With the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022, a whole new world of possibility seemed to open up as the world discovered the power of AI. For many hopeful authors, this technology seemed to offer a shortcut to getting their ideas on the page.
However, there are significant risks to relying on AI in writing and publishing—depending on how you use it. These risks could impact the publication and success of your book through the largest bookseller on the planet, Amazon.
All of which is to say there isn’t much place in this world for a book that isn’t on Amazon.
For this very reason, though, Amazon is taking AI very seriously. Readers have gone to Amazon for decades now because they could find the book they wanted at a price they could afford. Increasingly, though, the website is being overrun with AI books, crowding out works published by real authors.
Amazon seems determined to take a firm stance against AI-generated content. And that is going to affect every author who uses AI.
For now, let’s explore what exactly falls into each category.
Crucially, this definition holds true even if, in Amazon’s words, “you applied substantial edits afterwards.” In other words, generating a chapter with ChatGPT and then reworking it isn’t enough. That’s still AI-generated in Amazon’s eyes.
If your book is removed by Amazon, you can appeal, although this is a famously difficult process. In fact, only 30 percent of appeals are successful.
That’s the status quo today, but it’s likely that laws will pass in the next few years in the US, Europe, and across the world that will upend that status quo. So while it may be possible to use AI-generated content in a book today, that decision could lead to issues with your published work in the future, depending on the restrictions countries—and Amazon—put in place.
All of which is to say it’s very likely that a large number of your readers will look unfavorably upon your use of AI in writing your book. This could be compounded by AI’s issues with accuracy. There is a recurrent problem with AI “hallucinations.” These hallucinations involve AI making critical errors in text or images. We’ve all seen the pictures of AI images with too many fingers or arms. In text, AI can generate false facts and present them as certainties. Needless to say, you don’t want to be caught copy and pasting untrue statements in your book.
One final concern is more personal. One of the main reasons to write a book is to capture your voice and your ideas. The value of the book is in presenting your authentic self. That’s impossible if you are instead presenting an AI’s version of your words and ideas.
For all the rest, it’s best to stick with the tried-and-true method of writing a book: putting the words down on the page yourself. For those who are struggling with this, there are plenty of other tools out there. At Scribe, we offer future authors many paths to publication. In our Guided Author program, we provide coaching, editing, and publication for those who feel confident they can find the words for their books themselves. Our Scribe Professional service allows you to work one-on-one with a “Scribe” who can organize your ideas, capture your thoughts, and put it all on the page in your voice. And for those who want a truly elite experience, Scribe Elite includes a custom, fully individualized, white-glove approach to the writing, editing, and publishing experience.
AI is welcome to come along for the ride with any of these programs, but when your book hits Amazon, there should be no doubt that it is 100 percent yours.