Hachette Book Group has withdrawn the horror novel Shy Girl by Mia Ballard after online speculation that the author used artificial intelligence to write it. The publisher cancelled the US release and halted UK distribution, removing the title from retailers including Amazon.
The book, originally self-published in February 2025, had sold about 1,800 print copies in the UK. It was scheduled for US publication this spring under Hachette's Orbit imprint. The publisher confirmed the decision after an internal review, stating it remains committed to protecting original creative expression.
Online readers on platforms such as Goodreads and Reddit questioned whether passages bore hallmarks of AI-generated prose. A YouTube video titled 'I'm pretty sure this book is ai slop' garnered over 1.2 million views. One Goodreads review stated: 'I am quite certain that this was written by ChatGPT.'
Ballard denied personally using AI but told the New York Times that an acquaintance she hired to work on an earlier self-published version incorporated AI tools. She wrote: '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.'
The incident highlights the growing challenge publishers face with AI. Last week, the Society of Authors introduced a logo to distinguish human-authored books from AI-generated content, following a similar initiative by the US Authors Guild.
