Writing in 2026: What GenreCon Revealed About Creativity, Readers, AI and the Future for Authors

‘If you were guaranteed your next book would be published…would you produce the same book or would it be different?’

This was just one of the cut-through comments about being true to yourself as a creative (this one by Richard Yaxley) at the recent GenreCon.

There were plenty of wide-ranging discussions and I wanted to share with you some things that might give you ah-ha moments – whether you’re writing non-fiction or fiction.

Queensland Writers Centre’s GenreCon had a great new home this year at the gorgeous Thomas Dixon Centre in Brisbane. It again brought together a diversity of speakers and attendees – all the genres (crime, romance, scifi, horror, YA, speculation fiction etc… I was one of the very few non-fiction nerds in attendance) plus an important additional focus on manga, anime and illustration.

The time spent with other creatives made me think more about the new types of readers getting into books, the demands for readers’ attention and how being true to ourselves as writers matters more than ever.

I’ve popped some key of the key takeaways below, including on

• Writing for the new type of reader
• Plotting or pantsing
• Creativity, writing and art
• AI in creative industries
• Children’s books and graphic novels
• What to be aware of if you want your novel adapted for screen
• Being a creator
• What’s coming up for GenreCon 2027

Hope you find a wisdom in here that works for you.

Writing for a new type of reader

Something that’s been obvious to anyone in the industry over the last few years is the influx of a new type of reader. These readers haven’t had books in their hands since they were toddlers, they’ve had screens. Some of them don’t have time to spend with long books, others read with difficulty whether it be due to education, English as a second language, dyslexia etc.

Two key genres are bringing them in.

Romantasy in particular is bringing in fresh eyes – these long, immersive worlds are capturing the attention of younger women.

And the other is Graphic novels, many of them able to be read quickly, thus ensuring more can be read.

Author Michael Robothom spoke of books being written specifically for this new generation of readers, some written in small bites aligned with attention span. “It’s getting people into bookshops and keeping bookshops afloat,” he said.

Personally, I think it’ll be interesting to see the trajectory of these readers over the years as they incorporate books into their lives and move onto and through other genres including non-fiction.

On plotting, pantsing and characters

Michael Robotham’s ideas for novels begin with a what if moment. “What if a man escaped prison the day before he was meant to be released….what if… “.

He carries the idea in his head, not plotting the story out. “I want to be surprised as a writer as I’m writing.” He enjoys the feeling when characters surprise him…”Can you believe the character did that?” and is comfortable that when he finishes a scene his plot could go in four or five directions rather than being boxed into a corner.

“It’s okay to waste a bit of time as I find my way through,” he says.

In the end, he believes the plot doesn’t stick with readers anywhere near as much as the characters do.

“There are three words I live by as a writer,” said Michael, when it comes to readers: “Make them care”.

On creativity, writing and art

Loved listened to this panel share their thoughts on creativity.

Marisa Pintado: ‘Find ways to make whatever you are creating weird or interesting in a way that tickles your brain, that makes your synapses fire. That is the important thing in making art and writing books that will stand out, rather than being pulled toward the centre.’

Nick Rees: ‘Keep making what you love. Don’t create for money or optics or someone else. That never works and it will all crumble. You need the foundation of loving what you do, the passion and fervour.’

Christof Bogacs: ‘You need to be relentless – and get better and take on critique. It’s a war of attrition, every story or image is a bullet and you need to keep firing and one will hit. It doesn’t matter what comics and creativity will ask of me – I will always say yes. I know I will never give it up.’

On Ai

These conversations made me think even more deeply about how the use of generative AI in the arts is not about creation, but regurgitation. Regurgitation of the stolen works of other creatives.

Nick Rees (artist and illustrator) on how AI has become a substantial threat to the business of writing and illustrating stories: “It’s forced me to reflect on the creative process of art and the non-tangible of creating art and communicating via image and technique…I really believe that whether it’s animation or still image the artist imparts something of themselves into the artwork. And that in turn is perceived by the reader even if it’s a subconscious signal they pick up on.”

‘Studies show people who frequently use AI have significant decrease in neural activity (MIT),’ said A.K. Mulford, bestselling romance and fantasy author. ‘I don’t use generative idea as I want to protect my brain and ideas.’

Another reason A.K. Mulford doesn’t use AI is from a business and financial perspective in that we ‘can’t guarantee tools won’t worsen, there won’t be more ads, they’ll cost more… there is No control over whether these tools you rely on will be accessible in a meaningful way into the future. Shifting your business to rely on them is dangerous.’

