woke" authors.
You're really embarrassing yourself here.
Re: (Score:1)
I hate to break it to you kid, but science fiction and fantasy has always been "political propaganda", or what the rest of us call 'social commentary'.
It has, indeed, but it used to also be good storytelling, or at least try to. Now, the only thing it is is political propaganda and indoctrination, which talented, skilled authors won't bother with, so all they're left with is no-talent hacks.. So the subject matter is uninteresting, and the writing is garbage.
It's just bad writing.
The fact that you completely missed this simple and obvious fact says a lot more about you than it does about allegedly "woke" authors.
You're really embarrassing yourself here.
The fact that I explained before and you pretended to not understand says a lot about you, and none of it is complimentary. The only possible conclusions a rational person coul
Re: (Score:2)
What you mean is that any "propaganda" that I don't like makes for bad story telling. Probably because the bad guys share your regressive attitudes and values.
See, it's not a few nasty feminists pushing a woke agenda, it's the the world is woke, and you've just found yourself on the wrong side of history.
You're under no obligation to read books you don't like, you know. Quite crying about it and go read some of that weird alt-right power fantasy nonsense. It seems to be right up your alley. The hero is
AI is the Solution (Score:2)
I want original ideas, clever plot twists, and novel descriptions.
What makes you think that AI will not be able to deliver that - if not now then eventually? Often "original" ideas are simply old ideas repackaged in a new format for a new situation leading to new and interesting consequences. This is something AI should be pretty good at.
As for not liking the trend in modern storytelling again, I would see AI as the solution. By making it much easier to produce a novel it becomes much easier for small publishers to provide content for a more diverse range of tastes an
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
There is no evidence that AI content can improve, let alone that it will improve.
Re: (Score:2)
For example, I'm always initially suspicious of female authors
OK, I'm gonna take your temperature... C.J. Cherryh, yea or nay?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
She's one of my favorite authors in large part because of that huge universe. It's compellingly consistent. I'd suggest the Chanur novels next, they're even more epic than Cyteen.
Re: (Score:2)
I notice a lot of hate toward Tolkien and Lord of the Rings. A number of academics have targeted his work for being "racist". Every time, I see that big red leather-bound copy on my book shelf I smile and think "There's a lot of woke censors who'd love to see you burn, but you'll never burn. You're mine."
Ironically (or not, because you're being willfully ignorant) the only people that ever talked about and actually banned your precious LOTR book were Christian groups, for the obvious satanic panic reasons.
You'd probably consider the Stormlight Archive series "woke", and that's just sad. Ohhhh noooo, both sides of complex moral issues, social nuances, the horror! What a waste.
Re: (Score:2)
You'd probably consider the Stormlight Archive series "woke"
Nope. Loved it. An example of books I didn't like was "Anvil of Stars" by Greg Bear. It's SciFi and it's the terrible sequel to the wonderful book "Forge of God". Another example would be any book written by Anne McAffery's Crystal Singer books. However, I rarely encounter bad books these days because reviews have become so much better.
It is a threat to... (Score:3)
..publishers who profit from endless remakes, reboots, sequels and other artless, derivative works
Creative people making original stuff are still safe
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
Thirty Six [wikipedia.org]
Re: (Score:2)
..publishers who profit from endless remakes, reboots, sequels and other artless, derivative works
Creative people making original stuff are still safe
ANY competition is a threat I guess..
One way around this is kind of plagerism.. (Score:2)
Echoes from the past (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Buggy whip makers of the world unite!
For examples of the threats (Score:2)
Neal Clarke had to SHUT DOWN submissions to Clarkesworld for months. He'd *been* getting as many as 1200 submissions/month, and then the chatbot was opened to public use, and suddenly there was such a flood of crap that they couldn't deal with it all, and they're not a Big Money publisher.
As it is, the publishing industry has been taken over by capital funds, who don't read, and only see it as a point of entry into your wallet. I've been reading that agents are quitting the field, because the majors are buy
Re: (Score:2)
As it is, the publishing industry has been taken over by capital funds
The 80s called, and want their news back.
Re: (Score:2)
And, since AI-produced crap isn't copyrightable, no publisher wants to touch it with an eleven-foot Finn (never mind a 10' pole).
Not copyrightable if you just take what is generated, but if you modify it enough, it can absolutely IIRC - making it not useless per-se (depending on how much human touch is needed).
And just what are they worried about? (Score:2)
so the real question I have is? (Score:2)
Why is bloomsbury not hiring an army of ML and general software people to come up with a highly refined model, trained on the massive library of content they must own privately, but is also out of print and therefor unique to them, etc that produces better novels than anyone other LLM system out there?
If the could 'generate' truly good books, they'd literally have a license to print everything short of the money itself. If publishers are worried its because they are run by people without even the most basi
Title. (Score:2)