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At Kevin Anderson & Associates, we believe that great books are created by humans, not machines. Writing and editing are deeply human crafts, shaped by insight, judgement, experience, and collaboration. We work closely with authors to bring their ideas, stories, and voices to life, helping every book reach its fullest potential, and we value and respect that responsibility.
Our team of highly-skilled editors combines professional expertise with a love of literature and a deep understanding of publishing. We guide manuscripts through every stage, from shaping ideas and refining structure to polishing language and ensuring clarity, originality, and impact. Every decision is grounded in human insight, careful thought, and the standards that make a book truly exceptional.
This ethos guides everything we do: delivering books that are authentic, compelling, and unmistakably human, while supporting our authors with care, creativity, and professional excellence.
Our position on AI is informed by three key values:
Our Philosophy. We believe that the development of a book – from shaping ideas and voice, to making nuanced ethical and editorial decisions – demands human judgement and lived experience. These are not processes that can be delegated to generative systems without compromising quality, integrity and originality.
Our Standards. When we work on a manuscript, every creative and editorial decision is made in collaboration with one of our highly experienced and professional editors, all of whom have a deep understanding of the publishing industry. Our team has a shared belief in the importance of taking an ethical approach to working with our clients, and we take that responsibility very seriously. This ensures originality, protects intellectual property, and preserves the author’s voice.
Industry Insight. Authors, agents, publishers, and readers increasingly and rightly expect transparency around how books are made. Our established relationships across the book industry keep us closely informed about how AI is evolving and being addressed in publishing.
When we refer to AI, we mean generative artificial intelligence systems, which are distinct from assistive or non-creative tools. Generative AI systems are designed to produce original-seeming text, content, or analysis using prediction-based models trained on large datasets. This includes systems that generate, rewrite, expand, summarize, evaluate, or stylistically imitate written material.
The use of generative AI systems is not approved within the context of our services. This applies in all cases, including where AI-produced output is used directly, edited by a human, or combined with human-written content.
This definition does not extend to assistive, non-creative software functions, such as spellcheckers, grammar and formatting tools, or internal automation used solely for administrative or operational purposes.
A generative AI system cannot replace a human being. A human editor at KAA comes to your manuscript with the professional experience of having edited hundreds of prior manuscripts, as well as the human experience of having read thousands of books across a lifetime. Their knowledge of literature combined with their insight into the publishing industry inform all editorial suggestions they make. They interpret nuance, ask challenging questions, and shape ideas, voice, and meaning in ways that AI simply cannot replicate.
When a book is being ghostwritten, skilled interviewing plays a critical role. The writer has to gauge and intuit the nuances of a story and the emotions behind it. Unlike generative AI, a human can read facial expressions and body language, allowing them to identify when an author is holding back, or when a certain topic evokes strong emotions or suggests sensitive subject matter. They can read the emotional tone of a conversation and adapt their approach accordingly, fostering trust and openness, enabling them to get to the heart of an author’s real story, and their vision for the book. Most importantly, they can ask the right questions at the right moments, tapping into personal experiences and insights with a level of sensitivity and understanding that is just not possible for a machine to achieve.
Generative AI carries significant risks for authors, publishers, and the integrity of a book. AI systems generate text by predicting patterns from existing data rather than understanding meaning, context, or originality. This means they produce generic, formulaic prose, struggle with narrative coherence, and lack the human discernment needed to capture an author’s voice or explore complex ideas. They can only create content from content that already exists; so while outputs may appear new, they are fundamentally derivative. This creates significant ethical and legal risks, including plagiarism, misattribution and/or unclear ownership.
Publishers and agents require confirmation that a manuscript has not been generated in whole or in part by AI. This includes the self-publishing platform Amazon KDP.
At KAA, we use artificial intelligence in a limited and responsible manner to support efficiency, accuracy, and accessibility, while maintaining human oversight and accountability at all times. We do not approve or rely on generative AI systems to create, interpret, or evaluate substantive content. Any AI-enabled tools used in the books we work on are restricted to non-creative, assistive functions and do not replace human judgement, authorship, or decision-making. This approach ensures that our work remains grounded in expertise, originality, and ethical standards, while safeguarding quality, integrity, and trust.
In summary, we are committed to the creation, development, and publication of books that are conceived, written, and developed by human authors. We believe original thought, authorial voice, and creative responsibility are essential to producing work that is meaningful and credible. While we recognize the limited role that assistive, non-creative technologies may play in supporting administrative or technical tasks, we do not approve the use of generative artificial intelligence in the development of substantive content. Our work prioritizes human judgement, accountability, and intellectual integrity, ensuring that every book we publish reflects genuine human authorship and meets the highest editorial and ethical expectations.