Illustration from Bloomsbury FB
LONDON, Oct 27: More authors will lean on AI to spark creativity and beat writer’s block, says the boss of “Harry Potter” publisher Bloomsbury.
Nigel Newton, the publisher’s founder and chief executive, said the technology can support almost all of the creative arts but that it would not have the power to replace big names.
“I think AI will probably help creativity, because it will enable the eight billion people on the planet to get started on some creative area where they might have hesitated to take the first step,” he told the PA news agency.
He used the example of writer’s block, saying: “AI gets them going and writes the first paragraph, or first chapter, and gets them back in the zone.
“And it can do similar things with painting and music composition and with almost all of the creative arts.”
Newton, who signed JK Rowling to the publisher in the 1990s, acknowledged concerns that AI could be used to write entire books, saying that would be a “problem.”
But he stressed that, ultimately, readers want to read books penned by well-known writers.
“We are programmed deep in our DNA to be comforted by the authority and the reliability of big brand names, and that applies more than ever to the names of big writers,” he said.
“There will be some shoddy content out there so people will turn increasingly to sources of authority for reassurance” that they will spend hours reading something good, the chief executive said.
Bloomsbury’s sales have been boosted in recent years by a handful of best-selling authors, namely fantasy writer Sarah J Maas.
Her series, including “A Court of Thorns and Roses,” has sold millions of copies around the world, and she has been described by Bloomsbury as a “publishing phenomenon.”
The “Harry Potter” franchise also remains a bestseller for the publisher, 28 years after the first book was published.
Newton said Gen Z readers were driving a resurgence for physical books, with Maas’s series an example of those that have been popularised by social media.
“I guess it’s a reaction to the pixelated world that we live in,” he told PA.
“People want a thing of beauty that they can hang onto… It’s human instinct.
“The bookshelf is an important part of many homes… It’s all part of a museum of your own mind and your own journey as a reader.”
Trends such as “BookTok” on video-sharing app TikTok and influencers on Instagram sharing their favourite titles have helped attract a new cohort of younger readers.
Bloomsbury revealed sales of £160 million (US$213 million) over the first half of 2025, slightly lower than the £180 million (US$239 million) made in the same period last year.
Meanwhile, it hailed its first AI licensing deal, which will allow it to sell academic works to train up generative AI programmes.
Newton stressed that Bloomsbury’s authors will have the opportunity to “opt-in” to the scheme and will be paid royalties if they decide to let their work be used, adding that many of its authors have indicated a willingness to take part.
He has previously warned that the work of publishers and authors must be protected from being used for AI training without their permission.
–BERNAMA-PA Media/dpa