Tool comparison
Where can you publish AI-assisted fiction? AI rules on Amazon KDP, Wattpad, Royal Road and 8 more (2026)
Most platforms accept fiction you wrote with AI help. What differs is whether you must label it, whether fully AI-generated text is allowed at all, and what happens in contests.
AIBookCraft Editorial · · 9 min read
Sources checked:
At a glance
- Fiction you wrote yourself with AI help for editing, brainstorming or checking is accepted almost everywhere we checked, and Amazon KDP and Apple Books say AI-assisted work needs no disclosure.
- Text an AI generated is treated differently: KDP and IngramSpark ask you to disclose it when you publish, Apple Books requires an “AI Generated by” credit and a note in the description, and Royal Road asks for an “AI-Generated” tag.
- Some platforms refuse AI-generated text: Tapas does not allow it, Draft2Digital and IngramSpark reject books generated entirely by AI without substantial human editing, Kobo lists AI-generated content as a rejection reason, and Webnovel staff say mainly AI-generated content is not welcome.
- Contests have their own rules: Wattpad's Wattys 2026 strongly discourage generative AI and ask entrants to declare it, while Inkitt runs a separate AI-Assisted category in its 2026 Inkys awards.
- AIBookCraft is an AI book-writing app that keeps your plan, chapters and revisions in one manuscript on the web, iPhone and Android, which makes it easier to show how much of a book you wrote and to choose the right label when you publish elsewhere.
Can you publish a book or web novel written with AI?
Yes, on most platforms, as long as you are honest about how the AI was used. Almost every rule we read draws the same line. AI-assisted means you wrote the text and used AI to edit, check, brainstorm or outline. AI-generated means the AI produced the text, even if you edited it heavily afterwards. Amazon KDP says plainly that text an AI generated still counts as AI-generated after substantial edits.
AI-assisted fiction is accepted nearly everywhere and usually needs no label. AI-generated fiction is accepted with a label or disclosure on Amazon KDP, Apple Books, IngramSpark and Royal Road, and accepted on AO3 as a fanwork without an official tag, and refused or discouraged on Tapas, Kobo, Webnovel and, for books with no substantial human editing, Draft2Digital and IngramSpark. Contest rules are often stricter than a platform's general rules.
Sources: Amazon KDP content guidelines: AI-generated content · Apple Books Asset Guide and store formatting guidelines (AI-generated content) · IngramSpark content guidelines · Royal Road Knowledge Base: AI-assisted and AI-generated content · Tapas Help Center: Content and Community Guidelines
AI rules on 11 publishing platforms (official pages, checked October 13, 2026)
“Not stated” means we found no rule on the platform's official pages, not that anything goes. Where a rule comes from a staff announcement rather than a help page, the row says so.
| Platform | AI-assisted (you wrote it) | AI-generated text | Label or disclosure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon KDP | Allowed, no disclosure needed | Allowed | Tell KDP when you publish or republish a book with AI-generated text, images or translations | Heavily edited AI text still counts as AI-generated. The guidelines page does not say whether readers see the disclosure |
| Apple Books | Allowed, no disclosure needed (includes AI cover images) | Allowed | An “AI Generated by” artist role and a statement in the book description | The clearest reader-facing label of the stores we checked |
| IngramSpark | Allowed (spell check, proofing) | Allowed only with significant human editorial review and attribution; works created solely by AI are not accepted | Disclose at title setup and use the “Assisted By – Generative AI” contributor role | Applies to print and ebook distribution |
| Draft2Digital | Supported | Not accepted if generated entirely by AI without extensive human editing | Not stated | AI-written nonfiction may need proof of expertise |
| Kobo Writing Life | Not stated | Listed as a common reason for rejecting a book | Not stated | Kobo says it is building tools to screen out AI-generated content |
| Royal Road | Tag “AI-Assisted” for heavy AI editing | Allowed with the “AI-Generated” tag; must meet quality standards | Story tags | No AI-written comments, reviews or forum posts. Policy since June 2023 |
| Wattpad | Not stated in the content guidelines | Not stated in the content guidelines | Not stated for general stories | Wattys 2026: generative AI strongly discouraged, AI use must be declared. Non-consensual AI deepfakes of real people are removed |
| Inkitt | Allowed | Allowed under its terms | Do not present AI output as made without AI or remove AI labels | Inkys 2026 has a separate AI-Assisted category |
| Tapas | Not stated | Not allowed | — | Tapas cites the risk of unauthorized derivatives of existing content |
| Webnovel | Not stated | Mainly AI-generated content is not welcome | — | From a staff announcement (January 2025); AI plagiarism, unverified AI translation or AI word-count padding can lead to removal and royalty deductions |
| AO3 (Archive of Our Own) | Allowed | Allowed if it is otherwise a fanwork | No official AI tag found | Posting many works quickly can break spam rules. Scraping AO3 for commercial generative AI is forbidden |
