Last June, Mia Ballard’s self-published novel Shy Girl took the internet by storm. After winning the hearts of readers and publisher Hachette alike, it was set for a major US debut in the coming months.
Now, the novel may never become available through any official channel again. Hachette has officially pulled the plug on the novel’s US release following a wave of allegations that generative AI played a role in the manuscript’s creation.
Originally self-published in February 2025, the horror novel was traditionally released by Hachette’s science fiction and fantasy label Orbit in the UK in November. After The New York Times provided evidence of AI usage in Shy Girl, Hachette canceled the planned spring US release and removed the book from its website completely.
“Hachette remains committed to protecting original creative expression and storytelling,” the publisher said in a statement to the Times.
Authors are required to disclose to Hachette whether AI was used in the creation of their work. Ballard has denied using AI tools to write the book, claiming an editor was responsible for the portions that appear to be AI-generated.
“My name is ruined for something I didn’t even personally do,” Ballard wrote in an email to the New York Times.
The cancellation of Shy Girl by Hachette marks the first time a major publisher has publicly pulled an existing title due to suspicions of AI-generated prose.
For the past few months, readers online have raised concerns about the book’s apparent use of AI.
A video from YouTuber frankie’s shelf provides a lengthy analysis of the novel, pointing out linguistic patterns that are characteristic of AI writing. The video also lists words in Shy Girl that are repeated with unusual frequency (“edge” is used 84 times and “sharp” 159 times), often in ways that are abstract and nonsensical.
In January, Max Spero, founder and chief executive of Pangram, ran the text of Shy Girl through his AI detection program. He claimed that the novel was 78% AI-generated.
The rise of AI has caught the publishing industry off guard. Though AI writing has already appeared in many self-published books, traditional publishers like Hachette are more critical of the technology.
Representatives for Hachette didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
