Fiction author Edoardo Albert on how AI is a threat to writers

Author Edoardo Albert writes historical fiction, straight history, speculative fiction and anything else that strikes his fancy.

Edoardo Albert

He once reduced a reader to helpless, hysterical laughter. Unfortunately, the piece that did so was a lonely-hearts ad. To his astonishment, he’s now up to 19 books with more on the way. In this interview he reveals how both writing and reading have contributed to his writing improving, and how he believes AI as a threat to writers.

Find Edoardo online at Edoardoalbert.com, on Facebook as EdoardoAlbert.writer, for Instagram he is @edoardoalbert.writer and on Twitter @EdoardoAlbert.

On Creative Writing: Has your writing evolved over the years? If so, how has this happened? Through writing experience? By reading a lot? From writing courses, writing communities, or something else?

Writing and reading have helped improve Edoardo's writing

Edoardo Albert: It’s got better! And it’s got better by writing and reading. I’ve not found writing courses much help, nor writing communities (although they can be helpful for support and information). Writing is a craft and an art. The art depends on the craft and that craft can only be honed by the doing. So write!

On Creative Writing: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Edoardo Albert: Both, in varying degrees. Where I’ve done tie-in writing, for example for the Warhammer 40k universe, I’ve had to provide a detailed story outline and then keep to it. With historical fiction, I am obviously constrained by what actually happened, although there is creative freedom within these constraints in establishing characters who would plausibly do what actually happened. But I also like starting a story without knowing where it is going, although in these cases the story can sometimes peter out.

On Creative Writing: If you’ve been published, how did you find your first publisher?

Traditional publisher has provided editorial and cover design benefits

Edoardo Albert: Yes, up until now all my books have been traditionally published. I’ve enjoyed working with my different publishers. In terms of what advantages they offer, for me it has mainly been with respect to editorial input making my books better, and cover design. In particular, I think the covers for my Northumbrian Thrones series are exceptional. So far as marketing is concerned, I think the main push these days has to come from the writer, unless you are a very high-profile author.

AI is a threat to writers

On Creative Writing: Do you see generative AI as a benefit or a threat to writers?

Edoardo Albert: It’s difficult to see it being anything other than a threat. However, I suspect it will be worst for writers who work within established intellectual properties, such as the Warhammer universe. There, the average reader is more concerned with learning more about the universe; a moderately competent story that reveals new information about the setting or features popular characters will get many more sales than an exceptional story on peripheral characters that sheds no new light on the world. These sorts of stories seem to be exceptionally vulnerable to AI as it's the editors who look after the intellectual property and, frankly, they could work just as easily with AI as with human writers.

On Creative Writing: Do you edit as you write, or write and edit later?

Edoardo Albert: Write first, edit later.