Sources: Amazon KDP content guidelines: AI-generated content · Apple Books Asset Guide and store formatting guidelines (AI-generated content) · IngramSpark content guidelines · IngramSpark Help: AI Disclosure and Attribution · Draft2Digital FAQ · Kobo Writing Life: Why was my book rejected or blocked? · Kobo Writing Life FAQ · Royal Road: AI text policy (June 2023) · Royal Road Knowledge Base: AI-assisted and AI-generated content · Wattpad Content Guidelines (last revised August 10, 2026) · The Wattys 2026: entry requirements · The Wattys 2026: how to enter · Inkitt Terms of Service (AI tools and your content) · Inkitt: The Inkys 2026 AI-Assisted category · Tapas Help Center: Content and Community Guidelines · Webnovel Inkstone Academy: staff announcement on AI content (January 8, 2025) · AO3 news post on AI-generated works · AO3 Terms of Service FAQ: scraping
Selling an AI-assisted book: Amazon KDP, Apple Books and IngramSpark
For ebook and print stores, the deciding question is who produced the words. Amazon KDP requires you to tell it about AI-generated text, images or translations when you publish a new book or republish an edited one, and states that you are not required to disclose AI-assisted content. Its guidelines page does not say whether that disclosure is shown to readers. A limit of three new titles per day was widely reported in September 2023, but it does not appear on the current guidelines page, so check your account before planning a large release.
Apple Books goes furthest toward the reader: a book with a material portion of AI-generated content must credit it with the “AI Generated by” artist role and say so in the description. IngramSpark asks you to disclose AI at title setup and to add an “Assisted By – Generative AI” contributor, and it does not accept works created solely with generative AI. Draft2Digital supports AI-assisted books but not content generated entirely by AI without extensive human editing. Kobo Writing Life lists “wholly or partially AI generated” books among common rejection reasons.
Sources: Amazon KDP content guidelines: AI-generated content · Apple Books Asset Guide and store formatting guidelines (AI-generated content) · IngramSpark content guidelines · IngramSpark Help: AI Disclosure and Attribution · Draft2Digital FAQ · Kobo Writing Life: Why was my book rejected or blocked? · Kobo Writing Life FAQ
Posting a serial: Royal Road, Wattpad, Inkitt, Tapas and Webnovel
Royal Road has the most detailed web-fiction policy. Its knowledge base asks authors to tag AI-Assisted or AI-Generated content, and defines AI-Generated as a story generated with an AI tool where the author prompted, directed and edited the result. AI-written comments, reviews and forum posts are not allowed.
Wattpad's content guidelines (last revised August 10, 2026) have no rule on AI-written stories; the only AI rule we found removes non-consensual AI deepfakes involving real people. Its contest is different: the Wattys 2026 entry requirements strongly discourage generative AI and ask you to declare if and how you used AI tools. We found no official AI rule for Wattpad's paid programs.
Inkitt's terms say its original-work requirement does not prohibit AI-generated material, and tell users not to present AI output as made without AI. Tapas does not allow AI-generated content. Webnovel's position comes from a staff announcement shared in an official Inkstone article: content mainly generated by AI is not welcome, and AI used for plagiarism, unchecked translation or padding can lead to removal.
Sources: Royal Road: AI text policy (June 2023) · Royal Road Knowledge Base: AI-assisted and AI-generated content · Wattpad Content Guidelines (last revised August 10, 2026) · The Wattys 2026: entry requirements · The Wattys 2026: how to enter · Inkitt Terms of Service (AI tools and your content) · Inkitt: The Inkys 2026 AI-Assisted category · Tapas Help Center: Content and Community Guidelines · Webnovel Inkstone Academy: staff announcement on AI content (January 8, 2025)
Who owns AI-assisted fiction? The US Copyright Office view
Platform rules are separate from copyright. The US Copyright Office's January 2025 report concluded that AI output can be protected only where a human author has determined sufficient expressive elements; prompts alone are not enough, while using AI as a tool does not by itself block protection. Its 2023 registration guidance also requires applicants to disclose AI-generated content in a work they register. Rules differ in other countries; this is general information, not legal advice.
Sources: US Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 2 (January 29, 2025) · US Copyright Office: registration guidance for works containing AI-generated material (March 2023)
A five-minute check before you publish
Use this before uploading anything written with AI help.
- Write down, chapter by chapter, which text you wrote and which text an AI generated.
- Open the platform's AI page from the table above and match your book to its definitions, not to your own feeling of how much you changed.
- Choose the label, tag or contributor role the platform asks for, and keep a copy of your drafts and revision history.
- If you are entering a contest, read the contest rules separately; they are often stricter.
