Generative AI is not used by DS Books - and never will be.

DS Books began as an Etsy store selling hand-crafted notebooks made using traditional bookbinding methods. While the catalogue has grown to include fiction and other craft products, the ethos remains the same: human creations for human consumption.

As an author and publisher, my opinion is that AI and art should be separate. I refuse to use generative AI in the creation or production of my novels - my personal opinion is that AI has a terrible impact on the environment and on the intellectual property rights of fellow creatives. I also find it a little creepy, to be honest.

Text production, editing and file formatting for all my novels are completed by myself using Microsoft Word, Calibre (to export to ePub), and a standard Windows PC.

Marketing graphics created in Canva using my own original artwork and frames shared by the indie author community.

All of my designs are created through two avenues: physical mediums and digital drawings.

Portraits are rendered using acrylic paint on canvas, using a real photo for reference. Jewellery is created using UV-resin and wire. Digital art is drawn on an iPad using Apple Pencil and Procreate. Reference images for illustrations and fonts for book covers are open-source, from reputable royalty-free websites.

Low cost. Piracy-free. Ethical. And infinitely better than AI-slop.