5 Ways to Protect Your Writing in the Age of AI!

@2026 The Author’s Writer

In the mind of every book author or would-be author is the topic of AI, a major disruptive force in the book industry. The emergence of AI, which is not going to go away anytime soon or ever, actually, and which will probably not make things better for authentic writers, will continue to disrupt the paths of authentic creatives and their work. Authors who know and love their craft never asked for AI, yet they contributed to it unwillingly when their works were stolen and fed into hungry AI machines for corporate greed and gain. Those who always wished they could write now have what they call a “tool” (their word, not mine) to help them think more clearly and to act as a collaborative writing partner. For those who love and embrace AI, even though we’re not sure exactly what it’s going to do in the future or what impact it will have on any of us, AI has become their new love, their panacea. They don’t have to work so hard or learn how to write at all. But, for creatives who love the craft, AI has caused a complete mess. There are those who try to embrace it but realize that it has serious flaws, like hallucinations and its typical output of flowery “slop,” as so many besides me have already called it.

For those authors who wish to create authentic IP, and protect the work that is near and dear to them, here are things they can do today.

1. Copyright. Once the book is completed, immediately register it with the U.S. Copyright Office. U.S. copyrights are only granted to works created with human authorship. You must disclose if you used any form of AI, including illustrations. On your copyrights page in the beginning of your book, you can also state explicitly, “No AI Training.”

2. Stop being so trusting of AI. When you feed your original work into any AI program, how do you really know what’s happening to your IP? You don’t. I can’t say for sure, since there are so many forms of AI and LLMs, but you may very well be feeding an LLM with more consumable data. That includes AI editing programs, AI book reviewing programs, etc. If you need feedback, it’s always best to ask a real human. After all, humans read books, not AI. Connect with other writers. Join a writing group or enlist the services of a writing coach or other writing professional.

3. Read the fine print. It will do you no harm to take the time to read the fine print, i.e. the licensing agreements for any software, social media, or LLM. But keep in mind that licensing agreements can always change. Most people don’t read the fine print. They just click, “Okay.”

4. Use NDA’s. Before sending anyone your work in process, have them sign an NDA (nondisclosure agreement.) Make it know that you will not allow anyone to download your IP into an LLM. Require that any ARC readers, reviewers, editors, proofreaders, etc. follow your wishes. It may be preferable to send them a print copy to read and review versus a digital copy, if possible.

5. Stay real. The digital world is becoming more and more inundated with AI nonsense each day, which in my opinion, is making reading online content quite predictable, boring, and unoriginal. To protect your work from digital theft, you may consider selling and distributing print books instead of digital copies, which are much easier to steal, especially from the big online bookstore, which offers hardly any policing or oversight.

Today, this list is short, but I’m sure in the future there will be more innovative ways we can protect our original work. So, stay tuned.