How publishers, lawyers are fighting AI counterfeit books
Education
By
Caroline Chebet
| Nov 29, 2025
There is a high chance that you might buy the wrong copy of a book with a nearly identical title if you are not careful to check the title and the author.
This follows a growing threat in the publishing world where scammers are using AI to produce books that closely mimic the titles of bestsellers and other sought-after works. The trend is now costing authors and publishers millions of shilling each year.
African authors and publishers noted that scammers are leveraging highly evolving technologies to beat the systems.
Dr Eghosa Imasuen, the executive director of Narrative Landscape Press, said that while AI has eased work, in the publishing sector, especially in designing cover illustrations and cleaning up copies, readers are affected by the new threat too.“AI slop is a big threat and is rapidly gaining traction. Scammers target best-selling books and before they are even released to the market, hundreds of almost similar titles are on sale,” Dr Imasuen said.
AI slop is low-quality, high-volume digital content which is generated using AI tools. Often, the copies are usually large and lack originality. They are frequently sold at the same price or slightly lower than the original, to lure gullible readers.
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One of their latest publications by Narrative Landscape Press, featuring Nigerian billionaire businessman and philanthropist Femi Otedola has seen several productions mimicking the original copy. The original copy of the book is titled ‘Making it Big’, but a search on the Amazon online store reveals several almost identical headlines.
“Before releasing Otedola’s book, over 70 copies of almost similar titles had already appeared online and others had even been written in French. These copies were being sold for similar prices to what the book was selling and others were a little lower,” Dr Imasuen said.
“The current challenges are emerging because legislation is yet to catch up with technological developments and the risks it poses,” Wendy Njoroge, Narrative Landscape Press, East Africa managing director said.
This month, publishers from around the world converged in the UAE for a conference to deliberate on emerging issues and possible legislation that they could adopt to protect themselves. “A lot is happening in the sector, especially with the entry of AI. It is a very delicate balance, not only for the publishing industry but also for the creative industry,” she said.