Adventures in Publishing-land: Did AI Kill This Book? Plus: UK Authors Win AI Battle & BookTok Charts Go Official
Page One - The Writer's PodcastShow Notes
Watch as a full video episode on YouTube
This week, we lead with the scandal that has the industry in a frenzy, with Hachette pulling the release of Mia Ballard’s horror novel Shy Girl after viral claims that the prose was generated by AI. We discuss the YouTube video with over a million views that started the fire, the author’s defense involving an "acquaintance," and what this means for the future of "human" storytelling.
Staying on AI (when don't we talk about AI?), we discuss the UK government's decision to axe plans for a broad AI copyright exception, and ask if this is a victory for authors. Plus, we chat about the announcement that NielsenIQ and TikTok are launching a monthly Top 20 chart in the UK that combines real sales data with social media engagement.
00:00 Intro 01:24 Victory for Authors - UK Scraps AI Exception 10:36 Not Shy of Shortcuts - Hachette Ditches AI Novel 22:46 Tok of the Pops - Official UK Chart launched 30:06 Off Script: Stranger Than Fiction 36:42 Final Chapter - Pitt-Perfect Drama
Links: Axed AI Copyright Exemption Welcomed By Book Trade Hachette Horror Novel Shy Girl Suspended Official BookTok Chart Set to Launch in the UK
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More from Page One - The Writer's Podcast
We're on a short break from Page One, but enjoy this episode from our sister show, Narrative Damage.
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube
Watch as a full video interview on YouTube
On this episode of AIPL, there isn't even a mention of AI! Instead, we talk about how a recent change to Agent ethics guidelines in the US are questionable at best, discuss how publisher's PR promises are often empty (and whether anything could be done to stop that), and dive into a debate about whether memoirs should be fact-checked or should be left to be almost fictional in some cases...
Watch this as a full video interview on YouTube