#PublishingReinvented 248 - Human Editing - How Long Will It Last?
Will Human Editors Survive?
The AI bots are coming. How long have human editors got?
You will decide.
These are the “Most Requested Areas of Support” by indie authors on X in 2025.
X posts in 2025 highlight that editing is a top concern, with many posts discussing the need for developmental editors and affordable human editing services.
Marketing is another critical area, with authors looking for budget-friendly strategies to reach readers and boost sales.
Cover design is also frequently mentioned, with authors seeking good designers or learning to DIY.
Financial management, including budgeting for costs, and time management for handling tasks are also common needs.
Additionally, emotional support, especially for imposter syndrome, is evident in discussions, reflecting the psychological challenges of self-publishing.
This Substack will attempt to address these issues as we progress.
The first is the availability of affordable human editors for developmental issues (structure/plot and character development for fiction,) and proofreading, these two editing functions cannot currently be adequately carried out well by AI.
For development editing, what tools I have looked at in AI are likely to overwhelm most authors with a long list of minor issues that need addressing, while missing key ones.
Proofreading AI bots are good at spelling and grammar, but occasionally miss issues of continuity, setting, place and tone, which a human editor is likely to pick up.
As the rush to publish fills us with a desire to just “get it out,” let’s all make a pact that at least one human with editing skills has read and commented on our work before we send it out for people to read and hopefully enjoy.
“Human edited” is likely to become a quality mark that authors can adopt to distinguish their output from the shapeless drek that the best AI produces as it attempts long form fiction.
And long may it be so. Protect our editors while we can.
I consider editors as worth protecting. See our human editing services here.
What do you think? Shall we hand it all over to the bots?
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If you have ever keyed in an email only to have the AI replace your carefully chosen word... or spelling, then you know why I am skeptical. We of the creative space play with words to heighten emotion or illustrate an action. If given a choice, I chose a human over AI.
When AI really learns to "sing the blues," then, maybe. Point is that it's still an algorithm, and no algorithm can go beyond is parameters. If AI can't write fiction, it can't edit. Someday, maybe, but not now.