Amazon has created a new rule limiting the number of books that authors can self-publish on its site to three a day, after an influx of suspected AI-generated material was listed for sale in recent months.

The company announced the new limitations in a post on its Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) forum on Monday. “While we have not seen a spike in our publishing numbers, in order to help protect against abuse, we are lowering the volume limits we have in place on new title creations,” read the statement. KDP allows authors to self-publish their books and list them for sale on Amazon’s site.

Amazon told the Guardian that the limit is set at three titles, though this number may be adjusted “if needed”. The company confirmed that there was previously no limit to the number of books authors could list a day.

  • Hanabie@sh.itjust.works
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    1 year ago

    It’s crazy that this is even necessary. I can’t imagine the sheer amount of crap people upload every day, completely ruining it for us serious Indie writers in the process.

    Now people will avoid self published books even more than before.

    • Fredselfish@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      I give up there sooo much garbage on there I have no way to get people to find my novel and word of mouth isn’t enough. I am currently looking for an agent for my next book.

      • Hanabie@sh.itjust.works
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        1 year ago

        Was thinking about that and decided to just shelve my books for now and decide later. Not in a hurry to publish.

    • pavnilschanda@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      Now people will rely on social cred. Indie authors would have to rely on social media and blogging to come accross as attractive enough for their written works to be interesting. Same with any other indie-related fields, really.

      • ArbiterXero@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        That’ll only last for a few seconds.

        But this time next year, the number of Astro turfed fake online personas that are AI generated is going to be insane.

        Unless someone finds a way to fight it (which I’m not counting on)

        The ai authors will have real conversations with other ai profiles, making it look like a real person with real family and real friends.

        We are entering the post-truth era.

        May your deity of choice have mercy on our souls.

        • themajesticdodo@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Every generated thing I’ve ever read has been pure garbage.

          If you truly think a terrible imitation of AI can replace your work, you might just be a fucking awful writer.

          • ArbiterXero@lemmy.world
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            1 year ago

            Well I’m an awful writer, so yes

            But it’s more that I think the ai will very decent works in the search engines and listings on websites

            Because the listings and search on websites are also generated content and not overly intelligent

    • qyron@sopuli.xyz
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      1 year ago

      Self publishing is here to stay. What indie authors need is to create imaginative ways to guarantee their work is theirs and comes from their mind and not parsed through a meatgrinder to produce a poor substitute good.

      Do I have any answers? No. I’m on that train myself, scared my work can be taken away from me. But I’m not willing to let my dream die and I will write ad publish.

          • Hanabie@sh.itjust.works
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            1 year ago

            Writing, of course. I’m in the middle of a new project, which will be a pretty long space opera series. Not worrying about publishing any of it anytime soon, though, and I’m still tackling parts of the backstory and the arcs of various characters while the first part of the first book is already drafted.

            • qyron@sopuli.xyz
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              1 year ago

              That’s an adventure. Where is the bad decision part? Hope to read it some day.