Return to Quality Content, AI Investment, Public Domain Additions, and Indie Media Growth

The Look Out: January 2025

Hi there! It’s John here, from the Writing to (L)Earn team.

Welcome to the first 2025 edition of The Look Out; your curated monthly dive into the latest developments shaping the world of writers and creators.

This month, Darius, Michael, and I have sifted through trends, insights, and stories to bring you four key updates that can elevate your writing and creative strategy in 2025.

What’s inside

• What “quality” means in 2025
  Algorithms are churning out sameness, but readers are fed up with bland, AI-generated content. Platforms like Substack are doubling down on unique, personality-driven writing. Even fashion enthusiasts and other types of consumers are flocking to Substack creators who can give them insights that defy mainstream and “normie” styles. We’ll show why standing out is more critical than ever and how to do it effectively.

• $55.3 billion in AI investments
  From OpenAI’s “reasoning” models to Hollywood’s aims of creating a fully AI-generated film, tech funding in AI has soared past last year’s total. Venture capitalists see big returns, but how can writers benefit without getting swept away by all the hype? We discuss the opportunities (and potential pitfalls) you should watch for.

• New works entering the public domain
  Iconic classics like Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms are now free to use without licensing. You could adapt Popeye or Tintin into your next project and draw on the nostalgia factor. We break down the best ways to leverage these freshly unlocked stories while keeping your style authentic.

• The rise of independent media
  TikTok’s future in the U.S. looks shaky, but self-published authors and indie creators are thriving across multiple platforms. Celebrities are bypassing big publishers to keep more control. We’ll explore why building a loyal audience, even a small one, matters more than ever for sustainable success.

1. The return to quality, and what “quality” means in 2025

“The algorithm” is making everything bland and we’re stuck in a culture of sameness. People are dressing the same way, writing in the same voice, and consuming the same content. As a result, consumers are flocking to places that provide a unique and fresh perspective on things.

• For example, a lot of fashion enthusiasts are flocking to Substack because they’re tired of the same styles prominent on video platforms.

• Also, following TikTok’s ban and apparent return, Substack’s CEO announced a “$25,000 TikTok Liberation Prize” for TikTok creators who can “make a TikTok video that sparks a trend” of sending the most people to Substack. (A lawyer with over 2.2 million TikTok followers later won the prize and is now working as Substack’s Creative Advisor). Substack also recently topped the app store.

• Meanwhile, the Federal Trade Commission is investigating a company that sells AI publishing courses and tools for potentially deceiving customers. Companies like these are credited for flooding Amazon with “garbage ebooks.”

What this can mean for you

With “samey” AI-generated pieces floating around, human flavor is becoming a powerful advantage. “Quality” is no longer just about technical skills, but also uniqueness and personality. This is why it’s so important to build a trustworthy and powerful personal brand.

People who overly rely on AI are now starting to see the negative consequences to their businesses. So focus on leveraging your individual perspective and storytelling style as your ultimate differentiator.

Personally, I do this by sharing snippets of how my thinking process works. For example, in developing the 2 “Instinctive” Skills article, Darius and I talked about a common issue for new writers: clunky writing. Clunky and awkward phrases or sentences often make the reader tune out. Grammar and technical skills alone won’t fix this. Instead, improve how your words feel to the reader.

One of the tips that Darius often shares is to read your writing out loud. When you hear the words spoken, the awkwardness becomes easier to spot. By sharing that process with our audience—not just the polished result but the trial-and-error behind it—we showed a tangible way to solve a problem many writers face.

Likewise, Michael recommends focusing on descriptive action that helps pull readers in. Make your audience visualize the scene or story. Write about important details so the reader can imagine themselves as a hero in your story. Focus on activating a reader’s senses.

2. $55.3 billion in AI investments: What does this mean for writers?

Venture capital investment in AI has already surpassed $55.3 billion by Q4 2024—$1.2 billion more than all of last year. This surge didn’t just come from Silicon Valley’s usual suspects; the boom has stretched into media, healthcare, defense, robotics, and beyond. Here are some specific trends worth noting:

• OpenAI’s experimental o3 model is hitting record scores on complex math and science tests. Its “chain-of-thought” logic allows it to break down tasks step by step, a crucial step toward next-level AI assistants (a.k.a. “agents”) that can make decisions, like selecting the correct flour in a recipe without human prompting.

• AI is disrupting most other industries: From diagnosing patients in mental-health clinics to drafting police incident reports. While these developments boost a lot of work productivity, an expert warned that the benefits might trickle more heavily towards the business owners’ side rather than the workers.

• AI is now also deeply entrenched in Hollywood’s production pipeline. Executives predict that by the end of 2025, we’ll see at least one AI-generated feature film finding commercial success. Meanwhile, major media outlets (like The New York Times) are suing AI companies for scraping their content to train models.

• Finally, an executive order was signed to accelerate AI infrastructure development in the U.S. This order allows private companies to lease federal sites for building advanced AI data centers.

What this can mean for you

AI is here to stay. So Darius says it’s time we start seeing ourselves as CEOs. Many people spend their lives taking orders. But with AI, the real skill now is thinking critically and knowing how to clearly instruct tools to execute your vision, much like how CEOs operate…