By Emma Loffhagen
Publication Date: 2026-03-20 17:14:00
Hachette Book Group has withdrawn a horror novel after allegations circulated online that the author relied heavily on artificial intelligence. The book is set to close in the UK after publication in November 2025 and its US release date has been cancelled.
Mia Ballard’s book “Shy Girl” was due to be published in the US by Hachette’s Orbit this spring. However, the publisher confirmed that it had stopped publication after an internal review. The title has also been removed from online retailers such as Amazon and is no longer sold in the UK.
The decision was first reported by The New York Times and comes after weeks of online speculation about the novel’s origins, with readers on platforms such as Goodreads and Reddit questioning whether parts of the text bore characteristics of AI-generated prose.
According to NielsenIQ BookData, around 1,800 print copies of the book were sold in the UK.
In a statement to The New York Times, the…
