Artificial Intelligence
Publishers use AI for publicity copy and cover art
Workers at HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette said their publishers used AI tools in publicity, marketing and cover production, while company replies set out different limits on acceptable use.
- More than two dozen workers, speaking anonymously, said HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster and Hachette had started using large language models in publishing work.
- They said the tools were used to contact agents, draft publicity and back-cover copy, make cover art and produce marketing material.
- Hachette said it supported AI for operational uses that helped books reach readers but not for creative uses, while Simon & Schuster said staff had access to a limited set of approved enterprise tools; HarperCollins did not reply.
- Simon & Schuster staff said the company was exploring Skan AI after encouragement from KKR and had gathered signatures on an open letter opposing it, and Greg Greeley said on 6 October that no decision had been made on Blueprint or any similar monitoring tool.
More than two dozen workers, speaking anonymously, said the three publishers had started using large language models in publishing work. They said the tools were used to contact agents, draft publicity and back-cover text, make cover art and produce marketing material.
At HarperCollins, employees said senior managers bought Claude licences from Anthropic and then asked staff to find uses for them in monthly sessions. Workers said the company also bought ChatGPT and Jasper, and that some staff raised concerns about the legal, ethical and environmental effects.
Workers at Simon & Schuster and Hachette described similar use of AI for publicity copy. Hachette said it backed AI for operational work that helped books reach readers but not for creative communication, while Simon & Schuster said its staff could use only approved enterprise tools. HarperCollins did not respond.
Simon & Schuster staff said the company was exploring Skan AI after encouragement from KKR, and they collected signatures on an open letter against it. On 6 October, Greg Greeley said the company had only been looking at Blueprint and had made no decision.
Named in this story
People
- Greg Greeley
- Simon & Schuster chief executive who sent the memo on Blueprint
- Wibke Grutjen
- Simon & Schuster marketing chief who described approved AI access
Companies
- HarperCollins
- one of the publishers staff said used AI and bought Claude licences
- Simon & Schuster
- one of the publishers staff said used AI and explored Skan AI
- Hachette
- one of the publishers staff said used AI and issued a policy response
- Anthropic
- sold Claude licences to HarperCollins
- OpenAI
- sent representatives to a Simon & Schuster workshop
- KKR
- investment firm staff said urged the Skan AI trial and owned Simon & Schuster
Products and systems
- Claude
- AI tool HarperCollins bought and staff used
- ChatGPT
- AI tool HarperCollins staff said was also purchased and used
- Jasper
- marketing platform HarperCollins staff said the company bought
- Skan AI
- workflow and monitoring software Simon & Schuster staff said was being tested
- Blueprint
- the Skan AI product Greg Greeley said the company was exploring
How the source tells it
The article was written as a reported exposé, with a sceptical tone built from anonymous employee accounts, company replies and concern over hidden AI use.
- unease anonymous employee testimony and complaints about being pushed to use the tools
- suspicion claims about AI-written rejection letters and a memo checked with detection software
- pressure layoffs and competition were used to present adoption as unavoidable