Publisher Yanks Horror Novel Over Suspected AI Use

The horror novel “Shy Girl” is being pulled from publication in the United States and won’t be sold anymore in the U.K. due to suspected use of artificial intelligence (AI) by the author, Mia Ballard.

Hachette Book Group, one of the largest publishers in the United States, announced its decision on Thursday, per The New York Times.

“Hachette remains committed to protecting original creative expression and storytelling,” a company spokeswoman told the outlet, noting that authors are required to disclose any use of AI for writing before submitting their work.

“Shy Girl” was slated to be released later this spring. Ballard responded to the accusations via email, denying the allegations. 

“This controversy has changed my life in many ways, and my mental health is at an all-time low, and my name is ruined for something I didn’t even personally do,” she told the NYT.

The book has sold about 1,800 copies in the U.K. so far. As of Thursday, it was removed from Amazon and the Hachette website.

According to the Goodreads description, the novel is about a girl who decides to live as a man’s pet. Ballard initially self-published the book in 2025.

“Lonely, broke and depressed with a serious case of OCD, Gia finds herself at a crossroads when financial troubles lead her to Nathan, a mysterious and affluent man she encounters on a sugar dating website. Desperate for a solution, Gia is intrigued by Nathan’s unconventional offer: in exchange for living as his devoted pet, all of her debts will be erased. But the longer Gia is in captivity, the more animalistic she becomes,” the description says. 

While AI-generated writing isn’t always easy to recognize, many readers have begun to notice certain patterns and call it out. “Shy Girl” was no exception, as many reviewers noticed aspects that they said indicate AI did the writing. 

“I am quite certain that this was written by ChatGPT,” one reviewer who gave the book one star wrote. “As an editor, I’ve read a few specifically ChatGPT written books, and this has not only all the hallmarks, but some specific repeated phrases that I’ve read in other ChatGPT works … If it’s not AI, and I’m truly quite sure that it is, then this author needs to be ruthlessly edited. Every noun is preceded by a flaccid adjective, every action is followed by a repetitive, boring simile.”

Two months ago, YouTube personality Frankie’s Shelf released a video on the book called “I’m pretty sure this book is AI slop,” which took a deep dive into the allegations. It received more than one million views and 44,000 likes. 

This move comes as the controversy over the use of AI across multiple industries, including entertainment and Hollywood, remains a hot topic of debate.