The market for free ebooks has risen dramatically in recent years, releasing a vast surge of literature for nothing. Readers can find thousands of titles at no cost every day across major platforms like Smashwords, Amazon, Kobo, and Apple Books, and through countless services charging authors to give away their books. Join me on Bluesky This literary tsunami is driven by indie authors promoting their work, the accelerating flood of AI-generated content, enormous public domain

The rise of generative AI has transformed the publishing landscape virtually overnight. About 45 - 60% of authors admit to using AI tools to help write all or part of their books. Some AI authors publish as many as 20 books per day, saturating the market with AI content. Sylvia Kay Rose Books Scribe Vibes Website Join Me on Bluesky Indie book platforms like Draft2Digital, IngramSpark and Amazon all accept AI books. The more literature produced, the more sold, the more profit

For independent authors, book promotion is vital. Platforms such as Goodreads , Bookbub, The Fussy Librarian, Freebooksy, Bargain Booksy, and Book Cave offer free and discount books to readers, and promise exposure for authors. The question remains—do paid promotions for free or discounted books deliver enough value to justify the cost? This post reviews how these platforms work, their fees, and what authors can realistically expect in return. Scribe Vibes Merch Sylvia Kay Ro