JOHANNESBURG, Gauteng — As the publishing industry grapples with the rapid integration of artificial intelligence, a prominent South African AI author is pushing back against the stigma. Carol Hart, a pseudonymous writer who has published more than 370 books in just 20 months using artificial intelligence, is defending her highly productive process following a similar controversy involving a traditionally published novelist.
Industry Controversy and the Defense of AI Writing
Hart’s defense comes in the wake of a high-profile publishing controversy surrounding Thélyson Orélien, a Haitian Canadian author who was recently dropped by his publisher after it was discovered he used artificial intelligence to write his novel. While Orélien faced severe professional consequences for his use of the technology, Hart is standing her ground, arguing that AI is simply the next evolutionary step in storytelling and market adaptation.
A Step-by-Step Approach to AI Book Generation
Detailing her methodology, Hart described an AI system deeply rooted in traditional craft, good editing, compelling stories, and a strong understanding of the reader and the market. According to Hart, the process is highly collaborative and structured, requiring the author to guide the technology at every stage.
“You’re going to tell it what you want to write. You’re going to tell it who your characters are. You’re going to tell it how they connect,” Hart explained.
The system relies on established narrative frameworks, allowing the user to input specific story beats. Hart noted that writers can utilize proven structures such as “Save the Cat,” “Romancing the Beat,” or traditional thriller beats. The technology then builds the story step-by-step. The workflow progresses from character creation to plot point creation, followed by beat sheet creation and chapter outlining, before finally generating the first draft.
To maximize efficiency and narrative quality, Hart highlighted that the system can generate up to five books in a single run. This approach, she argues, ensures “serious cohesion” and “serious consistency” across the generated narratives.
Navigating Backlash and the E-Book Parallel
Despite her commercial success, Hart’s embrace of the technology has not been without severe personal costs. She revealed that she has received thousands of hate messages and several death threats from critics fiercely opposed to machine-assisted literature.
However, the financial results of her AI-assisted workflow speak for themselves. Hart estimates that she has earned more than $1 million this year, with the vast majority of her output consisting of romance novels.
To her critics, Hart offers a historical parallel, comparing the current anti-AI sentiment to the publishing industry’s initial resistance to digital reading.
“I lived through the paperback to Kindle change,” Hart stated, recalling the early days of digital publishing. “I was an author right at the beginning of that and I saw what happened to the authors who said, ‘I’ll never have ebooks. Those are not real books. I won’t do that. Only paperbacks.’ And it was a hill they chose to die on.”
Her stance on the current technological shift is clear: resisting advancement in the modern publishing landscape is a losing battle. “You can’t back against tech in today’s world,” she concluded.
