Competing with AI Books: Strategies for Indie Writers in a Saturated Market
- sylviakayrose
- 4 days ago
- 8 min read
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.
Indie book platforms like Draft2Digital, IngramSpark and Amazon all accept AI books. The more literature produced, the more sold, the more profit the companies make. Promotional outlets like The Fussy Librarian, Bookbub and other free/discount book hubs, which make their money through author advertising, are also happy to handle AI books.
For indie authors, the AI takeover presents a daunting challenge. How do writers stand out and sell their hard work, when floundering in an AI flood of epic proportions? This post explores practical strategies indie writers can use to overcome the onslaught.
Understanding the AI Publishing Surge
AI writing tools are widely accessible, enabling authors to produce content faster than ever. According to a recent report by Author Earnings, AI-generated books now account for a significant portion of new releases on major platforms like Amazon Kindle. Some AI authors publish multiple titles daily, creating a volume indie authors cannot match by speed alone. Kindle now restricts the amount of books an author can publish per day to 3, still a significant number.
This flood of AI content often focuses on quantity over quality, which opens opportunities for indie authors who prioritize originality and depth. Readers still crave authentic voices and well-crafted stories, which AI does not (yet) fully replicate.
Focus on Unique Voice and Authenticity
AI can generate text based on patterns and data. It lacks genuine human experience and emotional depth. However, it's always in a compound learning pattern, and like a sociopath can convincingly mimic these attributes.
Indie authors are advised to emphasize their unique voices and personal stories. Remember, however, anything posted online will be crawled by AI to improve its own performance, which is why the use of AI is considered to be copyright theft. For this reason, traditional publishing houses currently don't accept AI works -- but, like everything else, that could change.
Share personal insights: Incorporate your life experiences, cultural background, or professional expertise to create authentic narratives.
Develop distinctive characters: Build complex, relatable characters who resonate emotionally with readers.
Write with passion: Let enthusiasm for your subject shine through, making your work memorable.
Readers often relate more deeply with personal, heartfelt books. They also want to know the real author behind the work. This helps build reader loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion.
Build a Strong Author Brand and Community
In a market overwhelmed with AI content, many readers look for trusted authors. Indie writers can build a brand reflecting their own values and style.
Create a professional author website: Showcase your books, share your story, and provide updates. You can invest in a domain name, or start off with a free website from Wix (which I use) or Wordpress. When choosing a hosting site, be careful! Many give cheap plans, but these come with hidden fees (for example, Hostinger charges for a mailbox after the first year).
Engage with readers: Use newsletters, social media, and author events to build relationships. One popular method is Substack. You can collect sign-ups for your mailing list, follow other writers on the platform, and even earn money from subscriptions, if enough people are engaged in your work.
Offer exclusive content: Readers love to get the inside scoop. Share behind-the-scenes insights, early chapters, or bonus stories.
Building a community around your work encourages repeat readers and helps your books stand out. This of course requires some effort on the part of introverted or socially awkward writers, but if you really want to sell books it's vital to connect with potential or current readers. I'm absolutely introverted. I don't answer the door to random ringers and I hate my phone - but I'm proud of my work, and if I can step out as an author, so can you ;)
Books do not sell through publishing alone. Some people have the deluded idea they can publish a book and ta-da! instant success. My oh my, do they have a lot to learn. No matter how good a book is, without a strong and ongoing promotional push from the author, it can wallow at the bottom of the virtual sludge heap forever.
A Costly Possibility: Invest in Quality Editing and Design
AI-generated books often lack professional editing and polished design. Many indie authors do their own editing, cover design and formatting, but may invest in one or more of the following:
Professional editors: A skilled editor improves clarity, flow, and consistency.
Professional cover designers: Eye-catching covers attract readers and convey quality.
Formatting books for readability: Ensure your eBooks and print editions are easy to read on all devices.
Quality reassures readers your book is worth their time and money. Remember, however, you are seriously going into the financial hole. Professional editing runs about $500 - $7,000. A professional book cover design costs on average $500 - $900, with prices as high as $2,000+. Professional formatting is $50 - $500+.
That's before promotional costs.
In reality, most self-published authors sell fewer than 250 to 500 copies of a book over its lifetime, with many selling under 100. Although averages are influenced by high-performing authors, for the majority of writers, total sales usually come from friends, family, and/or a small, loyal readership.
Less than 10% of authors are able to make a living exclusively from book sales, and it almost always takes years of hard work to build up a bibliography or inventory of writings, and a dedicated readership. Most authors depend on additional income to support themselves.
