AI in Publishing:

How can AI support writers, publishers and editors and what are the critical challenges one must keep in mind while working with AI?

AI should be seen not as a replacement for human creativity, but as a ‘smart colleague’ or a ‘second brain’ that is available 24/7.

For writers, AI can act as an early developmental partner—it is excellent for unblocking writer’s block, brainstorming plot points, or testing the logic of a narrative arc. For editors, the technology handles the drudgery. Much of editing involves mechanical tasks—checking consistency, formatting, and basic hygiene. AI handles these with speed, freeing the editor to focus on taste, nuance, and emotional intelligence.

For publishers, the primary benefit is savings on costs, efficiency and ‘time-to-market.’ Traditionally, the editorial process is a major bottleneck in terms of time to market. By integrating AI, publishers can handle higher volumes of manuscripts and drastically reduce the time spent on the process of editing without compromising quality. I also feel that when you cut down on the time taken in the editorial process, authors have more time to handle revisions through subsequent drafts, leading to better books.

The critical challenge is over-reliance. AI lacks cultural context and the human soul; it cannot understand the emotional resonance of a scene in the way a person can. We must also guard against ‘Shadow AI’ usage—where professionals use generic tools covertly without training. We need to bring AI usage into the light to ensure it is used well, and that the final decision points always rest with a human editor.

Can you tell us about the application you have developed at Editrix?

Editrix was born out of a desire to make high-quality editing accessible to everyone. We have built a platform that combines the precision of professional editorial standards with the efficiency of LLMs. Our flagship features include a Prompt Library designed specifically for publishing workflows—from developmental editing to refining blurbs—and ‘Inline Prompts,’ which work at the sentence level.

We operate with a global mindset. While we have deep roots in the Indian publishing ecosystem, we work with writers and publishers across the US, UK, and India and beyond.

As for accomplishments, I would highlight:

• Empowering Smaller Publishing Houses: Independent publishers are using our tool to level the playing field. Smaller presses often have brilliant curation but operate with lean teams. We are seeing these publishers use Editrix to draft submission letters, refine pitches, and handle edits. This allows them to punch well above their weight and get their authors noticed in a crowded market, rivalling the output of much larger corporations.
• Efficiency Gains: We have seen freelance editors using Editrix increase their capacity from two books a month to six, effectively tripling their capacity without compromising quality.
• Global Bridges: We are also helping non-native English speakers polish their manuscripts to a global standard, ensuring their brilliant research or storytelling isn’t overlooked simply due to language barriers.

How do you think the sanctity of literary content and creativity be upheld and how can intellectual property of authors and editors be protected?

The sanctity of literary content relies on the understanding that AI is a tool for refinement, not creation. The original spark, the voice, and the story comes from the human author.

Regarding Intellectual Property, my stance is: IP belongs to the creator. The fear that AI companies are harvesting content is valid. That is why at Editrix, we have taken a ‘privacy-first’ or ‘walled garden’ approach. We do not train our models on the manuscripts our users upload. When an author or publisher uploads a file to us, it remains theirs and is not fed back into a database. To protect IP, the industry needs trusted tools that respect creator rights by design.

What future do you see for literary translators and do you think they will be replaced by AI?

Translation is an art of cultural interpretation, not just linguistic swapping. AI struggles with idiom, humour, subtext, and the ‘music’ of the language.

However, the role of the translator will certainly evolve. AI is becoming very capable of producing a ‘zero draft’ or helping with glossary consistency, which speeds up the process significantly. This allows the human translator to move from being a ‘drafter’ to a ‘curator’ or ‘polisher,’ spending their time on the creative nuances rather than the basics. I also see a future where AI helps publishers assess the commercial viability of books in languages they don’t speak, potentially leading to more books being acquired for translation.

What are the trends to watch out for in the future?

I see three major trends on the horizon:

• The ‘Podcast Book’ and Hybrid Formats: AI is making it possible to create high-quality audio experiences from text instantly. I see interactive audio as a potential format for the future. We may also see a future where readers can switch effortlessly between reading a chapter and listening to it, unlocking backlists that never had the budget for traditional audiobook production.
• The Interactive ‘Brand Chatbot’: We are moving toward a situation where a book is not just a static object but an interactive knowledge base. In the future, non-fiction authors and brands will create specialized chatbots based on their IP, like Ray Dalio has just done. Readers won’t just read a book; they will be able to query it to solve specific problems, turning literature into an evolving, conversational advisory tool. I see huge potential here, particularly in self-help.
• High Taste and the Next Generation: As routine tasks become automated, human editors with ‘high taste’ and exceptional judgment will be in greater demand than ever before. AI also has a critical role to play in education. I believe AI has the potential to train the next generation of editors who may not have access to traditional mentorship. In a remote-first world where the old apprenticeship model is fading, AI can act as a rigorous coach, helping junior editors master the craft of structure and style.

Meru Gokhale is a seasoned publishing professional with two decades of experience in the literary world. Former Publisher of The Penguin Press Group in India, she has worked with writers such as Salman Rushdie, Amitav Ghosh, Ramachandra Guha, Jhumpa Lahiri, and Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee, among many others. She is the CEO of Editrix.