LITERATURE
This horror novel spooked the publishing industry
One horror novel just exposed publishing’s AI blind spot.
In November 2025, Hachette released Shy Girl in the UK after the book had a successful, self-published run earlier that year. (We’re talking more than 4,900 reviews and an average of 3.5 stars on Goodreads. Which, by BookTok standards, is basically viral.)
That buzz was quickly overshadowed as AI allegations began to circulate. When a test found that 78% of the book was AI-generated, Hachette discontinued the UK edition and scrapped its US publication plans.
But the damage was done. Shy Girl sparked a credibility crisis, revealing how traditional publishing struggles to identify AI writing in fiction.
The novel problem:
Literature knows how to handle plagiarism, but not AI
Publishers still (primarily) rely on authors to confirm originality
Shy Girl created trust issues that go beyond technology
Is slop the new slush?
Authors have long feared the slush pile: a metaphorical (and sometimes literal) graveyard of unread manuscripts in a publishing office.
Now, AI adds an additional layer of friction to the mix. When anyone has the ability to churn out prose at scale, editors will have to wade through even more submissions to find their next bestseller.
The scariest part of this story? There’s bound to be a sequel.
And the plot thickens! - TL