- Feb 3, 2024
- LitBits
- 0
New blog post by Jake E – discussions in this thread, please
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I’ve been avoiding the subject of AI for a long time. I’ve tried to ignore it, tried to pretend it won’t be as big a deal as people are making out, and that it will find its place somewhere and make life a little less cumbersome.
But the more time that passes and the more I hear about it, the less I’m convinced that this will be the case.
Already, AI is a hotly debated topic in creative spaces. I don’t like the idea of someone using AI to write a book, or draw a picture, or create a piece of music for profit, but at the same time, I think it gives access to skills that some people don’t have or can’t afford.
A child who wants a picture of their favourite comic book hero saving them, or of themselves as a superhero, or in a place from their imagination shouldn’t have to pay hundreds or thousands of pounds/dollars to have such a thing for themselves.
Likewise, someone with an idea for a story shouldn’t be penalised for lacking in skill or time to do it themselves. As long as it’s not done for profit, I see no issue here. People should be able to have nice things. This is what AI should be for.
I was on the lookout for a cover artist to do the cover of my book The Trouble with Prophecies I scoured the internet looking for artists to commission and I ended up on Fiverr.com. Some of the art looked promising, I avoided the artists that clearly used AI, and found a handful of artists I wanted to get quotes from.
I gave them my specs and awaited a response. They all got back to me, and I was appalled at the prices they were asking for.
In descending order:
£4000
£3500
£2999
£1500
£1000
I’m sorry, I know artists need to make a living, but these prices are obscene. As a self-published author, there’s no way I could make that money back if I went with these artists. At the time of writing this, I have sold two hundred and twelve copies of my book and made a little over £100. That’s just 10% of the lowest offer.
I did eventually find a great artist through a recommendation, and it cost me £200. She did an excellent job, and I will be commissioning her again for future novels. Her price was reasonable and affordable… for me, but there are countless others out in the world that can’t even afford that.
Then there’s the added cost of hiring an editor – and not just once either. You need a developmental edit, a line edit, a proofreader, and a sensitivity edit; all costing thousands of pounds. It’s no wonder many are turning to AI*.
I can already hear artists and editors shouting, “But it takes away our livelihood. If people just use AI, we will be out of a job.” And you’re right. Sorry. The Luddites had a similar reaction when the machines were brought in.
I will reiterate here that I don’t like the idea of AI being used for profit. Authors planning to sell their work should work with a real artist and write/edit the book themselves (or hire an editor if you can afford it). Otherwise, it is stealing with a capital S (for shit). But the reality is that in a capitalist society, money makes the world go round and many will be tempted to cut costs by going with the free alternative.
But I have a prophetic warning for those that do:
It will not be free forever.
Because here’s the thing about capitalism… its whole point is to make money and the more money it makes, the better it is for those that profit from it.
As AI becomes more popular, the fees will increase and eventually, as with all things these days, a subscription service will be put in place. You’ll be paying for it even when you aren’t using it, and the numbers will increase year on year until you’re paying what you would’ve paid an artist anyway.
And then what will you do?
So, I guess I finish with a message of hope for my fellow creatives. The snake will eventually eat its own tail in the pursuit of money. We’ve seen it happen before and it will happen again and again until the end of time or the heat death of the universe whichever comes first. We simply have to weather the storm.
AI is not going away. It’s our new competition and the only way to win is to be better.
Jake
P.S. For those interested, the artist I eventually hired was one Florence Thornton. An exceptionally talented artist whom I recommend if you’re in the market for one. You can find her here:
FLORENCE THORNTON
*I didn’t use AI to edit my novel. I did it myself over many hours and with the help of a crack team of other writers to whom I now owe my eternal soul.
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By @Jake E
Get the discussion going – post your thoughts & comments in the thread below…
---
I’ve been avoiding the subject of AI for a long time. I’ve tried to ignore it, tried to pretend it won’t be as big a deal as people are making out, and that it will find its place somewhere and make life a little less cumbersome.
But the more time that passes and the more I hear about it, the less I’m convinced that this will be the case.
Already, AI is a hotly debated topic in creative spaces. I don’t like the idea of someone using AI to write a book, or draw a picture, or create a piece of music for profit, but at the same time, I think it gives access to skills that some people don’t have or can’t afford.
A child who wants a picture of their favourite comic book hero saving them, or of themselves as a superhero, or in a place from their imagination shouldn’t have to pay hundreds or thousands of pounds/dollars to have such a thing for themselves.
Likewise, someone with an idea for a story shouldn’t be penalised for lacking in skill or time to do it themselves. As long as it’s not done for profit, I see no issue here. People should be able to have nice things. This is what AI should be for.
I was on the lookout for a cover artist to do the cover of my book The Trouble with Prophecies I scoured the internet looking for artists to commission and I ended up on Fiverr.com. Some of the art looked promising, I avoided the artists that clearly used AI, and found a handful of artists I wanted to get quotes from.
I gave them my specs and awaited a response. They all got back to me, and I was appalled at the prices they were asking for.
In descending order:
£4000
£3500
£2999
£1500
£1000
I’m sorry, I know artists need to make a living, but these prices are obscene. As a self-published author, there’s no way I could make that money back if I went with these artists. At the time of writing this, I have sold two hundred and twelve copies of my book and made a little over £100. That’s just 10% of the lowest offer.
I did eventually find a great artist through a recommendation, and it cost me £200. She did an excellent job, and I will be commissioning her again for future novels. Her price was reasonable and affordable… for me, but there are countless others out in the world that can’t even afford that.
Then there’s the added cost of hiring an editor – and not just once either. You need a developmental edit, a line edit, a proofreader, and a sensitivity edit; all costing thousands of pounds. It’s no wonder many are turning to AI*.
I can already hear artists and editors shouting, “But it takes away our livelihood. If people just use AI, we will be out of a job.” And you’re right. Sorry. The Luddites had a similar reaction when the machines were brought in.
I will reiterate here that I don’t like the idea of AI being used for profit. Authors planning to sell their work should work with a real artist and write/edit the book themselves (or hire an editor if you can afford it). Otherwise, it is stealing with a capital S (for shit). But the reality is that in a capitalist society, money makes the world go round and many will be tempted to cut costs by going with the free alternative.
But I have a prophetic warning for those that do:
It will not be free forever.
Because here’s the thing about capitalism… its whole point is to make money and the more money it makes, the better it is for those that profit from it.
As AI becomes more popular, the fees will increase and eventually, as with all things these days, a subscription service will be put in place. You’ll be paying for it even when you aren’t using it, and the numbers will increase year on year until you’re paying what you would’ve paid an artist anyway.
And then what will you do?
So, I guess I finish with a message of hope for my fellow creatives. The snake will eventually eat its own tail in the pursuit of money. We’ve seen it happen before and it will happen again and again until the end of time or the heat death of the universe whichever comes first. We simply have to weather the storm.
AI is not going away. It’s our new competition and the only way to win is to be better.
Jake
P.S. For those interested, the artist I eventually hired was one Florence Thornton. An exceptionally talented artist whom I recommend if you’re in the market for one. You can find her here:
FLORENCE THORNTON
*I didn’t use AI to edit my novel. I did it myself over many hours and with the help of a crack team of other writers to whom I now owe my eternal soul.
---
By @Jake E
Get the discussion going – post your thoughts & comments in the thread below…
