Below, you can find the results of the research conducted into the biggest challenges faced by writers in 2024.
Key Takeaways From The Research
- 70% of responding writers said that artificial intelligence has not impacted their careers so far
- 40.8% of responding writers intend to use artificial intelligence (AI) to help with their writing in 2024
- More writers intend to self-publish a book in 2024 (61.6%) than query a literary agent (40%)
- The biggest challenges cited by responding writers included work/life/writing balance, exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, lack of motivation, Imposter Syndrome and market over-saturation caused by AI.
Aim Of The Research
Writing is tough and recent developments, such as the rise of Artificial Intelligence, threaten to make it harder. The survey set out to identify the key issues that writers are facing in 2024 and the impact that they’ve had.
Methodology
Feedback was welcomed from writers of all levels and was shared widely on social media platforms, as well as mailing lists to which many writers were subscribed.
Responses were gathered in a survey which had a total of 8 mandatory questions and one optional question.
Results Of The Research
The survey was completed by 125 writers. 65.6% of these writers described themselves as beginners, 28.8% as indie and 5.6% as traditionally published.
One of the focuses of the survey was investigating the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on writers and their careers.
Artificial Intelligence And Writers In 2024
Despite concerns about artificial intelligence posing a threat to the field of creative writing, 70.4% of writers who completed the survey confirmed that they had not been directly impacted.
29.6% stated that they had. Some of those who responded chose to share their thoughts on the impact they’d faced. Some writers described working as copywriters to supplement their writing income and reported that this type of work had dried up. However, some reported a rise in editing work, with organizations opting to generate content with AI and have humans edit it.
For fiction writers, some have reported issues with submitting stories to magazines and journals, with these organisations swamped with AI-generated content. As a result, submission calls have been closed by some magazines, such as Clarkesworld. Others described feeling “nervous” at using the technology, as well as feeling overwhelmed and demoralized by the debate surrounding its use.
On the other hand, some writers have said that it has had a positive impact on their writing. The ability to create artwork, for example, has helped with inspiration. Others cite using tools like AutoCrit to help with editing and writing prompts, as well as outlining and structure. Some writers also said they used AI to help them discuss ideas and formulate more logical ideas. Others praised the technology for its ability to help with editing, book blurbs and writing a synopsis.
Writers Using AI In 2024
Writers were also asked whether in 2024 they would use AI tools to help with their writing. This question included using AI for prompts, editing and even writing the book itself, but excluded artwork and audio.
40.8% of writers said that they intended to use AI to help with their writing, compared with 59.2% who said they wouldn’t.
Book Piracy In 2023
As part of the survey, writers were asked whether or not they found their books free to download on authorized sites. Examples of such sites include open library websites.
86.4% of those who responded confirmed that they had not experienced this issue, compared with 13.6% who had.
This is an issue that will likely affect more established authors. Given that most respondents described themselves as beginner authors, it explains why this figure is lower, yet still high in contrast to the number of indie authors and traditionally published authors who responded.
Traditional Publishing vs Self-Publishing
The survey also asked writers about their publishing intentions in 2024.
When asked if they intended to query a literary agent in 2024, just 40% of writers answered yes. 56.8% stated that they would not bother to query an agent, with 3.2% of respondents confirming that they already had one.
Interestingly, 61.6% of respondents stated that in 2024 they intended to self-publish a book, compared with 38.4% who said they wouldn’t.
This suggests a potential shift in preference toward self-publishing in contrast to the traditional method, which can be time-consuming with a low chance of success.
The Biggest Challenges For Writers In 2024
The focus of the survey was to identify the key issues writers are facing in their quest to finish and publish their books. This question was left open, with respondents able to share their own thoughts.
The majority of the responses focused on internal challenges, such as a lack of motivation, commitment to long-term projects, fears of rejection, and problems with procrastination.
Many respondents also cited balancing time between work, life and writing as a real challenge. Some referred to the cost of living crisis forcing them to work longer hours or take on extra work, meaning that their writing time is sacrificed.
Imposter Syndrome and a lack of confidence also featured heavily in responses.
Some also cited their concerns about market over-saturation spurred on by AI, though this could be linked with confidence issues too.
Rising costs for the likes of editors and book cover artists were also mentioned by several respondents, especially in the context of the low-income writers generate from their work.
Marketing was also cited by numerous writers, with issues such as costs, time and a lack of skills and knowledge as the causes of many problems.
Using This Research
The results of this research, as well as the graphs and images above, can be used for free with the prior permission of Richie Billing. Please email [email protected] to submit a request, or get in touch here.
Most nights you can find him up into the wee hours scribbling away or watching the NBA.
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