- Check AI-made covers and illustrations too: KDP counts AI-generated images, while Apple treats AI cover images as AI-assisted.
Where AIBookCraft fits
AIBookCraft is an AI book-writing app made by SecondEarth, available on the web, iPhone and Android. You can plan a book from a title or one-line idea, write and edit chapters yourself on a free account, and use AI chapter drafting with Pro (US$5.99 a month on the web). On the App Store it is listed as “AI Book Writer Story Maker” and on Google Play as “AI Book Writer Story Generator.”
Because the plan, chapters and your edits stay in one manuscript, AIBookCraft makes it easier to see which chapters you wrote and which you asked the AI to draft, which is exactly what KDP, Apple Books and Royal Road ask about. The apps export PDF or DOCX, and you can also publish publicly inside AIBookCraft's own reading community and unpublish at any time. You keep the ownership rights you have in what you write. AIBookCraft does not promise publishing acceptance or sales, and an AI draft is a draft to revise.
Sources: AIBookCraft product facts · AIBookCraft web plans · AIBookCraft Terms
Frequently asked questions
Can you sell AI-generated books on Amazon?
Yes. Amazon KDP allows AI-generated content but requires you to tell it about AI-generated text, images or translations when you publish or republish. Content you wrote and only edited or brainstormed with AI is AI-assisted and does not need disclosure.
Sources: Amazon KDP content guidelines: AI-generated content
Is AI allowed on Wattpad?
Wattpad's content guidelines, last revised August 10, 2026, contain no rule on AI-written stories; they remove non-consensual AI deepfakes involving real people. The Wattys 2026 contest strongly discourages generative AI and asks entrants to declare their AI use.
Sources: Wattpad Content Guidelines (last revised August 10, 2026) · The Wattys 2026: entry requirements · The Wattys 2026: how to enter
Does Royal Road allow AI-generated stories?
Yes, with tags. Royal Road asks authors to tag stories “AI-Assisted” or “AI-Generated” as appropriate, holds them to its quality standards, and does not allow AI-written comments, reviews or forum posts.
Sources: Royal Road Knowledge Base: AI-assisted and AI-generated content · Royal Road: AI text policy (June 2023)
Which platforms do not accept AI-generated fiction?
On October 13, 2026, Tapas did not allow AI-generated content, Draft2Digital and IngramSpark did not accept books generated entirely by AI without substantial human editing, Kobo listed AI-generated books as a rejection reason, and Webnovel staff said mainly AI-generated content is not welcome.
Sources: Tapas Help Center: Content and Community Guidelines · Draft2Digital FAQ · IngramSpark content guidelines · Kobo Writing Life: Why was my book rejected or blocked? · Webnovel Inkstone Academy: staff announcement on AI content (January 8, 2025)
Do I have to disclose AI-assisted editing?
Usually not. Amazon KDP and Apple Books both say AI-assisted content does not require disclosure. Contests can differ: the Wattys 2026 ask entrants to declare if and how they used AI tools.
Sources: Amazon KDP content guidelines: AI-generated content · Apple Books Asset Guide and store formatting guidelines (AI-generated content) · The Wattys 2026: how to enter
Plan your book for free
Turn a one-line premise into a title, logline, characters and five editable beats in your browser, then write the chapters yourself.
Put it into practiceSources and verification dates
- Amazon KDP content guidelines: AI-generated content — checked
- Apple Books Asset Guide and store formatting guidelines (AI-generated content) — checked
- IngramSpark content guidelines — checked
- IngramSpark Help: AI Disclosure and Attribution — checked
- Draft2Digital FAQ — checked
- Kobo Writing Life: Why was my book rejected or blocked? — checked
- Kobo Writing Life FAQ — checked
- Royal Road: AI text policy (June 2023) — checked
- Royal Road Knowledge Base: AI-assisted and AI-generated content — checked
- Wattpad Content Guidelines (last revised August 10, 2026) — checked
- The Wattys 2026: entry requirements — checked
- The Wattys 2026: how to enter — checked
- Inkitt Terms of Service (AI tools and your content) — checked
- Inkitt: The Inkys 2026 AI-Assisted category — checked
- Tapas Help Center: Content and Community Guidelines — checked
- Webnovel Inkstone Academy: staff announcement on AI content (January 8, 2025) — checked
- AO3 news post on AI-generated works — checked
- AO3 Terms of Service FAQ: scraping — checked
- US Copyright Office: Copyright and Artificial Intelligence, Part 2 (January 29, 2025) — checked
- US Copyright Office: registration guidance for works containing AI-generated material (March 2023) — checked
- AIBookCraft product facts — checked
- AIBookCraft web plans — checked
- AIBookCraft Terms — checked
Product features and prices can change. Check the linked official guidance before deciding. Corrections: contact@aibookcraft.app.