‘The audience is there for real human stories, most of my readers are against the use of generative AI…people don’t like to be tricked, they want to be investing in real people’s stories,” she said.  “And if you’re brainstorming with AI it will bring you to the most formulaic, tropey answers.’

She spoke of how, ‘People are starved for humanity and connection and I think we’re seeing a swing back to more analogue things as they become disillusioned…like we had the farm to table resurgence in response to the processed food world – I can see that happening in creative spaces.’

She has a vision of doing a writing and reading retreat with 100 of her readers where there’d be no wifi and they can read the pages as she writes.

‘It will be harder for writers who want to be anonymous.’

Her quote that really cut through though about using AI to write books was her message to newer writers:

‘Don’t ask to be airlifted on top of mountains you’re not willing to climb.’    A.K. Mulford.

For Laurel Cohn – Developmental Editor, she too doesn’t use generative AI.

‘I love the process of working out what I think, through the act of wrestling with the ideas and understanding what I really need or want to say. That can’t be outsourced,’ she said.

But she’s says of herself and her team of five editors, ‘None of us are confident in six months we will be able to tell the difference between human and AI-generated manuscripts.’

As I’ve been saying for a while, real life connections are going to matter more than ever, and as Laurel quipped: ‘The hermit like writer used to inspire mystery and now I think the hermit-like writer will inspire suspicion’ but she acknowledges ‘It will be uncomfortable for authors who are shy and not forward facing.’

And a final quote on AI from Paul Williams – Assoc Prof Creative Writing Uni of Sunshine Coast: ‘AI doesn’t make our writing better, it just generates more.’

Children’s Books and Graphic Novels

Marisa Pintado, publishing Director at Hardie Grant commissions picture books and graphic novels and spoke about how when it comes to submissions, for picture books she’s looking for something a little like a poem that can stand alone based on the text, whereas for a graphic novel it’s ‘much more about the pictures first, even though the hook still matters.’

She explained how there are three ways to find meaning in a picture book: ‘the words, the images and then the words and images together’.

It’s more common to create books digitally these days, with the traditional medium of watercolours, hand drawing and painting  (where the images are scanned in) becoming less common.

‘The big dangers we see of AI is the flattening of culture. It can’t craft it can only copy. No one wants to see the world made more boring.’

What to be aware of if you want your novel adapted for the screen

“If you want to be adapted to screen bear in mind the cost to stage e.g. rain is really expensive to film in!” advised Michael Robothom.

Being a creator

It was inspiring to listen to Professor Belne, manga artist and now Professor of Anime & Manga at Kaishi Professional University, as she reminded us what the long game of writing really looks like and encouraged us to create.

“No matter what you write, someone is waiting to read it,” she said.

As a junior high student, she spent four years sharpening pencils for a leading manga artist before being invited to draw a single goblet.

Four years.

“It takes time to learn craft,” she said.

She self-published.
She printed 300 copies and carried them in a paper bag.
Then came 1,000 copies and the quiet panic: how am I going to get rid of them all?
Then the trolley on the train. Then the delivery service. And the highs and lows of creation as COVID shut down all the comic fairs that millions had attended.

But…the power of readers! Crowdfunding was used to keep the Comitia convention going and they raised about one million dollars to do so. With 6000 exhibitors selling original works from their tables,.

Decades later she’s still creating and nurturing others to create too.

I nodded my head when she said. ‘Authors are made of iron.’

It’s true. Just to get the words down, let alone the process of sharing them requires strength and a little bit of glint with the grit.

So, if you’re in the sharpening-pencil phase as an author… that’s okay. Every piece of writing you do builds on the one before. For example, there’s no way I could have written my last four books if I hadn’t written that first one.

And if that idea is still swimming around in your soul but not ready to publish…maybe it’s time to dive in and start or finish writing it!

As Professor Belne said: “If an inkling stays in your mind, it never becomes for others.”  i.e.: If your idea is still sitting in your head or not published, it’s not serving anyone yet.

As an author mentor, I’m here if you need any help along the way.

GenreCon 2027

Hopefully that little summary of the sessions I went to gives you an inkling of what was discussed at the sessions I was able to attend, but there were multiple streams and so much more going on, and Author Josephine Renee created a little video about how other attendees felt about this year’s GenreCon which will add some colour. You can watch it on her YouTube channel.

And what about next year? GenreCon’s theme for 2027 is ‘Inner Sanctum’ and some of the author presenters already signed for next February are Lee Murray and Jay Kristoff.

Anyway that’s a wrap on GenreCon for another year. Thanks Lori-Jay Ellis and all the team at Queensland Writers Centre! And the venue at the Thomas Dixon Centre and their team were brilliant too.