The Colophon, Reimagined
A 500-year-old tradition in publishing is now the first AI Ingredient Label for books
Using AI Wisely and Honestly
Our food has ingredient labels. Books don't, and readers have no way to know if the novel in their hands was written by a person, generated by an algorithm, or something in between. We want that to change.
Shearline Press embraces AI honestly and clearly. Our AI disclosure colophon states, based on the author's signed attestation and supporting documentation, exactly which tools were used, how, and what the author wrote. This approach is a blend of old and new. Printers have recorded the process of a book’s making in the colophon for five centuries, but we are the first to disclose how AI was used there.
We believe this can make publishing more honest, and we think it can change the industry. That’s why we’re making everything we do available here for any author or publisher to use.
The process, documentation, and tools we use are below. Please contact us with any questions.
Step-by-Step Process
5
The author completes the Author Attestation, describing in plain language which AI tools were used, at which stages, and for what purposes. The attestation is part of the publishing agreement.
The author attests
1
Along with the attestation, the author gives the publisher the material needed to check it. This includes: the final manuscript, the descriptions of how AI was used in the attestation, and transcripts of the author’s exchanges with each AI system used.
The author shares the record
2
The publisher compares the manuscript, the attestation, and the transcripts, using a review tool built in Claude (which is freely available here), to confirm the author’s account is honest and the book reflects it.
The publisher reviews
3
The designer discloses the visuals
4
The book’s designer submits the same kind of account for the cover, illustrations, and interior: which tools were used, what source material the images began from, which licenses apply, and what was composed by hand.
The colophon records how the book was made: the typefaces and who designed them, the printer, the paper and inks, and which AI tools were used in the writing and the design of the book.
The colophon is completed
Legal
Template
Claude
Skill
The AI disclosure process, the Author Attestation, and the AI Disclosure Review skill on this page are dedicated to the public domain under Creative Commons Zero (CC0 1.0). Any author or publisher may copy, adapt, and use them, including commercially, without permission or credit.