Whether AI or original: the more books you write, the more likely you will sell one. Know your audience (for example, horror fans or mystery buffs - who are they? research!), join sites or forums catering to your target readers, market strategically instead of randomly, and focus on crafting quality work to add to your author inventory.
If you write a series, you can offer the first book for free or discounted on many platforms such as Google Play, Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Smashwords. If they enjoy it, readers will often buy further books in the series.
Use Smart Marketing Strategies
Marketing is crucial for indie authors competing with AI-generated books. Effective marketing helps your work reach the right readers.
Optimize book metadata: Use clear, relevant keywords and categories to improve discoverability.
Connect with niche communities: Participate in forums, groups, or events related to your niche, as mentioned above. As well, focusing on a specific audience reduces competition and helps build a dedicated reader base.
Gather reviews: Only about 2% of readers leave reviews. Encourage honest reviews to build credibility. Some authors pay for book reviews. This practice is controversial and governed by strict guidelines, for example on major platforms like Amazon.
Paying for professional and honest editorial reviews is permissible, but compensating for assured positive, star-based consumer reviews breaches terms of service and is deemed unethical.
Run targeted promotions: Use price discounts or giveaways to attract new readers. You can pay to give away your books, a promo tactic also used by AI authors. Or, make your own coupons or freebies, and publicize them via newsletter or social media.
Collaborate with other authors: Cross-promote with writers in your genre to expand your reach. On social media, authors often repost each others' posts to reach a wider audience. Writers who expect promotion without reciprocation are more likely to find themselves barking into a bucket.
Enter contests: There are plenty of free short story, poetry, flash fiction and other contests you can enter. Not only will your writing improve, your work takes a step toward "getting out there" even if you don't win, and as you start thinking more along these lines, hidden doors will open.
If you do win, congratulations! Leverage this bonus to sell your books.
Marketing efforts should focus on genuine engagement to outperform generic mass campaigns.
It's Here to Stay: Consider AI as a Tool, Not a Threat
Many indie authors already use AI, and it's accepted as part of their own work.
Use AI for brainstorming: Authors generate ideas or outlines to jumpstart their writing.
Automate routine tasks: Use AI for formatting or marketing analytics to save time.
However, AI writing is often riddled with factual errors. This comes from incorporating mistakes found online by AI bots; and besides that, AI is fond of making things up completely.
For example, I used AI to research an H.P. Lovecraft novella I really like, called "The Shadow Out of Time", but got the title wrong. In my normal state of confusion, I called it "A Time Out of Space". AI made up several paragraphs of utter balderdash about a work that doesn't actually exist (though I used the title "A Time Out of Space" later, for an original short story).
And ... while AI programs claim to fix grammatical errors, they will make grammar mistakes too. Authors must be sure to edit wisely.
Resources for Indie Authors
Some resources can help indie authors navigate the AI-saturated market, but many are just after your money.
Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi): Offers advice on publishing, marketing, and legal issues. You pay a membership fee of $125 - $175 USD per year. Membership info is here: Become a Member - The Alliance Independent Authors
Reedsy: Connects authors with professional editors, designers, and marketers. It's set up as a sales platform targeting authors. Authors can access Reedsy's core writing and formatting tools (Reedsy Studio) without charge for basic writing. It's kind of like Google Docs. Here's a comparison of the two from Sourceforge.
Otherwise, you have to buy a premium subscription plan for advanced features, priced at about $5–$11 per month. Hiring professionals such as editors and designers, or using Reedsy Discovery for promotion, incurs additional costs, including a 10% fee on services.
Reedsy Discovery charges you $50 to submit your book. If it's accepted, according to their website, you get "the chance to receive one quality, long-form review by an approved Discovery reviewer."
The reviewers are not professional (they work for tips given them by the author), and review is not guaranteed, so if you want to flush your money down the toilet this is a good place to do it. If your book is not accepted into the Discovery program, you'll receive feedback, they will attempt to sell you a service, and you must pay another $50 to try again.
Kboards Writers’ Café: This is one of many community forums for indie authors on Amazon Kindle to share tips and support. Posts come from freelance editors, cover designers, proofreaders and others hoping to sell products or services. If seeking these, you might find a deal here, but remember they're non-vetted. As an author, you can promote your Kindle book(s) on this forum.
Authors not on Amazon, you can promote your books at this forum: Authors Not On Amazon » General Discussion. This is a brand new forum, and free, so it's a good time to jump in and make some waves.
We believe in promoting other authors, and will even help out by posting your book link/book info from Authors Not On Amazon FREE to Bluesky, our social media platform.
Join me here: Sylvia Kay Rose Author—Bluesky.
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