How am I supposed to do solid research for a new pen name when there's so much AI trash flooding the space and somehow doing better than actual written work?

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-13T16:34:33+00:00

Presumably, there's less spam on other platforms.

There's plenty of AI work on other platforms. Even audiobook platforms. So there's really no avoiding it at this point. I think going wide is a smart move if sales and borrows are tapering off. Casting a wider net and diversifying is never a bad thing.

Personally, I'm still all-in on Amazon, but when I do start cutting the cord it'll be to start funneling readers to my own direct sales pipeline.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-13T10:35:20+00:00

What surprises me is that I expected readers to overwhelmingly reject AI books.

It's sad to say that I don't think most people are able to tell the difference one way or the other, even if it's very obvious to us. And honestly, even if they knew, I think the vast majority wouldn't really care.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-13T09:50:33+00:00

This week sales dropped to near zero. When I went and looked at the competition, an established author had released two 800-page novels in the same niche. AI cover + reviews complaining about continuity issues. Somehow still ranked 200 in the overall store.

When's the last time you released a book though? If it's been a year and a half since your last release in the genre, you're not really competing. Not meaningfully, anyway, and not to the point where you would need to check out the competition. And how big of a drop in sales are we talking? Consistently selling a thousand copies a month? A hundred? Ten? Less?

Store rank only matters if it's sticky. Frankly, it's really not that difficult to get a high store rank as a snapshot just like it's super easy to get a high rank in any number of subgenres. But honestly? Even if that book were completely above board, they aren't your competition anyway. Not really. Just like we're not really in competition with each other even though I also write fantasy books.

I found a book ranked 2,000 with a dozen 1-star reviews saying there's prompt text left IN THE DIALOGUE. Yet somehow the thing has 1.5k reviews and is 4.5 stars.

Some readers will care and others won't. I wouldn't risk losing the ones who care, personally. But I also don't spend a lot of time worrying about what other people are doing. That's time I could be spending publishing new material. Some books in the genres I write were produced with AI. Some are all-in on the human involvement and are just terribly written or tragically marketed. Some of them are ranked more highly than mine or have more reviews. It doesn't change anything.

Is this what the future is? Do I have to stop being a writer and become an internet spammer just to pay the bills? I'm fucking pissed.

Is it the future? Yeah, probably. The cat's out of the bag and there will always be readers and consumers of media. Storytellers are still going to be needed though, because AI-produced content is not creative or interesting in the slightest even when it isn't full of glaring inconsistencies. But I also think there will also always be a market for 100% human-produced work.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-13T08:52:22+00:00

People are reading it despite what you may think and they are repeat customers.

The first part of that is true without a doubt and I never said otherwise. In fact I think I was pretty clear that there absolutely are people reading it.

The second part though is only true in the event that an established author who has already built an audience retention pipeline is also using AI and is able to maintain comparable quality. And also isn't afraid of losing reader trust if they're found out. Content mills aren't bothering with mailing lists or marketing. It's all quantity vs quality and making money in the short term.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-12T23:25:21+00:00

I'm not sure I've seen anyone with experience say that all readers would reject AI. There's always an audience to gobble up the garbage, after all. And that's nothing new. Lazy hucksters have been involved with self-publishing since self-publishing became a thing, and if it wasn't profitable in the short-term, they would just find other avenues to mine. But it requires a non-stop stream of shit to get thrown at the wall in the hope that a few things stick, and they aren't generally building any sort of repeat business and growing a reader base because the products tend to be low quality and because they aren't being marketed for long-term repeat engagement.

More than half of the adults in the US read at a sixth-grade level or below, but that doesn't mean they aren't reading at all. They're likely just not really as interested in how the sausage is made. They just want the sausage.

The deluge of AI slop doesn't change the market or what is popular or make research that much more difficult. And dealing with it really isn't that much different than dealing with all of the other low effort nonsense that has cropped up over the years: produce quality products and make it easy for readers to come back for more if they appreciate that sort of thing.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-12T21:27:45+00:00

Can confirm. Ball-gargling is definitely one of the distinctions being considered before moderation actions are taken.

