In 2015, I self-published my first ebook and paperback through CreateSpace, now Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), and sold it on Amazon. It is called, “Caring for a Husband with Dementia: The Ultimate Survival Guide.” It is my best seller and I do presentations and book talks based on it and the expanded and revised edition called, “Alzheimer’s, Dementia, and Memory Loss: A Helpful Guide for Caregivers.”
As I was preparing for a presentation, I typed my book’s title into the Amazon search bar. I was checking on the status of my reviews.
To my surprise, a book with a similar title (a sponsored title!) popped up right above mine. i clicked on the link and looked more closely at the “Book Overview.” As I started reading through I saw my words, not in the same order, but in a slightly different arrangement. My terms used in my book made up the bulk of the overview. I had a strong suspicion that this was MY book.
I wasn’t able to see any of the inside of the book via the “Read sample” option. It had only the cover, back cover (with no text on the back), title page, author’s name, and copyright information.
I checked the Amazon Prime return policy, and I was able to return the book at no extra cost. So there was no risk in my opinion. I ordered the book and waited.
When the book arrived three days later, I opened it up and saw MY photos. MY writing. This was direct plagiarism. But, the “author” had scrubbed the book clean of any personal information such as my title page, copyright information, dedication, acknowledgements, and the back-matter such as resources, recommended reading, and my about the author page.
When I opened up the book, it was a jaw-dropping moment. I was shocked. My heart sank. I felt like I had been robbed. The violation of stealing my hard work felt like a punch to my stomach. Sadness, anger, victimization all balled up into one.
After the initial shock wore off, I took a closer look and discovered that the “Introduction” was AI generated. I had plugged in the first few paragraphs into an AI Checker and it came up as being written by AI. I had never seen a book combining AI-generated text and direct or cloned plagiarism before. The bulk of the book was my work. Word-for-word. And it was taken from my 2015 ebook (which has since been revised in 2021).
I started searching Amazon to see if there were any other books plagiarizing mine and I found another one! So far, I have found two.
I have since reported both books to Amazon for copyright infringement and they have been removed. I have to be diligent though because it can happen again. There is an online Amazon Report Infringement form and process that has to be followed and you don’t get to speak to a human unfortunately. I ran into a snag because the books I was reporting on had fake ISBN numbers, so I had to use the ASIN numbers instead.
Many other suspicious books written by others have been discovered. I suspect there are hundreds if not thousands of these AI Hybrid Books on Amazon. It’s not right.
AI Hybrid Plagiarism is running rampant on Amazon. Many unsuspecting authors are being robbed and readers are being deceived. I want others to be aware of this issue in hopes of preventing the sales of these illegitimate books that disrespect the intellectual property rights of others.
My ask is I want Amazon to do a better job at checking for plagiarism. I suggest they go beyond the first 500 words. Perhaps the first 10,000.
I have a Facebook page called, “My Book was Stolen Plagiarised Pirated” with more information. Give a Follow and Like there to see what I find and what is new in the world of AI and books.
More information on my books and services can be found on my website at www.AngelaGGentile.com.
Angela G. Gentile, MSW, RSW
Angela G. Gentile, BSW, MSW 