First thing's first: the AI storm has me deeply worried. I've been part of the writing "scene" since finishing high school, nearly 30 years ago. Back then, when I was starting out, I wrote fan-fiction and song parodies -- mostly as exercises to get the creative juices going -- but even then, I read widely and deeply, and studied the elements of writing (e.g. plot devices, characterization, linguistic devices like metaphors and similes and so on, setting up a joke and delivering a punchline, etc. etc.) I've since written eight critiqued books, and currently writing my ninth. So I know how to write. But I don't know much about marketing -- and the more I looked into it, the more time-consuming it seemed. I also have a full-time job already, so I can't just drop it and promote my books on the socials. You know the old saying: don't quit your day job. Then, of course, AI changed everything. Even before ChatGPT was merely a twinkle in OpenAI's eye, I saw all kinds of scams being pulled on Amazon and other websites, like con artists ripping off book covers and even entire worlds. (There are at least 15 Harry Potter novels that have nothing to do with J. K. Rowling). AI has simply given these criminals another tool to their already bloated toolkit. The dream hasn't faded; I would still love to publish, and have explored both traditional and self-publishing. But although I'm aware of the cons, the vanity presses, and the fly-by-nighters ... I haven't experienced them myself, so I wouldn't know how to protect myself. And since the industry is new to me, I don't know who to trust. Given all of the above, it seems to me like traditional publishing is the only way to go. What do you think?