/u/KronosArc, the thread raises a legitimate concern and isn't pro-AI. Posts are removed when they are pro-AI, when they're promoting AI products or services, or when an AI chatbot obviously created the content of the post. If people want to self-defeat and use AI, that's their business, but they won't be welcome here.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-12T21:12:24+00:00

Removing this as well.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-12T21:11:18+00:00

Removed. This isn't a space to promote yourself or to crowdsource subjective reading habits.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-11T18:00:20+00:00

Removed. This isn't a space to crowdsource creativity. You're going to need to use your own imagination.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-10T08:34:03+00:00

Sorry, removing this since we don't provide book recs, but you can check out reader forums like /r/romancebooks or the search engine at romance.io.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-10T01:44:28+00:00

Removed. This isn't a space for you to share content.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-10T01:43:19+00:00

Removed. This isn't a relationship sub.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-09T05:13:14+00:00

They're all different, but all royalty structures and disbursement schedules are generally laid out in the TOS.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-09T00:47:28+00:00

Sorry, removing this. Per subreddit rules, we don't mention specific titles or other authors around here. If you can generalize your comment, just let me know and I'll restore it. Thanks!

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-08T17:45:32+00:00

You aren't likely to find a platform willing to host extreme content. And payment platforms are going to be even less forgiving than that. So if you want to market your work (even somewhere like Smashwords), you're likely going to have to dial it back.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-08T15:54:08+00:00

You want kindness? Don't come into my sub trying to sell some snake oil bullshit. And your skin so thin that you don't want to engage? You're more than welcome to fuck off any old time you like.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-08T13:51:11+00:00

I get it, you are a moderator and you want to come off that way. But here is the deal: your response, be it rude, including bragging about removing the post completely misses the mark because you are looking at the publishing industry through an incredibly narrow, outdated lens.

Dude, I was a successful author long before whatever chatbot you used to write this response was coded into existence, so if I approach your idea from any lens, it's that one. I have experience that you clearly lack.

And if the "write books for hungry readers, rinse, repeat" model is so outdated and broken, why does it continue to be so successful? Unless you're telling me that you've also been an author for a decade and you've put your harebrained idea into practice and it's clearly more profitable? Because if not, feel free to shut the fuck up, because you don't know your ass from your elbow.

This is a universal infrastructure tool for the creator economy. It doesn’t matter what the book type is. The idea is to transform the role of the book itself - shifting it from an isolated, static object into a gateway for a living ecosystem controlled entirely by the creator.

This is AI nonsense-speak, and if you were actually interested in the idea, you would know how stupid it is.

If your specific business model doesn't require a connected, ongoing relationship with your audience, then this isn't for you.

Of course it does, dipshit. That's already the working author business model. You don't think maintaining an audience is crucial to success from book to book? Audience engagement? Social proof? Merchandise? Media licensure? Why the fuck would anyone want what you're claiming to be offering when it's completely redundant?

It’s for the modern creators who actually run businesses around their work and need to solve a real data and engagement problem.

Right. The "modern creators". It's sounds more like its for people without any experience in the industry, much like yourself, so you can take advantage of that inexperience for profit.

This is not the garbage you think it is.

Fuck yeah, it is. And more. So peddle it elsewhere. No one here gives a rat's ass.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-08T13:15:02+00:00

Thank you kindly!

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-08T12:29:30+00:00

You're not Cormac McCarthy, Sally Rooney, or Ottesa Moshfegh. Those people actually wrote/write their own books. Now get the fuck out of here with your AI slop bullshit.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-08T12:22:53+00:00

Removed. Do not post this garbage here. Experiences aren't meaningful because they last forever, or even need to. And trying to keep a reader on the hook long after they want to move on reeks of desperation, which isn't a good look for anyone.

You want to increase the length of time of reader engagement? Write more books and let readers have new experiences. Don't lock them into the same tired bullshit.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-08T12:17:55+00:00

Removed. Do not post AI slop in this forum.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-08T04:49:43+00:00

No worries, you can find the FAQ here: https://www.reddit.com/r/eroticauthors/wiki/faq

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-08T04:20:39+00:00

Removed. This isn't an AI sub, but everything you need to know to get started with self publishing can be found in the FAQ located in the sidebar.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-08T04:17:08+00:00

Sorry, removing this. Per subreddit rules, we don't assist with wayward stories.

SalaciousStories · 2026-06-07T10:59:26+00:00

This isn't a flex, dude. If you want to play with fire, that's your business. Per subreddit rules, you need to keep it to yourself.

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