New York, NY, Feb. 27, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Next Chapter AI today announced its official launch, offering publishers, agencies, and creators practical, ethical pathways to integrate artificial intelligence across their workflows while keeping human craft at the center. Founded by two publishing industry veterans with experience across agenting, editorial, marketing, rights, and creator strategy, Next Chapter AI addresses a gap the industry has left open too long: the space between AI anxiety and AI literacy.
Co-Founder Ayanna Coleman
Publishing is already being reshaped by AI in discovery algorithms, content pipelines, and administrative systems. Next Chapter AI exists to help the industry lead that change with intention rather than react to it. The company's services are designed to be actionable today, built around the conviction that technology should serve human craft, not displace it.
"Every publishing team is already in this transition. The question is, who's driving it," said Ayanna Coleman, co-founder of Next Chapter AI. "When teams have the literacy and the systems to use AI intentionally, they stop reacting and start leading. That's when the real work gets space. Those sharper insights, the creative risks, the finding and elevating bold voices that actually change something. AI handles the overhead. Humans shape the culture and the conversation."
What Next Chapter AI Offers
A 2025 BISG survey of 559 North American publishing professionals found that fewer than 30% of organizations have official AI policies in place. Yet nearly every respondent reported concerns about how AI is reshaping their work. Next Chapter AI was built specifically for that gap: the space between anxiety and action.
The company's services move publishing teams from uncertainty to readiness across four connected areas:
AI Readiness Audits map editorial, marketing, rights, and other workflows to surface practical automation opportunities without disrupting the work that requires human judgment. Team Upskilling and Playbooks deliver role-specific training with ethical guidelines and measurable benchmarks built in. Creator Empowerment Resources help publishers support writers in building sustainable careers — not just delivering single titles — without touching the creative voice. Implementation Sprints provide hands-on change management support for teams navigating the transition at every level of the organization.
“When e-books arrived, publishing called it the wild west and let tech companies write the rules,” said Meredith Barnes, co-founder of Next Chapter AI. “The same thing doesn’t have to happen with AI. Train the teams, identify what can be automated, and commit to a culture of innovation—then the drudgery goes to AI and the craft stays human.”
Next Chapter AI’s founding vision is a future where AI literacy is a baseline skill in publishing, supported by thoughtful training so teams can do smarter work, pursue bolder innovation, and build sustainable careers across the industry. In addition to client services, Next Chapter AI publishes newsletters, hosts webinars, and releases whitepapers and toolkits to advance that literacy across the field.
About Next Chapter AI
Next Chapter AI is an ethical AI readiness company serving publishers, agencies, and creators. The company provides audits, training, playbooks, and implementation support to help publishing teams automate the drudgery and protect the craft so technology serves human creativity, not the other way around. Next Chapter AI offers resources for organizations at every stage of AI adoption. Learn more at NxtChapterAI.com.
About the Founders
Ayanna Coleman
Ayanna Coleman is a publishing strategist and educator who has worked globally across startup, nonprofit, and entrepreneurial spaces since founding Quill Shift in 2013. Coleman built Quill Shift around the conviction that what creators and businesses need most is authentic audience connection and the operational systems to sustain it.
Meredith Barnes
Meredith Barnes is a creator career strategist with 15 years of experience across the publishing industry and its ancillaries. Barnes founded Queen Mab Media to help creators build confident, sustainable career strategies in partnership with the teams they work with to produce their art.
Co-Founder Meredith Barnes
Press Inquiries
Meredith Barnes
hello [at] nxtchapterai.com
https://nxtchapterai.com/
418 Broadway # 10942
Albany, NY 12207
