The Future of Publishing (2025-2040)
Before I became a full-time author, I spent seventeen years working in design. One of the most fascinating parts of that job was trend forecasting—looking five, ten, even fifteen years into the future to predict what consumers would want. Here's what most people don't understand about forecasting: it's not mystical. It's not about gut feelings or pulling predictions out of thin air. Real forecasting is detective work. You study emerging technologies, track cultural shifts, analyze market data, and then connect the dots. Sure, maybe five percent is intuition—that spark of "aha!" when patterns suddenly align—but the other ninety-five percent? That's research, and the future is always built on the present.
According to a report from the Minderoo Centre for Technology & Democracy at the University of Cambridge, about half of surveyed novelists believe AI could 'entirely replace' their work, with 97% expressing extremely negative views about AI writing complete novels.
I know many of you are frightened. I've had my own moments of panic reading reports on AI. But here's the thing—I've navigated major industry shifts before, and I've learned that the creators (designers, authors, musicians, artists etc) who do well aren't the ones who ignore change or freeze in fear. They're the ones who adapt. So I want to share as many insights as I can and some approaches that might help.
First, let's start with the facts. Here's what's coming:
BOOKS WILL BECOME EXPERIENCES
Instead of just reading words on a page, you might step into stories using virtual reality goggles, exploring alien planets or walking through historical events as they unfold. Books could adapt to you personally - changing difficulty based on your reading level or shifting the plot based on choices you make, like a video game. You might even "feel" the story through special technology that creates sensations like wind or vibrations.
PRINT BOOKS WILL SURVIVE AS LUXURY ITEMS
Physical books will not disappear - they will become special collector items, beautifully crafted with high-quality materials like leather and hand-painted illustrations. They will be made sustainably using eco-friendly inks and recycled materials. Publishers will print books on-demand near you to reduce shipping emissions, and you will be able to return old books for recycling credits.
AI WILL HELP (BUT NOT REPLACE) AUTHORS
Artificial intelligence will assist writers by suggesting plot ideas, catching errors, and instantly translating books into any language. Some books might be entirely written by AI, especially personalized stories created just for you based on your preferences. Scary! This raises questions about what counts as "real" authorship that society will need to address.
READING WILL BE PERSONALIZED
Platforms will know exactly what you like to read and when, suggesting the perfect book for your mood. You might read stories delivered in daily episodes like a TV show, or customize books by choosing whose perspective to follow. Mystery novels could have different endings depending on your choices.
PUBLISHING WILL BE MORE DEMOCRATIC
Authors will use blockchain technology (secure digital records) to get paid fairly and instantly. Readers will help fund books they want to see published and might even help shape the story. Translation technology will make books from every culture accessible to everyone, breaking down language barriers and sharing diverse voices globally.
SUSTAINABILITY WILL BE CENTRAL
Digital reading platforms will run on renewable energy. Physical books will use biodegradable materials. Publishers will adopt "circular economy" models where you can return books to be remade into new ones. Everything will be designed to minimize environmental impact.
EDUCATION WILL TRANSFORM
Textbooks will come alive with augmented reality - science students conducting virtual lab experiments, history students experiencing ancient civilizations firsthand. Learning materials will constantly update and adapt to each student pace.
THE CORE REMAINS THE SAME
Despite all these changes, publishing fundamental purpose stays unchanged: connecting people through stories and knowledge. Whether you are holding a luxurious printed book or immersed in a virtual world, the goal is to inform, entertain, and inspire. The future of publishing will be more inclusive, sustainable, and technologically advanced, but still centered on the timeless human need for storytelling.
So how do we prepare for what's coming? How do we stay visible and relevant when the market gets flooded with AI-generated content? When readers are wading through an ocean of algorithmically-produced books, how do we make sure they can still find us—the real humans with real stories to tell? I've been thinking about this a lot.
Embrace Technology as a Tool, Not a Threat
Use AI as your assistant rather than seeing it as competition. Let it help with research, summaries, first drafts of translations (trust me, you'll still need a human for it to read human), first drafts of marketing copy (same), or brainstorming plot ideas (I would personally never use this as it takes the fun out of the process) - but keep your unique creative vision at the center. The human elements of storytelling - emotional depth, authentic cultural perspectives, and complex character development - are what AI struggles to replicate.
Protect Your Work
Stay informed about copyright laws and AI training practices. Consider joining author organizations that are actively negotiating for fair use policies and compensation when work is used to train AI models. Be proactive about monitoring where your books appear online and who is claiming authorship.
Build Direct Relationships with Readers
Your newsletter and personal shop are already ahead of the curve here. The future favors authors who have direct connections with their audience rather than relying solely on traditional gatekeepers. These relationships become your safety net - readers who value your voice specifically, not just any story.
Diversify Your Offerings
Consider how your stories could translate into other formats - audiobooks narrated by you, limited edition print versions with special features, interactive elements, or even immersive experiences to reachaudiences in multiple ways. Technology for the latter will be available in a few years. Stay flexible and keep learning.
Focus on What AI Cannot Do
Lean into complex, nuanced storytelling that requires deep human understanding - cultural authenticity, emotional intelligence, moral ambiguity, and lived experience. Your novels draw on perspectives and insights that AI simply does not have. That authenticity is your competitive advantage.
Emphasize Your Unique Voice
The more AI-generated content floods the market, the more valuable authentic human voices become. Your specific experiences, your perspective, your particular way of crafting romance - these become more precious, not less, in a world full of algorithmically generated stories.
Readers will always crave genuine human connection through storytelling.
There's little point fighting it. I've accepted AI as part of our reality now, and like most transformative technologies, it's not inherently good or evil—it's how we use it that matters. Yes, AI poses serious threats. It could deepen inequality, disrupt entire industries, and yes, it might even contribute to geopolitical conflicts. But it also has extraordinary potential to save lives. AI is already helping doctors diagnose diseases earlier, assisting in the development of personalized medicine, and supporting search and rescue operations for missing people. The technology itself is neutral; it's a tool. We're the first generation who has to figure out how to navigate a world where it exists—there's no roadmap, no one who's done this before us. It will affect generation Beta, but that's a blog post for another time :)
At the end of the day, what we do as authors is profoundly human. We take our experiences, our heartbreaks, our joy, our observations of the world, and we transform them into something that makes another person feel included or understood. That's not something an algorithm can replicate. When a reader stays up until 3am because they need to know what happens next, when they cry over a character's loss, when they see themselves reflected in your words for the first time—that's human connection. That's you reaching across time and space to touch someone's heart. AI can string words together, but it can't pour a lifetime of lived experience onto the page. It can't write from the marrow of its bones because it has no bones. It has no scars, no late-night revelations, no moment when everything suddenly made sense, or when everything seemed hopeless. We do. And that's why we'll always matter.
