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Authors are set to increasingly utilise artificial intelligence to spark creativity and overcome writer's block, according to the boss of Harry Potter publisher Bloomsbury. Nigel Newton, the publisher’s founder and chief executive, said the technology could support almost all creative arts, but stressed it would not replace big names. He told the PA news agency: "I think AI will probably help creativity, because it will enable the eight billion people on the planet to get started on some creative area where they might have hesitated to take the first step." Using writer's block as an example, he explained: "AI gets them going and writes the first paragraph, or first chapter, and gets them back in the zone." He added that it "can do similar things with painting and music composition and with almost all of the creative arts." Mr Newton, who signed JK Rowling to the publisher in the 1990s, acknowledged concerns that AI could be used to write entire books, saying that would be a "problem." But he stressed that, ultimately, readers want to read books penned by well-known writers. “We are programmed deep in our DNA to be comforted by the authority and the reliability of big brand names, and that applies more than ever to the names of big writers,” he said. “There will be some shoddy content out there so people will turn increasingly to sources of authority for reassurance” that they will spend hours reading something good, the chief executive said. Bloomsbury’s sales have been boosted in recent years by a handful of best-selling authors, namely fantasy writer Sarah J Maas. Her series, including A Court of Thorns And Roses, has sold millions of copies around the world, and she had been described by Bloomsbury as a “publishing phenomenon”. The Harry Potter franchise also remains a bestseller for the publisher, 28 years since the first book was published. Mr Newton said Gen Z readers were driving a resurgence for physical books, with Maas’s series an example of those that have been popularised by social media. “I guess it’s a reaction to the pixelated world that we live in,” he told PA. “People want a thing of beauty that they can hang onto… it’s human instinct. “The bookshelf is an important part of many homes… it’s all part of a museum of your own mind and your own journey as a reader.” Bloomsbury revealed sales of £160 million over the first half of 2025, slightly lower than the £180 million made in the same period last year. Meanwhile, it hailed its first AI licencing deal which will allow it to sell academic works to train up generative AI programmes. Mr Newton stressed that Bloomsbury’s authors will have the opportunity to “opt-in” to the scheme and will be paid royalties if they decide to let their work be used – adding that many of its authors have indicated a willingness to take part. He has previously warned that the work of publishers and authors must be protected from being used for AI training without their permission.
