If you’ve used tools like Grammarly or ProWritingAid, then you already know about the power of automated tools to improve grammar, style, and punctuation. And both now offer AI features: Grammarly in fact brands itself as “free AI writing assistance” and ProWritingAid offers the AI Sparks feature to edit writing or continue writing with assistance. While such tools don’t obviate the need for a professional editor, they help countless writers polish their work and can do a good enough job for certain projects.
Professional editors tend to use a different set of automated tools to support their work, and since AI is worming itself into all facets of work life these days, it can also be found in the software they use. So what are professional editors using? A recent panel hosted by the Book Industry Study Group looked at available tools and how they will change editorial work. Panelists included publishing vet Thad McIlroy; Erin Servais of AI for Editors; and Peter Brantley, known for his work convening the Books in Browsers conference.
First: The work edited by humans remains, by far, preferred and no one expects editors to be phased out. McIlroy shared the results of a recent study showing that large language models (LLMs) don’t produce the same level of editing quality as a human editor. And even though the technology is advancing swiftly, that doesn’t mean the editor’s role goes away. But a lot of the granular, repetitive, and mechanical work might.
One of the AI copyediting tools demonstrated was editGPT. Servais showed how easy it is to use and that you don’t have to understand anything about AI to get good results. It comes with pre-built options or buttons you click to give the AI instructions, such as proofread, streamline, concise, and so on—or you can create your own prompt buttons. Once finished, you can export your results into a Microsoft Word file with tracked changes, so you know exactly what’s been edited. The tool is free for 10,000 words per month (600 words per request), with paid plans for higher usage.
For editors who don’t wish to use AI tools directly, Servais showed how to use ChatGPT to build a macro for Microsoft Word. A macro is a set of instructions that helps automate tasks, like formatting text or applying styles. All you have to do, quite literally, is ask ChatGPT, “Please write a macro for Microsoft Word VBA that [your instructions].” Then you add the code that ChatGPT spits out as a macro to your version of Microsoft Word. In side conversations, attendees noted that the company behind PerfectIt, a popular add-on tool for editors using Microsoft Word, recently released a separate AI tool, Draftsmith, that also works inside Microsoft Word.
But wait, what about potential infringement and regurgitation of your material if you use AI models? Much depends on what models you’re using and how you’re using them. The tools discussed do not ingest and train on the material you’re editing. If you use the paid version of ChatGPT, you can disallow training on your material. Panelists admitted there can be a big asterisk on all of this, but regardless: Usually there are many, many steps between submitting a document to an AI interface and the final, edited material that is published.
Bottom line: Brantley said technology companies ultimately want people to have the increasing ability to give instruction to AI models that are beyond immediate or task-based work and more session based. Instead of saying “help me edit this paragraph,” an editor can ask AI for help reviewing it, and that review might mean that the AI checks other texts in your library for comparable patterns and even begins to think about marketing considerations. He said, “I think we can look to a future where AI capabilities are increasingly integrated with the kinds of workflows that publishers have. And they’re not just compartmentalized.” AI tools could help editors work through a manuscript in the context of all the other work that the editor is doing and what the publishing company is doing as well.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
