How we work
Author42’s Editorial AI Principles
Author42 builds AI tools for people who write nonfiction. Our tools align with the standards set by writers and professional author organizations. We believe that creativity comes first. This FAQ answers the questions writers ask us most about how AI works inside Author42 and what that means for your manuscript.
Nonfiction42 helps aspiring authors turn their knowledge, experiences and interests into compelling nonfiction book ideas. Through personalized conversations with Morrow, an AI-powered coach, authors refine their central idea, explore potential nonfiction genres and identify their target audience before they start to write. The framework we developed not only teaches authors what goes into writing a book, from researching tactics to find evidence to support an argument to creating the outline, but also what’s involved in turning a manuscript into a self-published book.
Nonfiction42 also helps authors understand the implications of using generative artificial intelligence in the writing process, particularly when it comes to federal copyright protection. Under U.S. copyright law, human-authored expression is eligible for protection, and AI-generated content is permitted so long as it makes up a de minimis, or trifling, amount of the work. Determining where to draw the line is difficult because the industry lacks a reliable way to establish provenance, meaning which text was AI-generated and which was human-written. AI detectors aren’t reliable enough to serve as evidence, so we don’t use them. For copyright purposes, using AI to outline and inspire ideas is acceptable because you can’t copyright ideas, only the expression of them.
Although publishers and professional organizations are establishing their own policies governing acceptable AI use, no uniform, industrywide standard exists. Nonfiction42 helps authors navigate these evolving expectations through educational guidance, practical explanations and authoritative resources, including those published by the U.S. Copyright Office. Nonfiction42 does not provide legal advice.
What is the difference between copyright eligibility and acceptable AI use in publishing?
Copyright eligibility and acceptable AI use in publishing are two different issues. Under U.S. copyright law, original human-authored expression may qualify for federal copyright protection, even when artificial intelligence assists in the writing process. However, material generated solely by AI is not protected by copyright.
Publishers, literary agents and professional organizations may establish their own policies governing the use and disclosure of AI-generated content. A manuscript may qualify for copyright protection but still fail to meet a publisher’s requirements for acceptable AI use. That’s because restrictions written into a publishing agreement are governed by contract law, which is distinct from copyright law. Violating those contractual requirements could have consequences even when the manuscript qualifies for copyright protection.
Nonfiction42 helps authors understand these distinctions so they can make informed decisions about using AI while maintaining control over their work. We provide educational guidance and resources, not legal advice.
Who is the author of a book written on Author42?
You are.
Claiming authorship means the words, ideas and imaginings are yours. CLARA and our other tools question, critique and organize. They do not write for you, though we offer that option. You are responsible for the manuscript you deliver to a publisher or publish yourself, including its accuracy, sourcing and originality.
What does Author42 use AI for?
AI supports the work around the writing.
That includes editorial feedback, structure, research, formatting and export. When you use AI for research, treat its output as background, the way you would treat any third-party source: verify and attribute.
Can I trust what the AI tells me?
Verify everything.
Large language models produce false statements and present them as fact. They carry the biases of their training data and of the people who tune them. Check each fact against a source, and review output for gender, racial, socioeconomic and other bias before you rely on it unless you are the subject matter expert and can defend the answer.
Do I have to disclose AI use?
Transparency is foundational.
Readers have a right to know whether a human wrote the book they bought. If AI generated a substantial share of your text, say so in the front matter of a book or at the foot of an article. Tell your agent and publisher at the start, and ask your editor whether the house has its own AI rules.
Can I copyright a book that contains AI-generated text?
U.S. copyright law protects human authorship.
You can copyright the parts of a book you wrote or substantially rewrote, but any more-than-trivial AI-generated text is uncopyrightable. When registering, you must disclose and exclude that AI-generated material in the application’s limitation section, usually with a brief, general description rather than a line-by-line list. Knowingly leaving it out can invalidate your registration. If your publisher files for you, let them know which sections involved AI so they can disclaim them accurately.
Could AI use put my publishing contract at risk?
Your warranty of originality still applies.
Book contracts require you to warrant that the manuscript is your original work, and AI-generated text may breach that warranty. If your book calls for AI text, such as a character who uses a chatbot, get your publisher’s approval and have the contract or an amendment reflect it.
Can I use Author42 to write in another author’s style?
Respect your fellow authors.
Do not use AI to copy or mimic another writer’s voice or style in ways that harm the value of their work. Beyond the ethics, imitation can expose you to claims of unfair competition or copyright infringement.
What happens to the manuscript I upload?
Your manuscript belongs to you, and we do not train AI on it.
You keep the copyright and every other right in your work. Uploading gives Author42 permission to store and process your text for one purpose: running the tools you choose to use. We do not train or fine-tune any model on your manuscripts, notes, research or prompts, and our contracts with model providers bar them from doing so. Those providers receive the passages a tool needs to produce a response and may hold them for up to 30 days to detect abuse. We do not sell your work or share it with publishers, advertisers or data brokers. No Author42 employee reads your manuscript unless you ask for support or the law requires it. Your files are encrypted in transit and at rest. You can export your work at any time, and when you delete a manuscript or close your account, we remove it from our systems within 30 days. If any of this changes, we will tell you before the change takes effect and ask for your consent before applying it to work you have uploaded. Review our privacy policy and terms of use to see how we handle your work.
What about the people who work on my book?
Your collaborators should follow the same rules.
Put written contracts in place with ghostwriters, co-authors, editors and book coaches that require them to disclose AI use and bar more-than-trivial AI-generated text without your written approval. Before you replace a translator, narrator, illustrator or indexer with AI, weigh the cost to that person’s profession. Where you do use AI, choose tools trained on licensed material.
Will these principles change?
Yes.
We will update this page as the law, publishing practice and our tools change.
More questions about plans, accounts and how the apps work are answered in the FAQ.