Today, Explained

Amazon’s garbage book factory

17 snips
May 17, 2024
Constance Grady, a Vox senior correspondent focused on culture, dives deep into the murky world of online self-publishing. She uncovers the rise of 'garbage books' on Amazon, fueled by keyword tricks and AI. Grady discusses how these low-quality titles confuse readers and threaten the integrity of true authorship. The podcast also examines the ethical dilemmas surrounding self-publishing tactics and the struggles of aspiring publishers trying to navigate this chaotic literary landscape.
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ANECDOTE

Eric Larson Book Impersonations

  • Eric Larson books are being impersonated on Kindle with similar titles.
  • These titles exploit common search terms to trick buyers.
ANECDOTE

Kara Swisher Book Impersonations

  • Similar titles mimicking Kara Swisher's book appeared on the Kindle store.
  • These books often have generic titles and low prices to attract buyers.
INSIGHT

Garbage Book Generation Process

  • Keyword scrapers identify trending search terms like "Kara Swisher book".
  • These keywords are then used by garbage book generators to create similar titles.
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