Romance novelist Coral Hart has written 370 novels under 21 pen names since 2025, using artificial intelligence to speed up production. She earns “high six figures” from Kindle Unlimited, a platform that rewards prolific authors with monthly new releases. Hart, who began self-publishing dark romance titles in 2015 after working with Mills & Boon, says she can write 10,000 words a day on her own but AI helps her produce far more.
Her use of AI is part of a wave disrupting the publishing industry, where authors are losing lucrative deals and being removed from prize shortlists amid accusations of machine-generated writing. The rise of AI-written books challenges traditional standards and raises questions about fairness and originality in literature.
Kindle Unlimited’s algorithm favours quantity, incentivising authors to produce rapidly. Hart knows writers who hire over a dozen ghostwriters to keep up. This environment has opened the door for AI tools that can churn out manuscripts quickly, blurring the lines between human and machine authorship.
The backlash has been swift. Some literary prizes have banned submissions suspected of AI involvement, while publishers have pulled contracts from authors accused of using the technology. The industry faces mounting pressure to establish clear rules around AI-generated content and how it fits into creative processes.
Hart’s experience illustrates the tension. She started self-publishing to explore dark romance, a subgenre publishers avoided. The genre’s growth online rewarded prolific output, which AI helped accelerate. Her financial success shows the commercial potential of machine-assisted writing, even as it fuels controversy.
The publishing world is grappling with how to respond. Some fear AI could flood the market with formulaic or low-quality work, undermining human creativity. Others see it as a tool that can enhance productivity and open new creative avenues. But authors like Hart who use AI openly remain a minority, often facing suspicion or outright rejection in literary circles.
As the debate continues, the industry’s reaction will shape the future of authorship. The question remains whether there is room for AI in a field built on imagination and originality, or if it will lead to a shake-up that displaces established norms.
Coral Hart’s story shows how AI is already changing the economics of publishing, creating new winners and losers. The impact on awards, contracts, and author reputations is unfolding now. The industry has yet to find a balanced response to the disruption.
According to The Guardian.
