Pursuant to my previous articles on the witch hunt being waged by those losing their marbles about the availability of AI image-generation to authors (1,2); at least several book marketing groups on Facebook have apparently taken to banning or deleting posts promoting books which their admins *suspect* (i.e. without any actual burden of proof) were created by the use of AI design tools.
That is, taking into consideration the question whether this is any of their actual business, one way or the other.
In both previous articles, I spoke at length about this discriminatory practice forming the basis of gentrification of the indie author/publishing industry and the threat posed by said discrimination to creative independence and creative freedoms within the industry, and seemingly no sooner were my words spoken, when a clear example of this presented itself.
This brings me to a case in point: in which an author promoting his brand new book on the day of its release, and sharing it via posts to numerous book marketing groups found either himself or his book post being summarily blocked from that group …for being AI-generated. I shit you not.
This occurred in spite of the cover having been created (and credited to in the write-up) by a real living human artist.
Yup, it seems that even the people who run book groups and ostensibly set themselves up as gatekeepers and censors… Don’t. Actually. Read.
But then again, neither did most ardent Nazis.
It remains unclear whether the author in this most recent example was able to present his case and get his membership or post unblocked, but in either case, this is a clear demonstration of the lengths some people will go to, to further the bias against authors who dare to use free AI design tools over paid services.
To sum up, authors – even authors who don’t use AI-aided design tools or image generators – are being summarily tried and convicted by unqualified critics (and I use that term in the original, pure sense) and individuals in what amounts to the kangaroo court of prevailing public opinion, and without any official sanction, are setting themselves up as unofficial gatekeepers and censors on social media platforms.
As I mentioned in a previous post on this topic, these group admins are even admitting to the fact that they can’t tell what cover image is or isn’t AI-generated, but that they would have to basically “just guess” or go with their “gut-feel” to do so. In all the examples of the outcome of such “judgement calls” I’ve seen, authors posting ads for their books were simply outright banned or their posts removed without being consulted or even allowed the opportunity to answer questions – regardless of whether or not the admin in question had guessed “right” – or not.
I mentioned in the same previous article, that I myself was banned from a group simply for pointing this folly out to the admin in question after she bragged of her intentions – which pretty much tells you everything you need to know about the nature and intent of this reactionary movement. It is one-sided and absolute totalitarianism in the sincerest definition of the word.
“Totalitarianism is a form of government and a political system that prohibits all opposition parties, outlaws individual and group opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high if not complete degree of control and regulation over public and private life.” – Wikipedia.
While social groups on Facebook are indeed not countries, governments or political systems, the principle itself holds true. Those pushing this reactionary line are demonstrating that they will not tolerate dissent. Furthermore, through their proliferation of propaganda they mislead their supporters into supporting their views, and incite them to hostility against any authors who happen to cross their lines in the sand while inadvertently doing what indie authors do – being entirely non-accountable to anyone else over the content or design of their books.
Witch hunts, as history will bear out, never serve the interests of the common good; they do however serve the interests of those doing the hunting, whatever those interests may later be revealed as. For the broader group however, be they authors, readers or the general society in which they exist, there is no discernable benefit in what essentially amounts to crude harassment and misdirected hostility.
The use of AI-generated imagery is and remains perfectly legal. If it were not so, then all the apps and internet platforms providing free AI image generation services available to the general public internationally would already have been shut down, blocked and/or issued public official warnings against, at least from several countries. Instead, after several years of their operation in the public sphere, there have still been none.
In spite of an absence of formal or legal support for their views, there exists a movement at large within the indie author/publishing community which openly bullies and attempts to shame any authors who make use of AI-generated images, for example, as used for cover images. Instead of protesting this blatant infringement on freedoms of expression and creativity that are central to being indie, I’ve noticed that many other authors appear to be remaining silent on the subject. Perhaps they’re reluctant to take a stand in case they open themselves to attack by the wolf-packs of critics snapping at the heels of any authors who dare to support (or participate in) the use of AI-generated images. Public opinion after all, can be lethal, acting as a silver bullet that could bring down a promising writing – or pretty much any other sort of career like an elephant on the receiving end of a blow from an elephant gun.
If this doesn’t already clearly demonstrate that we’re already treading on shaky, treacherous ground by pandering to paranoid hysterics and overt fascists harboring dubious motives (and likely having ties to the production or sale of digital art/images), who turn to blatant censorship and overbearing authoritarianism and even outright bullying practices in the indie author/publishing industry, what will?
Perhaps, in the not-too-distant future, if these people eventually have their way, authors will need to endure wholesale interrogations before we’re allowed to publish our books on platforms like Amazon, and we’ll have to provide demonstrable proof (in the form of scanned chits and billing) of paid cover illustrations? Pedigrees and contact details of the photographers/artists? Sworn affidavits attesting to the fact that they created the relevant images, with serial numbers duly allocated?
Hence why I refer to the aforementioned process of gentrification – in which sense I imply that by this process, authors would be FORCED in the end to use PAID services and be stripped of the freedom of using free and perfectly LEGAL alternatives just to satisfy populism incited by a handful of disgruntled artists and their mob of self-appointed “art police”. After all that, would we finally be allowed to publish and promote their books unhindered? That is, if we could afford it – which *ahem* is kinda the whole fucking point.
Rather, if that were to happen, I think a lot of indie’s would end up abandoning those platforms, opting to sell their books direct from their own websites instead – or simply finally throw their hands up in anguish and frustration and give up altogether, thereby thinning out the competition – and giving those goose-stepping plaid-wearing gentrification pundits exactly what they wanted.
In a closing aside, I haven’t bothered with book promotion groups on Facebook for something like two years now – mainly because there was very little engagement at all in those groups, and no demonstrable positive effect in terms of connected sales. In the end, it only meant a lot of extra work for me, having to schedule posts in a dozen different Facebook groups and having to take note of their individual proclivities. THIS group didn’t want authors to post daily, just weekly, and on specific days of the week – while THAT group didn’t want authors to make “automated” posts, only direct, manual ones (what is this, 2010?), while ANOTHER group didn’t want me to join his group because I already belonged to “too many” other book marketing groups… oh yes, the mind boggles! Yet another group didn’t want authors to promote their OWN work in the group! These group admins really need to take a closer look at themselves and ask what the hell they’re actually thinking? Most importantly, are they in the business of helping authors to promote their books – or not?! If not – what the hell good are they? After about a year of carefully walking this tight-rope of petulant dystopian-level bullshit, I eventually stopped marketing in them completely and left most of them in 2021 – there was literally no point in continuing.
These groups aim to give authors a platform to market their books TO THE READERS – but there are hardly any actual READERS in them – probably because they’re so filled to the brim with other authors, all vying with each other to get THEIR books seen, and not really interested in looking at yours. So, as far as I’m concerned, they’re irrelevant and essentially a complete waste of time.
In the end though, while Facebook marketing groups don’t do much to promote books or authors – they certainly can spread animosity within the writing community and further polarize it.
As for whom those attacking authors who use free AI-generated cover images think it is they’re ‘helping’ – it sure as hell isn’t authors themselves.
With that food for thought, I’ll leave you to it!
Have a good one.
Cheers!
nobody owes you a living
Thank you for agreeing with me on that.