AI-generated books are swamping self-publishing on Amazon

Self-publishing on Amazon: from dream to AI book tsunami

In the modern writer's economy, self-publishing on Amazon is the most accessible entry point — and the most treacherous. Among those who have tried it, the pattern repeats: a handful of books published, token sales, and confirmation that the platform has filled up with titles generated by artificial intelligence. The result is that making a living from writing looks more like a lottery than a profession.

The Amazon route and its pitfalls

Amazon KDP attracts with its apparent simplicity: the author publishes, sets the price, and Amazon handles the rest. But the reality described by those who have already published is less idyllic. Profits are usually negligible, and the temptation to use AI to churn out novels in series has flooded the platform.

Amazon's AI policy: disclosure required, but no filtering

Amazon now requires authors to disclose the use of AI in their works, but the typical buyer has no way to filter that information. It's an internal data point that isn't shown on the product page. Those who lie risk having their account cancelled.

Writing for pleasure or trying to make a living from it

The writer who wants to go professional also faces self-employed taxation and the uncertainty of advertising. Amazon's and Google's in-house promotion tools promise sales, but there's no guarantee that ad spending will translate into real income. That's why many settle for writing for pleasure, with no commercial ambitions: a five-hundred-page novel finished, a collection of historical stories, and the satisfaction of having produced something reasonably good.

Perhaps the most damning conclusion is that the publishing market, with or without AI, keeps rewarding the same media figures. The difference is that now anyone can publish, but that has turned Amazon's catalogue into an ocean of noise where real talent gets diluted. Meanwhile, the uncomfortable question is whether technology is democratizing writing or simply making noise cheaper.